French Fry Diary 735: Fries on the Grill

The last week or so down here in Florida, besides being in the middle of a drought, the weather has been spectacular.  So, we've been grilling pretty much every day.  And if know me, or if you're a regular reader of this blog, you know there's going to be French fries in the mix. 

Now the brave among you will want to do them from scratch, that's not a problem. Cut the potatoes however you want, as fancy or as simple, with or without skin to your taste. Remember, small and thin will cook quicker, and also may fall between the slots of the grill, just as thicker might not, but will take longer to cook. I would advise coating the taters with a bit of oil and/or nuke them a little beforehand as I did here. They might take a bit longer, but they'll be delicious.

Even though Ore-Ida no longer makes its Grillers which were, as the name implies, perfect for the grill, and even if you don't make them from scratch, you can still have fries on the grill.  Any frozen fries, onion rings, or any potato product can go right on the grill.  And they cook faster than scratch, because they're already partially cooked when you buy them by the magic of par-fry.

Use a grill pan or basket if you're afraid they'll fall through.  A good one can be had for just a few bucks if you don't get fancy.  I use basically just a sturdy but disposable screen I got at the local Walgreens for a dollar.  If you choose, veggie baskets can get pricey, but it all depends on your needs.  I wouldn't use aluminum foil as some folks suggest, unless you like getting burned trying to retrieve those fries once they're done.

If your grill has a temperature gauge you can stay close to the instructions on the package, but remember with the lid closed, the grill is more like a convection oven than a traditional oven.  If no gauge, just keep an eye on them, but remember, the thinner the fry, the quicker the cook.  Golden brown is always good. 

Enjoy! 

French Fry Diary 441: Heinz Deep Fries

I have another fries flashback for you here. Back in the late 1970s and into the 1980s, Heinz, who besides making obviously their ketchup products among others, also owns Ore-Ida, made a product called Deep Fries. Mostly you could only find them crinkle cut style, but a few times I did find a regular cut straight fries style available.

The big deal with Deep Fries is they had a coating of vegetable oil that was 'activated' as they baked, making them extra crispy and tasting just like deep fried French fries. They were also a bit more expensive, if memory serves. And if you decided to live dangerously and deep fry them they became super crispy (and maybe a tad greasy, but not to their detriment).

I remember the bags were white with a black (cuz its dark inside the oven) pic of the fries sizzling on an oven pan. Like most frozen fries they were par-cooked, but of you ate one before baking they tasted awful. I assume it was the oil. Other frozen fries are a great quick snack, especially in the summer, straight from the freezer. That said, fully cooked is always much better.


I couldn't find many images, but just check out the commercial at 1:30 on the YouTube clip above. As you can see these 'self sizzling' fries were sprayed with vegetable oil to cook them just a bit more. Deep Fries disappeared some time in the 1980s sadly. I liked them a lot.

Guy Fieri's Double-Fried French Fries

For today's Food Network Fridays we have another recipe of the favorite fried food from Guy Fieri:

Double-Fried French Fries

Show: Guy's Big Bite
Episode: Fuel the Fieri

Prep Time: 15 min
Inactive Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 8 servings.

Ingredients
4 (4 to 5-inches long) russet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
2 quarts canola oil
1 tablespoons fine-grain sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Peel potatoes on the sides, leaving the ends with the skin on. Cut the potatoes into 1/3-inch slices and then slice into 1/3-inch sticks.

Fill a large bowl with water and soak potatoes, submerged, for at least 30 minutes up to 24 hours. This will help remove the excess starch from the potatoes and keep them from oxidizing.

Heat a heavy stock pot fitted with a deep-fry thermometer with oil to 325 degrees F.

Remove potatoes from the water, and pat dry to remove excess water. Add 2 handfuls of potatoes to hot oil. There should be at least 1-inch of oil above the potatoes. Par cook until potatoes are light brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove potatoes, gently shaking off excess oil and let drain on rack. Repeat until all of the potatoes are par cooked.

Raise heat of oil to 350 degrees F.

Cook potatoes again, 2 handfuls at a time, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from oil, shake off excess oil, and season lightly in a bowl with salt and pepper. Repeat until all potatoes are cooked.

French Fry Diary 228: Cool Dog Café

This place had been taunting me for weeks since their sign outside went up, long before the Cool Dog Cafe even opened up. It teased me with two words - "Belgian Frites." Oh yeah, so I had to get here sooner or later. It has since become one of my favorite local restaurants.

Their take home menu says that their Belgian Frites are "Simply the best fries you've ever had... crispy on the outside, moist & tender on the inside. You'll never return to France." On a later visit, one of the owners, so proud and passionate about his fries, told me that my fries actually started cooking the day before - a par-fry after cutting, soaking and drying, and then a shock-fry when ordered. Yeah, that's the way to do it.

I made it in to the Cool Dog Cafe for the first time a few days after they had opened. I got a hot dog, a nice extra long dog on a regular bun which came on a plate but my large order of Belgian Frites came in a big brown bag.... Hmmm... What's up with that? The large paper bag was full of fries, and this was indeed a large order. Hot and tasty, I found them to be natural cuts, and very very good. And just for the record, the dog was good too.

I could complain about the bag o' fries, as the grease slowly soaked through the bag, and they weren't especially Belgian nor frites. But I won't. While they might not be exactly what fry freaks like me think of when we think of Beligian frites - these are damned good fries.

Aside from the unorthodox way they were served these were essentially the same natural cuts that could be had at Pat's or Five Guys. They have a bit more crunch and there is much to be said about the portion size - they aren't Belgian frites, but really, who cares? These fries are contenders, and better (yeah, I said it) than either Pat's or Five Guys.

I was the only one there for lunch when I was there for the first time, with Sirius radio blasting as was the heat, and news and women's basketball were on the two big screen TVs. It did start to fill up as I was getting ready to go so that's good. I have been back, many times (I told you I liked this place), and now it is usually hopping.

Malt vinegar is on the table, along with ketchup and mustard, so their heart is in the right place when it comes to fries. And they also had Coca-Cola products, and free refills at the fountain, always a plus in my book. Also on the condiment bright side is the killer Jack Daniels glaze that is available for burgers or dogs, but is perfect for the fries as well. They also have the first sweet potato fries that this catastrophically picky eater has wanted to eat more than one of. In fact, I like them almost as much as the regular fries.

Check them out at their website, on Facebook, and on Twitter. Check for their specials. I recommend the sliders, the dogs, the toppings, and especially the fries. They are probably not what I would have expected when I first saw that "Belgian Frites" sign, but man, are they good - highly recommended.

Burger Bar's Perfect French Fries

The book "Burger Bar" by Hubert Keller with Penelope Wisner, available here, purports to have a recipe for 'perfect' French fries. Here it is:

Perfect French Fries

Serves 4

Perfection takes time. Three days, in fact. The long soaking leaches starch from the potatoes so they turn golden and crispy on the outside and white and fluffy on the inside.

Build your own: Depending on how you choose to cut your potatoes, you can make fat or skinny fries, wedges or shoestrings. Skins on or off, your choice. I like to serve fries in small earthenware flowerpots. You could also fashion a cone of parchment paper and fit it inside a narrow glass as a holder, then fill the cone with fries.

4 large (about 2 pounds) potatoes, preferably russets, peeled, if desired
6 to 8 cups vegetable or sunflower oil for deep frying
Coarse sea salt

Place the potatoes in a pan of cold water to cover, then let them soak overnight, refrigerated. The next day, drain and cut them. For skinny fries, cut the potatoes lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut these lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick strips. For fat fries, simply increase the width of your slices. For wedges, cut the potatoes lengthwise in half, then cut the halves into wedges. To make evenly sized wedges, if the potatoes are very fat, you may need to cut a lengthwise slice out of the middle of the potato and either discard it or cut it into fat fries. For shoestrings, use the julienne blade of a mandoline and cut the potatoes into very fine strips. However they are cut, place the potatoes in a bowl, cover with cold water, and again let them soak overnight, refrigerated.

When ready to fry, drain the potatoes well and pat dry with paper towels or a kitchen towel. Cover a baking sheet with several layers of paper towels. Put 2 cups of oil per potato in a deep, heavy pot or deep fryer. The oil should fill the pot at least one-third full.

Heat it to 250˚F. Working in batches, fry the potatoes until they are cooked through but remain almost white, about 5 minutes. Drain on the prepared baking sheet. The fries may be prepared up to this point several hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Just before serving, heat the oil to 360˚F. Again working in batches, fry the potatoes until they are golden and crisp. The timing will depend on the size you have cut your potatoes, but allow about 3 minutes for skinny fries. When done, drain them briefly on paper towels and sprinkle liberally with salt. Scoop them into a bowl and serve immediately.

French Fry Diary 154: Cook Fries Like an Iron Chef

On his TV show "Cook Like an Iron Chef" on the new Cooking Channel Iron Chef Michael Symon shows us how they do it in the Iron Chef Kitchen Stadium. Gee, do ya think I could have used the words 'Iron Chef' a few more times in that sentence? Anyway, the episode I just watched had the secret ingredient of the potato, so I was mesmerized.

Symon made 'Pan Roasted Diver Scallops with Potato and Celery Root Puree and Brown Butter,' and 'Potato wrapped Pacific Cod with a Grilled Leek, Red Bliss and Purple Peruvian Potato and Lobster Salad,' with their recipes found here and here, but what really caught my eye was when he made, yeah, you guessed it, French fries.

Iron Chef Mike Symon put an interesting spin on the favorite fried food with his 'Duck Fat Fries with Rosemary and Parm with Greek Yogurt Aioli.' First and foremost he cooked them in duck fat, a luxury I have yet to try. Rumor has it the best fries are done that way. But he also deep-fried sliced garlic cloves and sprigs of rosemary in with the fries as well, an intriguing technique, and there was also only one fry, as opposed to the par-fry/shock-fry method.

He can keep the yogurt and aioli, but the fries still looked darn good. You can check out the recipe here at the Cooking Channel website. Mmmm... fries...

French Fry Diary 136: Deep Fry Secrets

I've presented a lot of recipes and videos and advice on making French fries here on FFD, but one of the questions I get most frequently is – how do I make French fries? Well, here you go, a quick primer in my methods and secrets. Enjoy.

First you have to get some potatoes. Russets are the best potato for making French fries, and not those wimpy things you find at Shop-Rite either – you need those big bad boys you get at Whole Foods or Wegman's. We're talking about Russet potatoes about five to six inches long and about two to three inches wide. Serious potatoes.

Sometimes I'll blanche them very quickly or throw them in the microwave for half a minute. This will make them soft and fluffy inside after the frying, but it's an optional step. Peel 'em or don't, but make sure you wash 'em. If you leave the skins on, rumor says you get more vitamins. It's a fact that the skins have high fiber content and antioxidants, but come on now, we're talking about making French fries – be healthy at your own risk.

Next up is the cut. This is a personal preference. Shoestrings are ¼" thick, regular cuts are ½" thick. You can go thicker or thinner as you wish, just remember, thin cooks faster and thick slower. Sometimes I'll scallop them, or just dice 'em up in chunks. Again, this part is all your choice. Just keep them uniform. Any odd sizes or bits will cook unevenly and at a different pace from the others. The oddballs can be used to test the oil, or be mashed up later for hash browns, mashed potatoes or some other kind of tater treat.

Once you've cut your potatoes, put them in water. And by that, I mean submerge them in ice water or just really cold water. Let 'em sit for a bit. That will help get the starch out of them, and also help them get that golden brown color in the frying process. While the fries are soaking, this is a great time to add a little bit of flavor. Sometimes some sugar in the water can add a sweet kick. Also for that special Boardwalk taste you can add just a bit of squeezed lemon or lemon juice.

Once the fries have soaked in the water for a while – anywhere from five to ten minutes to overnight – dry them really well before firing up the deep fryer. You're almost ready to go. I use a Rival CF156 deep fryer because I'm hardcore into fries. There are other deep fryers, the Fry Baby is good, the Fry Daddy is better, but I'll stick with my Rival. You can even use a wok (electric or otherwise) or just a deep frying pan or pot.

Heat your oil to approximately 325 degrees. Peanut oil is best, with canola and sunflower oil coming in a close second. You can even go with vegetable oil. If you want the kick of Spanish fries, you could even use olive oil. And don't forget to change your oil often. Your deep fryer is just like your car engine – take care of it and it'll take care of you.

When the oil is heated to the proper temperature, put your fries in, in small batches, being very careful of spattering oil. Cook for about five to ten minutes and then bring them out and let them drain. The fries will be darker than before but not yet golden brown. This is called the par-fry, or partial fry. Frozen store fries are already par-fried when you buy them – ready to eat, if you so please, fun fact.

Once the fries are completely drained, you have a choice. You can take the easy way out and put them on a cookie sheet and bake them the rest of the way. No shame in that, great crispy crunch and tender fluffy insides – and for the health-conscious, less oil exposure. The fries are very good like that, but for the pros, you gotta do the shock fry.

Shock frying is a second fry at 375 degrees for just two or three minutes. This is the bad boy that turns the fries that coveted golden brown color and seals in the hot fluffy potato insides. From there you can go darker and crispier as desired. Just don't burn them. If you do that, you'll know, and know better for the next batch.

When the fries come out of the hot oil, drop them on paper towels to dry and drain, or better yet, on a cookie rack over paper towels so the grease doesn't stay next to the fries. Again, a step for the healthy folks, but a smart one too. You want to taste fries, not fried. Hit them with salt and other seasonings as soon as they get out of the oil, so it sticks.

Put the fries on a plate and enjoy. That's the easy step, and the best one. And that's basically how I make fries, and a few of my deep fry secrets. Hope it helps.

Double-Fried French Fries

We've talked about this before - the idea of the par-fry and the shock-fry. It's what makes for a crispy outside and soft and hot inside French fry. Now for this Food Network Friday we have the master Guy Fieri to give us his recipe for his Double-Fried French Fries.

From the "Fuel the Fieri" episode of "Guy's Big Bite"...

Here's the video of Guy in action making them, and here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Alton Brown’s Perfect French Fries

This week’s Food Network Friday we’re featuring Alton Brown from the "Fry Hard" episode of "Good Eats" with a quick lesson in how to make perfect French fries.



Yep, all the good stuff is in there... par-fry and shock-fry, change your oil, drain dry. Yep, darn good, if not perfect fries... Mmmm... fries...