French Fry Diary 781: Lamb Weston Super Crispy Crinkle Cut Fries

Last year ConAgra Foods, one of the world's biggest French fries manufacturers, acquired Lamb Weston, another of the world's largest fry manufacturers. Recently they spun Lamb Weston off as its own frozen product line, and they're just now starting to show up in stores. 

Any fry from Lamb Weston should be great, as most fast food franchise fries probably originally came from them anyway.  Ideally it should be a superior product as you're cutting out the middleman, right?  I've seen four different varieties of frozen grocery fries with the Lamb Weston name on them - Crinkle Cut, Hand Cut, Thick Cut Hash Browns, and Diced Hash Browns, the last two obviously breakfast selections. They also have Steak Cut, Shoestring, and Potato Puffs.

I picked up a bag of the Super Crispy Crinkle Cut Fries.  There's a giant Grown in Idaho symbol on the bag that also proclaims 100% Real Potatoes.  Upon opening the bag I was surprised to see natural cut fries.  The skin-on crinkle cut French fry is indeed a rare beast.  And even though I have become accustomed to almost exclusively air-fried fries, I put a serving of these babies on a pan to bake, per their official cooking instructions.

The fries needed a minute or so more cook time than the directions indicated, but in any case they came out great, super crispy as promised, hot and soft inside.  I really enjoyed them, and they were just as good when air-fried.  Thumbs up.

French Fry Diary 727: Copper Crisper

This As-Seen-on-TV product promises to transform your oven into an air fryer. There's no added oil or butter, it eliminates turning food, and allows heat to circulate around food. No sticking, no burning, sounds amazing, right?

Well, maybe. I am always skeptical of this infomercial stuff, especially when pitched by loud obnoxious after-midnight infomercial guys like this Copper Chef dude. That said, this copper color painted basket raised over a copper color painted bake pan does kinda do what it says it does.

Like a convection oven the hot air circulates around the food cooked all sides and eliminating the need to turn it. Five to ten minutes more is needed however to cook the food. That's just what I got from the two batches of steak fries I tried to cook this way. The slight crisp on the outside and fluffy potato on the inside works well for the thicker fries like steak fries, but I immediately wondered what shoestrings might be like in this thing, so the next time that opportunity came, I tried it.

Over the next few days, there was much experimentation. If nothing else, shoestrings worked better, and chicken nuggets and other breaded goodness worked as well, even refrigerated dough biscuits. Onion rings however, and anything you might want a bit of a crunch to - not so much. Five to ten minutes longer than directions tell you is the hard and fast rule though, sometimes longer.

The Copper Crisper is no air fryer, and neither is it a convection oven, but for an infomercial product, it is pretty darn good. I'm happy with it.

French Fry Diary 676: McCain Craft Beer Battered Potatoes

I'm not a beer drinker, never have been. I'm not fond of beer battered onion rings or battered French fries either. So know that when I picked up this package of McCain Craft Beer Battered Potatoes, Thin Cut style, I did it for you folks. I'm trying these so you won't have to.

McCain maintains these frozen battered shoestring fries are real potatoes with no artificial colors or flavors, and made with the finest quality American pale ale. I was impressed that the fries were shoestrings as you don't usually find that style battered often. Burger King notably tried it for a while, and they were terrible.

The directions are a bit off, so you may want to keep your eyes on these fries as they cook, as they crisp up pretty quick. Watch them. The fries are pretty long, some seven or eight inches long. The batter adds a nice crisp and I didn't actually taste the 'craft beer' flavor, at first at least. After eating a half-dozen fries, I began to get it cumulatively, but not offensively.

I didn't expect to like these, but I really did. Thumbs up.

French Fry Diary 650: Ore-Ida Bold & Crispy Zesties!

Even though Ore-Ida's Bold & Crispy line is new, at least two of their styles are just rebrandings. Zesties! and Zesty Twirls have been around for a long time. Ore-Ida has even trademarked the phrases, and rightly so, these seasoned fries are unique in the fry world.

The Zesties! are just a little larger than usual regular cuts with a spicy battered coating of seasoning, pretty traditional stuff like pepper, onion powder and paprika along with other stuff at add heat. That said they aren't hot as much as they are seasoned. It's a bold taste, with just enough kick to get your attention.

The batter gives them a bit of a crisp while the insides are baked potato-ey and hot, temperature hot that is. The Zesty Twirls are much the same, only in skinnier curly fry form. However, be sure to watch these fries as they cook. The directions can be shaky with your particular oven, and if they get too crispy, they're not so good. Watch them!

Zesties! is a good name for these fries, they're very good, with a kick, even with their new rebranding.

French Fry Diary 648: Ore-Ida Bold & Crispy Garlic and Pepper Steakhouse Fries

One of the new fries in Ore-Ida's new Bold & Crispy line are these Garlic and Pepper Steakhouse Fries. They immediately got my attention because of their lengthwise crinkle cuts, closer to the old Gulliver's type than Famous Dave's. I was looking forward to trying these.

When you first open the bag, the garlic aroma is very strong and will remain so as they bake, but not so much when they're done. Your kitchen will smell nicely garlicky for about ten minutes or so, but it's a good thing.

These lengthwise crinkle cuts allow for extra crispness, but I would watch and adjust the heating directions as appropriate for you. My fries were done with seven minutes to spare by their instructions on the bag.

While the smell is good, I thought I had cooked the garlic out of these fries. Mind you, you'll still need a breath mint after having some, but nowhere near as garlicky as one might think. And while I can see the pepper and seasoning on the fries, they don't have much of a kick, so I get the 'crispy,' but not the 'bold.'

French Fry Diary 622: Smith's Bacon Fries

These are not at all what they sound. The full name of the product is Smith's Bacon Flavour Fries, and it's a 'bacon flavour cereal snack,' which I've been told is a breakfast snack. These come from a stash my big sister Bobbie got for me from the UK by way of friend Kelly from Toronto. Thank you, Bobbie and Kelly!

We've talked about Smith's Potato Crisps here before, but this isn't first opportunity to actually try one of their products. The bags are tiny, about the size you get cookies in at Wawa, holding 24 grams, which is roughly .8 ounces - not a lot. Airlines feed you better. The ingredients indicate bacon flavoring as opposed to bacon, and the packaging advises they be eaten immediately after opening, and that they're 'ideal with all types of drinks.' Well, color me intrigued.

Upon opening, they had a very smokey aroma, not pleasant, but not all that unpleasant either. The thick inch long strips are formed and seasoned to appear like bacon. The Bride (yeah, she played guinea pig again) said they tasted very artificial, but with a good crispy bacon taste. I didn't think they were that bad. I ate more than a few.

I can definitely say I get the crispy (extra crispy) vibe in the aftertaste. And the aftertaste is the problem. They kinda have that same thing going on that a lot of the 'meat chips' have, plus a little bit of the whole processed potato (although notably there's no potato here) taste in there as well. Good in small amounts.

French Fry Diary 600: Dairy Queen

Dairy Queen is one of the few big chains I haven't yet reviewed here at French Fry Diary, mainly because they have been so hard to find. The just ice cream versions of Dairy Queen are everywhere, but it's been darn hard to find one that serves hot food, a Brazier. There are a couple down in the southern South Jersey area, but you have to navigate the traffic hell that is Route 42 and the Black Horse Pike to get there, not an easy task.

Decades ago, when I was just a wee one, back in the late 1960s, early 1970s, there was a Dairy Queen walking distance from where I live now in Cherry Hill. There's a strip mall there now. At that Dairy Queen I remember, a picky eater even then, raising a fuss because I didn't want those things on my hamburger bun. After trying them however, and until even today, I like sesame seed buns better than regular seedless buns. Oddly, they don't seem to have sesame seeds on most of their burgers at Dairy Queen now.

After braving the traffic hell one day and actually finding the Dairy Queen, I got down to the business of reviewing them. The burger was good, and nothing beats real ice cream as a dessert compared to other fast food places that have dessert as an afterthought. Dairy Queen does ice cream, and it shows. Best fast food dessert, hands down and thumbs up. Sundaes are awesome, as are the shakes, and if your taste turns toward smoothies, DQ also owns Orange Julius and you can get that here as well.

Now on to the main event, I got two small orders of French fries and onion rings each, and they came in small cardboard boxes reminiscent of White Castle containers. The French fries were thick shoestrings with a slight batter covering for extra crisp, soft and very hot inside, a little greasy but not enough to be worrisome. These fries are substantial, excellent for shake dipping. These fries are good, but wow, they pale in comparison to the onion rings.

Dairy Queen onion rings are heavenly, medium sized slices of onion, with bread crumb batter just enough to make them crispy. With a hot succulent delicious whole onion inside, they have a lightly baked quality, and that's even though I know they're deep-fried. They don't taste deep-fried. Seriously, these are superior onion rings, too good for a fast food chain. Highly recommended.

French Fry Diary 576: Long John Silver's Onion Rings

Never let it be said that advertising doesn't work. For weeks now my television viewing has been bombarded by commercials for Long John Silver's and their family sized chicken meal (I'm pretty sure it's over now). I finally broke down, went to the weird Taco Bell and LJS hybrid in West Berlin and got one.

The family meal, on special for $10.99, contains ten pieces of chicken, eight hush puppies, and two sides (I think the offer is over now). Me, being who I am, got fries and onion rings as sides. I've already talked about LJS' fries, both old and new (I do wonder however why it seems I get different fries every time I go there - this past time they were similar to Wendy's new fries), but man oh man, those onion rings.

I'll just say it. These are probably the best fast food onion rings I've had recently, even better than Sonic. If anything they are most similar to those at Raglan Road, only without that spicy kick. These are tender onions, deep-fried, so they are a bit greasy, but with a delicious crispy and crunchy batter.

The best part, mostly because the portions are so big, all of LJS' food reheats well in the oven and in the microwave. The boxes even have instructions. I love these onion rings, recommended.

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The Fat Tomato Grill

Today's "Somebody Else's Fries" comes from my big sister Bobbie. This past week she and her husband Bruce visited the Fat Tomato Grill in Berlin NJ. Here were her thoughts:

Everything is made to order. The shoestring natural cut fries were crisp, hot and they had a smoky flavor that reminded us of the potato chips we had as kids. (Wise). The fries come tossed with balsamic vinegar but I ordered them dry. They were perfect. 

The burger was also very good. The restaurant is located on a strip mall but you would never know that from the cozy welcoming interior. Looking forward to a second trip.

I guess I'll have to give this place a try.

French Fry Diary 566: Church's Chicken

Church's Chicken is the fourth largest chicken fast food chain after KFC, Chick-fil-A, and former partner Popeyes. They are currently often co-franchised with White Castle, which is what their fries most resemble. Most folks only know two things about Church's, and neither is very nice. One, that they are mostly located in lower class minority areas - not true, and two, that the Ku Klux Klan owns them and they are slowly poisoning minorities - also not true, Snopes even says so.

The Church's I visited was quite small, had a tiny eating area, and so I went through the drive-thru. There seemed to be much contention over my order, as if they didn't hear it, record it, or cook it. With only two customers inside eating, two employees working the store, and no one in the drive-thru but me, I had a good fifteen to twenty minute wait for just fries and a soda.

I ordered the large fry, not realizing how big large actually was. The large fry order is a whole box of them, making the previously thought $2.79 price actually a pretty fair bargain. The French fries themselves, as I said above, are much the same as at White Castle. These are standard crinkle cuts, deep fried, and quite probably had spent some time under a heat lamp for a while. The fries were a bit too crispy/crunchy for my tastes, but that might be because of their time in heat lamp prison. Because of that, reheating them at home later was just not possible either in the oven or microwave.

Also notable is the side menu at Church's that includes fried okra and mashed potatoes. Maybe next time. As I wrote this review in the car (because I went through the drive-thru), I have to mention that Church's mobile phone website is nigh impossible to navigate. Many details had to be filled in at home later. Someone needs to call IT.

This was not a great visit, perhaps a second chance is in order, but not for a while.

Random Tater Pic of the Day #131

A treat for a rainy (or snowy, depending on where you are) day.

Behold, the Island of Ruffles Crispy Fries.

French Fry Diary 546: Red Robin Seasoned Steak Fries

I have a soft spot in my heart for Red Robin. It is, after all, the home of the Bottomless Steak Fries. So when I saw that they had frozen fries available to make at home, I quickly snagged a bag of these frozen fries. The bad news, of course, is that they are not bottomless.

With Arby's, Checkers, and Burger King all competing in the frozen fry game, why not Red Robin? They do make good fries. Their natural cut seasoned steak fries are awesome, and in the restaurant, always good for at least one refill, if not two. The package itself promises Red Robin's signature blend of seasoning salt, as well as quickie recipes for two different dipping sauces.

They are only directions for baking, so that's how I did them. I have to admit being a bit surprised at the high temp (425 degrees) and longer than usual time (30 minutes), but I always gotta follow the instructions for a first time cooking. And I also had a little concern over the amount of seasoning on the fries, it seemed like a lot. As they cooked, the whole kitchen was filled with the aroma.

To be sure, next time I will make adjustments to the time and temp. There were more than a few crispy critters, still edible, and mostly small pieces, but still more crispy than I like - and I like crispy. They were overcooked, but steak fries being thick and 'meaty,' it's hard to ruin them that way.

All that said, these were pretty good steak fries, but very spicy, spicier than I remember them being at the Red Robin restaurant. I would definitely get these again, adjust the directions, have a cold refreshing drink nearby, and enjoy... until I hit bottom, of course.

Random Tater Pic of the Day #119

Friend and FFD enabler Marni recently went to Red Lobster and got the Crab Bake, here are her observations: "Got the Crab Bake at Red Lobster and in it are these crispy potatoes. Lightly crispy fried potato chunks." Thanks, Marni!

French Fry Diary 527: Hamburger Mary's

When I first asked for recommendations for the Orlando area regarding this year's vacation, I got several for a place called Hamburger Mary's. I went to the website, and from all indications, it seemed to be a drag/cabaret/karaoke theme franchise restaurant/bar, almost as if the Dumpsta Players opened a place to eat. We made long term plans to go, and asked several folks to join us, however, the best laid plans of mice and fry lovers being what they are, most people had to drop out. Alas, we were competing with Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

So The Bride and I, after braving what is known as the I-4 parking lot, met up with Florida friend Terry, who has accompanied a few FFD road trips and even written an entry or two. Hamburger Mary's is in a mini-South Street-like section of Orlando trying to make a comeback called Church Street Station. The Bride and I were stunned at the low price of parking, but that others apologized for it being high because of a nearby event. Wow, I would trade Philly parking rates in a second for Orlando.

The first thing that struck me about Hamburger Mary's was how empty and quiet it was. For what sounded like such a partying kind of place was sooo not hopping for a Friday night. I was disappointed. And we were seated right in front of the stage. This could have been so much more. At least we had good company and conversation.

As an appetizer we got the infamous Mary's TA-TAs, and we got 'em loaded. These are assumedly store bought tater tots with real chunks of bacon and cheddar cheese. They could have been deep fried, but they weren't greasy, and really had the texture and taste of baked, very soft and tender, with chewy melty cheese. These were a real treat. And can you see the hidden Mickey?

I got my usual weapon of choice, a plain burger with fries; Terry got the wasabi burger, which he said he liked; and The Bride got a taco salad that she similarly enjoyed. My burger was great, a big chargrilled half-pounder on an equally big soft sesame seed bun (hard to find these days). It was near perfect, I loved it.

The French fries were regular cuts, battered and crispy on the outside, and deep fried. The taste and texture (though not the shape) kinda reminded me of Ore-Ida Crispers. They were okay, but not great. Although they did get better as time went by. You know that thing where dinner is over but you're still absentmindedly munching? Yeah, they're great for that.

I suspect this place is more about atmosphere than food, sadly we didn't really have much atmosphere. If we ever return, we will make sure to come on a night when something is going on other than just the food. I wanted more Dumpstas and less restaurant, I guess.

The best part of the meal came with the check, and that in itself was a promise of a better time next time when we do come during an event. The check came in a red studded high heel, which was totally awesome. Much like a bad movie with a great ending, the heel made the meal. Good time hanging out with The Bride and Terry.

French Fry Diary 515: The Myth of Friar's Nook

If you're a regular reader of French Fry Diary, you know that I have attempted to review Friar's Nook on two different occasions, only to be foiled both times by it being closed, once by rain, and once by the seasons.

This tiny quick service counter in the Magic Kingdom area of Walt Disney World has eluded me as if it knows I'm coming. It's no Dick Clark's American Bandstand Grill, but it has become a white whale for me in its own right.

Dom and Cindy and their family, who have traveled with The Bride and me before to the wilds of Disney visited again in the last few weeks, and this time, Dom found Friar's Nook open, purchased their infamous homemade potato chips and even produced photographic proof that Friar's Nook does actually open from time to time.

How were they? Cindy says: "They were good but not great. They were cut very thick. Most were very (very) hard and crisp, except for a few that were oily and chewier. They were slightly too salty." Word is they should be open when we go for our vacation in less than two weeks, although I have been advised to try them around lunchtime. Hopefully they will not elude me again. Thanks, Dom and Cindy!

French Fry Diary 495: AMC Marlton 8

Over on my pop culture blog, Welcome to Hell, I've talked about the new AMC Marlton 8 movie theater and the cool revamp they've done. Besides the wonderful new seating, the food is different too. Much like the hated AMC Loews in Cherry Hill, they have added French fries to their menu.

Along with chicken tenders, hot dogs, mozzarella sticks, pizza and chicken sliders, they now have curly fries. Notably they also have self-serve Icee machines, and two amazing Coca-Cola Freestyle machines, as well as the usual theater fare like popcorn and candy, plus some frozen treats too.

Very similar, as I said, to Loews, these are very crunchy (as in overdone for the most part) natural cut curly fries. The expensive for its size order we got seemed to be more pieces, scraps, and leftovers rather than a new order with big curls and spirals. Unlike Loews, they were hot at least. I was impressed with the big Autofry machine just feet from the counter so you can watch the magic - although honestly there's not much to see.

All in all, not bad but not good either. This may have been a bad night. Everything else about this theater screams quality and customer service, so I'm willing to think this may have been a fluke. That said, Autofry-ed curly fries can only be so good.

French Fry Diary 470: Mike's Steaks, Comcast Center

Recently The Bride forgot her phone when she went to work, so being the thoughtful and loving husband I am, I took the trek into the city to give it to her. I couldn't let her go for a whole day without Words with Friends, Draw Something or Pharoah Slots, could I? The Bride works near the Comcast Center, the building that looks like a giant flashdrive in the middle of Philadelphia, so as thanks, she took me to lunch at its food court below the lobby.

I have been on a cheesesteak kick recently so I knew what I wanted, and made a beeline for Mike's Steaks. Despite being smack dab in the middle of a food court, this is a real authentic Philly cheesesteak place. The tons of red neon I could have done without but they had a friendly staff, quick service, good system of ordering and pick-up - and of course great cheesesteaks.

I'm an idiot however. After years and years of ordering my hot sandwiches plain, I got flummoxed ordering. I asked for a plain steak, with onions, and Cheez Whiz. The guy just stared at me, waited a moment, leaned in, and smiled, "That's a cheesesteak, champ." Love it. Every station - order, pay, rolls, steaks, fries - all worked like an efficient machine.

The cheesesteak, as I said, was great. But hey, you know I got fries too, right? The French fries at Mike's were deep-fried crinkle cuts, crisp tasty, and not at all greasy. What a treat, and terrific with the sandwich. I had a great lunch experience, and also got to spend some time with The Bride during the day. If you're ever at Comcast Center in Philly, check out Mike's Steaks.

French Fry Diary 469: Redstone American Grill

The Redstone American Grill is right in town. It's really a wonder why it's taken me so long to review this place. They've been here a long time. The Bride's family used to come here all the time, and the flatbreads were the specialty and the reason to come. For some reason, once I started actively reviewing places for French Fry Diary, we stopped going mysteriously. I don't now why.

I recently came with my friend Dave for lunch. I got my regular, a plain burger. The burger was gigantic and near perfect. I'm hungry again now, just thinking about it. I also got fries of course. They were different from the last time I was here a few years back. They still had the same natural cut shoestrings, but this time they were in a tin box. The fries were very crispy, deep-fried, and in a good portion size, packed into that tin box pretty well.

It's a box, but not quite a box, more of a frame really. It makes it hard to get to the last of the fries, despite the wax paper they are wrapped in. You will eventually have to dump the whole thing onto your plate anyway. It does however keep the fries separate from the other food notably, preventing what I have started to call pickle fries - fries drenched in pickle juice. So the tin frame serves a good purpose. The fries are pretty much the same as previous visits, only the presentation has changed.

Dave got a pulled pork sandwich that came with thin grizzled onions that he seemed pretty happy with. That said, I wished I had known I could have gotten grizzled onions as well. Maybe next time. All in all Redstone is recommended. A good lunch with a good friend.

French Fry Diary 453: Little Shanty

I was actually invited to Little Shanty by the owner Jonathan Lidz via the Facebook, and he promised to reimburse gas money if I didn't like the fries. If there's anything I like more than a challenge, it's a man who's confident in his fries. Or in this case, they're his Grandma's fries.

The Bride and I normally spend New Year's Eve with friends in North Jersey. The last few years it's become a New Year's Day tradition to hit Smashburger and then take a look at the always-closed American Bandstand Grill on the way home. I figured since it already was sort of a FFD road trip anyway, why not stop in to Little Shanty on the way up? Thanks to various social media and a GPS, it was a done deal.

We finally found it on New Year's Eve afternoon, in a strip mall in Warren NJ, a small but cozy place. And right there on the sign, there it was, "Grandma's Fries." Yep, I couldn't wait. There's a simple but very varied menu available, with vegan and gluten free options as well. I went for my usual, a burger and fries, and a side of onion rings. We ordered and took a seat where we could see our food being cooked in the kitchen, and before long the friendly waitress brought it out to us.

After trying the fries, rings, and taking a bite of the burger, The Bride and I both said to each other, "We're not getting our gas money." The food was just not that good, the meal was fantastic.

The onion rings, properly named Angus & Patty's Almost Famous Onion Rings, are truly among the best, if not the best o-rings I've had, period. Thin and thick at once, very crispy, I think these sweet onions were beer battered, but they didn't taste like it, a good thing because I don't usually like that. These are the best.

Grandma's Fries were thinner than usual natural cut shoestrings with fried onions mixed in - a great combination. The fries were hand cut, pan-fried, crispy on the outside and soft and hot on the inside. I loved the addition of the onions, a simple thing, but the just the right zing for the fries. These perfectly crispy fries were great for sandwiching on the burger, which was big and juicy, the best I've had in a while. It was cooked to order and served on a brioche bun. I loved this entire meal, they even had Coca-Cola products, bonus.

The Bride would have liked her burger a bit more well done, but hey, that's her. And even still, she thought it was excellent. She also thought the fries a little salty, but again, there was nothing left on the tray at the end of the meal if you know what I mean. If I had any complaints, it would be I hadn't tried the fry dipping sauces, or the homemade chips, or the hot dogs, or the shakes. They also have Funnel Cake Fries, as well as Deep-Fried Oreos and Milky Ways. Oh well, I know we'll be back. Little Shanty is too good to stay away for long.

I loved Little Shanty. It gets my highest recommendation. I have found a new favorite restaurant. Check them out on Facebook, Twitter, and their own website. I just wish they weren't so far away. Hey, Jonathan, any thoughts on opening a Little Shanty down in South Jersey?

French Fry Diary 445: Coney Island

On a recent road trip with The Bride, we stopped at Coney Island in Pottsville, PA. It was just one of those places that just call to you from the road. You know when you cruise through an unfamiliar small town, that this is the place you must stop and have lunch. Yeah, it's like that.

There was a giant sign both by the road and on the building itself proclaiming Coney Island outside but inside it was just all cozy little hometown diner. Just a few tables, a counter, and a TV up in the corner, and on the other side some more tables - maybe they were expanding. We sat in the cozy side. They also sold lots of local beers, and lottery tickets at another counter just a few feet away from us. Wow, I loved it.

We ordered at the counter and sat down, our food came out almost immediately. I got a great but simple hot dog, good snap and flavor. The Bride also got a dog and some deep-fried cheesy veggie things. The latter was the most expensive thing we got, and I don't think it cost more than two bucks.

You know I also got French fries, right? The fries were big thick natural regular cuts, battered in seasoning, and deep-fried. They were a little greasy, but with a good crunch to them. No complaints, an almost perfect fry - crisp shell, hot and soft and potato-ey inside. We both cleaned our plates like champs. Yeah, that good.

The best part? We got a pretty full meal, good portions, and it was crazy inexpensive. This place was an all ways winner. If you ever get out to Pottsville in the Poconos, definitely stop at The Coney Island. Recommended.