Our panel of Epicurious experts returns, this time to answer your top questions about french fries!
Skin on or skin off?
What’s the purpose of double frying?
Who goes for a ketchup dip and who opts for mayo?
Join chef Palak Patel from the Institute of Culinary Education, food scientist Rose, director Rhoda, ketchup queen Emily, and the one and only Lorenzo as they spin through your viewer-submitted questions on this episode of Epicurious FAQ.
- I eat a lot of french fries.My husband and I fry up a whole bunchof french fries [laughs]and that's kinda what we eat for the day.I'm Rose.I'm a food scientist.- Hi, I'm Rhoda.I'm the video food directorfor Bon Appetit and Epicurious.We need to throw somethingelse into this challenge.- No, Rhoda, we're good.- Hi folks, I'm Lorenzo,and I'm a level two chef.[Lorenzo mumbling]- Hi, I'm Palak.I'm a chef at the Instituteof Culinary Education.You probably know meas a level three chef.I have a batch that I made five days ago.- And I'm Emily.And I'm a level one chef.- And here are all the answers--- To all of your questions--- About french fries.- Here we go.- Beep, beep, beep, beep,beep, beep, beep, bop.- It's kind of fun.[bell ringing]- All right.Numero uno.- Mayo or ketchup?Hands down, without a doubt, it's ketchup.- [sighs]Do I have to choose?- Mayo, always.- I have never, I have never seen,I thought that was weirdthat mayo was sittingright next to my fries here.- If I'm in Belgium, I'ddefinitely go for frite sauce,but if I have to chooseone or the other, ketchup.Or both.
[laughs]- Ketchup, I love ketchup.Can I make an Emily joke?
[laughs]- Easy one, mayo.- No, ketchup, ketchup![bell ringing]Ketchup, ketchup, ketchup![laughs]- Is there a healthierversion of french fries--- Without changing anything?C'mon.- No.- Well, without changinganything, they'd be the same.- You would have to change something, yes.You could use sweet potatoesinstead of regular potatoes.You could bake theminstead of frying them,but I don't think there'sa way to make them healthywithout changing anything.- Air fryers?- I don't think air fryingreally works that well.I mean, that's changing something also.- You can't not change anythingand have it be healthier,unless, oh actually, wait.If you are on a treadmillwhile you eat them,that's slightly better.
[laughs]- If you're gonna eat a fry, enjoy it!Enjoy your fries, forget healthy!- I wonder if Rose knows away to make them healthierwithout changing anything?- Oh yeah, Rose?- I don't know aboutmaking a healthier version.I guess the healthiest thing to do is justeat fewer french fries.How 'bout that?- I'm sorry, but like, justenjoy your life, it's okay.Get out there and havefun, you look great.- Skin on or skin off?- That is the question.- It's pretty vague to justsay skin on or skin off.For me personally, skin on always, but--- I'm a skin off kinda girl,but you can keep your skin onif you want.You want the skin on, scrubbed, no dirt.- I like skin on.- Skin off.- If potatoes, off.- Skin off, definitely,but I like them enoughthat if somebody gives me french frieswith the skin on, I'mprobably going to eat them.- I just like that rustic look.Why bother, it's yummy, it's fine.[bell ringing]Bing!- Why do chefs double fry their friesat different temperatures?- If they're making 'emhomemade and they're notordering them like, frozen,they're gonna have to fry it again for ya.- You wanna fry themat a lower temperatureto get the potatoes cookedall the way through.- Like, in the inside.- Basically, parfry them, that's all.They're not really double frying them.If they fried it all the wayand then try frying it again,it's gonna be overcooked,it's gonna be too crispyand there is such a thingas a too crispy fry.- The first fry is to cook the potatoesand the second fry is toget them extra crispy.- That's why, I think that's why.Um, who is level...Level three and scientists, please?- First one is to cookit, the second is to getcolor and texture.- If you just did the secondhigher temperature one,you would have a crispyoutside but like, a raw inside,and if you just did the lower one,you'd have like a limp not cooked fry,or like, it would justbe like, limp and notcrunchy and delicious.Huh, I told you I knew fries.- Oh, I missed for the first time ever.There we go.[bell ringing]I never missed before.- Why do people associatefrench fries with France?- Okay, you guys arequizzing me on history.- Who knows that stuff?Wasn't, Rhoda's good at that, right?Rhoda knows history.
[laughs]- Rose?- The English inventingthem rings a bit of a bell,but I'm not sure.- French fries, frites, I mean,steak frites is a classic French dish, so.Frites are fried potatoes from France,so we call 'em french fries here?- That is incorrect-omundo.That was a mistake, I believe.They are not from France.- Rose, you got anything to add?- Some people in Belgiumthink that french friesare really from there.- They're Belgian, right?They're like, Belgian?- Think during the war,some Belgian soldierswere introduced to french friesand then the name just stuck.- Yeah, and they just kept it that way.It really has nothing to do with France.- Maybe the soldiers spoke French so thenthe fries got their name french fries?- But I think frenchfries were served in Parisin the mid-1800's andeven a little bit earlier,and I think it just stuck,and that's what I think,but I'm not positive[laughs] on that.- I didn't know that this wasgonna be a history lesson.Otherwise, I woulda come prepared.- I got new glasses, thatdoesn't make me smarter.It just means someone steppedon my other glasses.
[laughs]Order up!- What oil--- Is best for fries?- I've used a couple different--- But none of them really tasted well.What oil are you using?- I mean, I guess it kindadepends what you like.I think the popularones are like, peanut...- My go-to oil for makinghomemade french friesis peanut oil, and that'sbecause I can get itnice and hot for the second frying.- I like to use a neutraloil, like a grapeseed.- Grapeseed oil is a lot more expensivethan regular old canola, so I would justdo something neutral.- Do not use olive oil,that is not gonna happen,that doesn't work.- You'll burn the oilbefore the fries evenget to cookin'.- Think you'll have to put upthe Rose signal for that one,which is like, it's a light in the skyand it's a rose instead of a bat.- Duck fat, if you can get it.It's expensive and it's aspecialty item for the most part,but it gives a reallysuper crispy delicious,delicious french fry.- Vegetable oil, canolaoil, that's your best bet.- But I don't really, I don't know.- Oh, missed that one.What type of potato are bestfor making french fries?We're gonna use red potatoes.These are usually sweeter and they hold upa little bit better inthe cooking process.- Think the big boy potatoesare the ones you want.- I think you gotta go withthe classic russet here.They're the perfectstarchy potato to give youthat fluffy interiorand the crisp exterior.- My go-to potato for frenchfries is a russet potato.- And so a russet isgood because it's alsoa mealy kind of potato,and so it's gonna befluffy on the inside andcrispy on the outside,that's how I like my french fries.I think that's the best way to go.- A high starch potato,like a Idaho potato,is the best to use for french fries.You don't wanna get the mushypotatoes that you're usingfor mashed potatoes.- I have been known tomake french fries out ofmashed potatoes, instantmashed potatoes.
[laughs]- And that's all I have to say.- Pull!- Is it better to deep fry frozen fries--- Or bake them?That's kind of a hard one.- Fries are supposed to be fried.- I would certainlyfollow the instructionson the packaging.- Uh, whatever it says on the package.- I was never a fan of baking fries.I never got the correctcrispiness that I wanted.- You can of course bake fries,but there's no substitutefor frying fries.- It was always so weird,'cause I had to flip them over.- If I have frozen fries,which I don't really buyall that often, I thinkI usually bake them.I think either way is okay.I tend to bake those,but I also usually makemy own french fries.- If it's a fry, it should be fried.- I mean, I don't know, do what you want.Do you like baked fries or fried fries?- But you're eatingfrench fries, come on now,just fry it in some oil!- That was loud.- How do restaurants--- Get their fries so good?- Can I make those at home?Yes, you can.- You wanna start bycutting your fries evenly.- Double frying, to me,is honestly the best wayfor a restaurant style french fry.- I heard, I don't knowif this is true or not,but that some of like, thechains put their potatoesin salty water beforethey cook them or like,they boil them or put them in salty wateror something like that so thatthey're salty on the inside.- It's a way to do french fries,kinda like the fermented fries that I did.Check this out, it's not a sad fry,it's just fermented, theactual structure of the potatochanges five days later.- But when you fermentsomething in a brine like that,it breaks down some ofthe starch into sugarand potatoes have kind ofa complicated metabolism.Look, I would try it for sure--- But not necessary to pickle them.It's gonna give you a differentflavor than if you justfry french fries two times.The french fries are pretty pickledfrom the fermentation process.- But sometimes, youjust want french friesand don't wanna have towait five days for them.- I would use a Dutch oven.Get yourself a thermometerso that you can catchyour oil temperature.- Rinsing it with water toget some of that starch off,wanna get them nice and dry,and then I would suggestdoing a double fry.- You kinda cook the potato first,and then you fry it, as in make itlike you're making a baked potato,and then you fry it.- And then, don't be shy of salt.Obviously, you're gonna salt the friesright when they comeout of the fryer becauseit will absorb all the salt,and do it in smallbatches rather than tryingto do an entire load in one go.- So, if you get yourfrench fry when it's hot,out of the oil, nice and crispy,that's gonna make all the difference.Don't let your french friessit around for too long,they get soggy.- I don't like soggy fries,it grosses me out, I hate it.Hate it, I won't even eat it.- But in the meantime, it's like a buckto just go get the fast food ones so,worth it, I don't know.Bye bye ticket.[bell ringing]- How expensive shouldfrench fries actually be?- How expensive?- Ugh.- I mean, a fry with a truffleon it is gonna be worth like,a hundred bucks, you know.
[laughs]- I think they should be free.
[laughs]And just pay for the condiments.- They should be pretty cheap, I mean,you're using potatoes,which are not expensive.You're using, hopefully, a neutral oilthat's not expensive.- But in general, they'rereally inexpensive,which is one of thereasons that I think peopleknow them and then that's howthey get to love them, too.- Eh, I dunno, $2.00 to$7.00, depending on the fries.Good luck!I live in New York--- In New York, I've seenfries upwards of $12.00.Sometimes, they mighthave truffles on them.- Now, if they give like, a good portion,I'll pay good money forthat, but not if it's justa tiny, tiny bit.- In New York, they can cost anything,so I dunno, and also like,good ones are gonna cost morethan bad ones, althoughsometimes really good onescost very little, so.[sighs] I don't know.- Guess it just dependson how much effort went into making those lovely fries.- So, I'll pay for what I get,but they have to be reallycrispy and delicious,and come with a side of cheese, please.- I wouldn't mind being flownto Paris to eat them, either.- Yeah.[bell ringing]Yay!- And that's everything--- Everything--- Everything--- Everything there is to know--- Almost.- I have a french fry secret.
[chuckles]- Well, almost everything.