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Soggy Crispy Taters ...

post #1 of 5
11/19/07 at 11:41am
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Whenever I make crispy home fries, they lose their crispiness after being on the plate a while. The bottoms get somewhat soggy and the taters get a little limp. By the time I'm done eating the taters there's virtually no crispiness left. Is there a way to maintain their crispness?

Hmmm ... I just this moment thought that perhaps the taters went on to the plate too quickly. Maybe they should rest a bit on a rack before plating? Then they'd get cold. Maybe putting them on a rack in a hot oven for a bit? I hate soggy taters that are supposed to be crisp ... any suggestions greatly appreciated.

shel
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post #2 of 5
11/19/07 at 12:00pm
I think that's kind of the nature of the beast. Even french fries usually have that difficulty if they sit on the plate. Thin cut especially so. Perhaps a larger cut in the potato would help out so the hold their heat better?

CI has recommended heating the cubed potatoes in water just until the boil. Then drain and into the HOT fry pan immediately. I think I have better crispness when I use a cast iron pan than stainless for the high heat work. CI says this pre-boil method tweaks the surface starch for maximum crispness when pan fried. I've done it. I haven't noticed better crispness per se, but I think they cook more evenly and quickly. Quickly in regards to pan time. It's actually a little longer process, but you can do other prep while the potatoes come to the boil which leaves you a shorter time with them in the pan. A nice tradeoff in the cooking work I think.

Phil
more than taste fine
me eat it all the time
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post #3 of 5
11/19/07 at 12:42pm
I've found that the two stage method works well for cutting down on the loss of crispness.

You first cook the fries at a lower temp, say 320F, to get the insides cooked. Then, after cooling, cook the fried a second time at a higher temp, say 375F, to get the outside nice and golden brown.

The first cooking will remove some of the moisture from the inside that tends to migrate to the surface after cooking. That is a big factor in "loss of crispness." With the heat of the frying dissipating, there isn't much to keep the inside moisture from moving to the outside and messing with the crisp texture.
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post #4 of 5
11/19/07 at 2:13pm
Soggy? Crispy ? Which one do you desire ? If fried and consumed in the proper time this question never exists...........:chef:
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post #5 of 5
11/19/07 at 5:14pm
In our household they go so quick they don't get a chance to get soggy :)

But ditto above advice, and also - do you plate them on a cold plate or a hot one? I finish off the taters last of all once everything else is ready - plate the rest on a hot plate, finish the taters then serve pronto.
 Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy.
Robert A. Heinlein
 
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