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Gluten Free Restaurant-Style French Fries

To make the perfect restaurant-style french fries at home there are 6 things you need to know:

  1. Choose the right potato – baking potatoes (Russet or Idaho) have the highest starch content making them the best for frying, producing crispy outsides and light and fluffy insides.
  2. Size matters – cut the potatoes uniformly. This will ensure they all cook at the exactly the same time, thus having the same texture.
  3. Soak in ice water – there are 3 things this does: removes the starch (i.e. sugars) that’s on the surface of the potato prevents them from browning prematurely before the insides are fully cooked,  cools the slices so they will cook a bit slower initially, creating a perfectly fluffy inside, and allows less oil to be absorbed during frying.
  4. Lightly dust with cornstarch – tossing the slices with a bit of starch and letting the slices sit for 20 minutes, absorbs the remaining surface moisture which in turn gets fried into a super crispy crust. Cornstarch is the best however if you are allergic, arrowroot or potato starch can be used instead.
  5. Choose the right oil – an oil with a high smoke point is necessary for deep frying, as well as one that has a neutral flavor. Peanut is the best followed by corn oil, however if you have an aversion to either of these use whatever (higher smoke point) oil you are comfortable with.
  6. Fry twice – the key to fries with a crispy outside and tender insides are a two-stage (and two-temperature!) frying method.
See also
Orange-Almond Semifreddo

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Make sure to slice the potatoes uniformly. White potatoes should be 1/4″ strips, but Sweet Potatoes are best plank cut – 1/4″ thick by 1/2″ wide. This gives more surface area to cook them, making them crispy instead of mushy-which tends to happen with this type of potato.

Soak the cut slices for 30 minutes in very cold water (with ice or in fridge) to remove as much starch (natural sugars) as possible from their surface, this will ensure they don’t brown during their first frying. Drain and dry them completely before frying. Then toss with a bit of cornstarch, and let sit in a wire rack for 20 minutes to allow the cornstarch to create a light film over the fries.

The first fry at the lower temperature will soften the fry, it should be tender enough to cut with the side of a spoon. Once they reach this point, scoop out and lay on paper towels. Make sure to cook in batches – frying too many at one time will lower the temperature of the oil too fast and it will take longer to cook them properly (and they will absorb more oil). Make sure the fries rest for at least 10 minutes before staring the second fry – this allows the starches on the surface to create a thin film (which will turn into the final crispy crust).

See also
Buckwheat Tabouli

Increase oil temperature and fry in batches.  The second fry at the higher temperature, is what gives the fries that deep golden color and crispy outside.

Once done, immediately drain on a wire rack for a few seconds (shaking to remove any excess oil) then put into a bowl and toss with salt. You don’t want the fries to drain on a paper towel at this point, since the crispy edges of the fries against the damp paper towel will start to soften the crispy outsides.

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Deep-Fried French Fries

Marla Hingley
For low carb, use rutabaga instead of potatoe, omit the soaking step, and toss with arrowroot powder in place of cornstarch.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American, French
Servings 4
Calories 350 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 1/2 lbs large baking potatoes Russet, Idaho
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • Deep-frying oil*

Instructions
 

  • Using a knife cut potatoes into 1/4" sticks and place in a large bowl of cold water (add ice). Chill in fridge for 30 minutes, changing water 3 times. Drain, pat completely dry.
  • Place cornstarch in a large bowl and gently toss with potatoes to coat. Shake off excess and place on a wire rack (over a baking sheet) and let sit for 20 minutes to allow the cornstarch to form a white coating over the potatoes.
  • Choose a heavy bottom sauce pan and fill at least 4" deep with oil (making sure you have 3-4" headroom at top to allow for the oil to bubble up). Bring oil up to 330°F using a deep-fry thermometer, then carefully drop a third of the potatoes into the oil. The ideal temperature of the oil is 325°F for cooking, however by increasing the heat initially at the start it will compensate for the drop in temperature once you add the potatoes.
  • Gently stir the potatoes around and remove after 3-5 minutes when they can easily be cut with the side of fork, and their surface just starts to blister (but not brown). Use a mesh strainer and remove the potatoes from the oil, and place on a paper towel lined pan wire rack (with a baking sheet underneath). Fry the remaining potatoes the same way. Be sure not cook too many at once - this will dramatically lower the temperature of the oil, you want to maintain the temperature at 325°F during this initial fry. Let the slices sit for at least 10 minutes before the second fry (this will firm up the cornstarch coating).
  • Increase oil temperature to 375°F then fry in batches for 1-2 minutes or until potatoes turn golden brown and are crisp. The ideal temperature of the oil for the second frying stage is 350°F, however by increasing the heat initially at the start it will compensate for the drop in temperature once you add the potatoes.
  • Immediately strain out and place on wire rack (remove paper towel), shaking to remove any excess oil. Place fries into a bowl and generously sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining potatoes.

Notes

*Peanut or corn oil are the best for deep frying as they have the highest smoke point and have a neutral flavor, however use whatever high-temperature oil you are comfortable with.

Nutrition

Calories: 350kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 6gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 15mgPotassium: 1182mgFiber: 4gSugar: 2gVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 2mg
Keyword corn oil, Cornstarch, French Fries, Gluten Free
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
See also
Chicken Pot Pie

 

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