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Help - Trying to make fries at home! - Page 2

post #31 of 37
3/26/10 at 7:23am
Ok I tried the cold oil method.  Honestly I can't say that I found much difference in the crispness of the fries.  One thing I did do wrong probably is I stirred them as they started coming to a boil, maybe I shouldn't have done that.  Otherwise they were a tasty fry however there was a lot of sticking to the bottom, there is no sticking when I fry in hot oil.  All in all it was a lot easier to cook them this way but the results were about the same.
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post #32 of 37
3/28/10 at 1:41pm
I've always:

Cut fries, place in container.
Cover with water, agitate, pour off water, repeat until water no longer clouds.
Store (in water) for a few hours or overnight.
Drain water from fries, drop into hot oil for two minutes, shake off extra oil and spread on sheet pans to cool.
Once cool can be placed in a sealed container under refrigeration for a day or two if desired.
When ready for fries, fry in hot oil until crisp.

Oil temp for first and second fry are identical, typically 375°.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
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post #33 of 37
3/28/10 at 6:22pm
Mt restaurant recipe: Use russets and peanut oil. Cut potatoes in thin strips. Soak 4 hours to overnight in water and vinegar -- a glug or two of distilled white or malt per gallon of water.

Double frying -- first fry at 325F. Dry potatoes with toweling. Cook until done through (soft - a knife pierces through easily, or squish between thumb and forefinger -- remember it's HOT!). Remove to toweling or rack (preferred) to coll, about 15 minutes.

Second fry -- 375F. Drop fries in and watch for browning. Thin strips can take as little as 2 minutes. Remove done fries to rack or toweling. Season immediately.

Get a thermometer and watch your oil temp when adding food. It can drop quickly and you may not get back up to temp for your first fry, and second fry may leave product oily.
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post #34 of 37
3/30/10 at 1:19pm
Thread Starter 
@Koukouvagia you mentioned that the whole point of the double frying process is to let the fries cool between the two fryings.  What exactly does the cooling off do?  For me, it seems like as the fries get cooler, they get greasier.
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post #35 of 37
3/30/10 at 8:45pm

The key lies in the fact that not all water in a potato is equal. Some of it is bound within the potato's structure more tightly then the rest, requiring more energy to expel it. During the first fry, some of the water present in the potato evaporates and exits, allowing the oil to enter the space it was taking, and come in direct contact with the potato's cells. Meanwhile, water that is more tightly bound in the potato's structure remains.

as the oil works its way into the potato, a relatively thick layer of starch-reinforced cells can build up around the exterior of the potato

Soon, individual molecules of starch break free from larger granules with the help of the energy provided by hot oil. These starch molecules then come in contact with the water still present in the potatoes, hydrating and forming a gel that acts as a kind of glue, reinforcing the structure of the cells around it. Over time, as the oil works its way into the potato, a relatively thick layer of starch-reinforced cells can build up around the exterior of the potato. This is the paper-like sheath you see around a potato that has been fried once at low temperature.

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post #36 of 37
3/31/10 at 7:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by FryGirl View Post

@Koukouvagia you mentioned that the whole point of the double frying process is to let the fries cool between the two fryings.  What exactly does the cooling off do?  For me, it seems like as the fries get cooler, they get greasier.

I'm not a scientist so I can't answer your question with scientific facts.  However I can say that once you remove food from the cooking method it continues to cook as it gradually cools.  Roasted meat continues to climb in temperature as it is resting before you carve it etc.  Therefore it is not possible to twice cook something when in your case it is continuously cooking from one fryer to the next.  Must cool completely before its temperature spikes again.

I understand that you might think the fries are getting greasier as they sit there but I don't think so.  Whatever oil is there is already there, those fries cannot produce any more oil than they've already soaked up.  I hope that helps a bit.
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post #37 of 37
3/31/10 at 9:04am
whenever I make fries at home I use Yukon Golds and as I am not so lucky as to have a deep fryer I just wedge them, cook them in some good ol h20 then fry them in a pan to crisp up the outside.
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