Do you like french fries as much as we like french fries? That’s a trick question, because we don’t just “like” them, we LOVE them! But rather than settle for the fast food variety, we fry a big batch of our own right at home. I know that can sound daunting…and messy. And homemade fries never turn out as well as the kind sold at the Golden Arches, but have you heard about Cold Oil French Fries? Sit down young Potato-wan and I’ll share a story about the best french fries we’ve ever eaten. And how we make them ourselves.
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“Did you know the first French Fry wasn’t cooked in France?
– Puns Community on Reddit
It was cooked in Greece.”
What are Cold Oil French Fries?
This spudventure began several years ago, when a co-worker mentioned this method of fry-making to Kirk. I believe he discovered it on Smitten Kitchen, the website of genius food blogger and cookbook author, Deb Perelman.
There is a lot to love about this recipe. There is no labor intensive prep. No rinsing, no soaking, no double frying. Heck, I don’t even peel the potatoes. I just scrub them and slice them into French Fry sized pieces right before frying.
It also eliminates the need to preheat the oil, so the sputtering and splattering from adding wet potatoes to hot grease is greatly reduced. Making this a safer and cleaner process. Plus, the fries do not need to be floating loosely in the oil. The oil just needs to barely cover the fries, greatly reducing the amount used. Also, there’s no need to constantly monitor the frying temp. The whole process is based on visual cues.
Have I made my case yet? Are you convinced? Let’s talk about the end results.
But why? And how?
Why and how does the Cold Oil French Fry process work? I’m no food scientist and I’m certainly not a potato expert, however, I do have an untested, non-science backed theory, so take it with a grain of salt. The potatoes start out in room temperature oil and come up to temp slowly, allowing some of the residual water naturally found inside the potato to evaporate over time. My thoughts are, that when French Fries are quickly flash fried, the hot oil traps the water inside the fry and because of that, they get soggy as soon as they start to cool. I think that’s why restaurants typically do a double fry, to get rid of the excess moisture and maintain a crispy exterior.
Now, do I know this for certain? No, but it makes sense to me. And the proof is in the end result. This method yields a super crunchy exterior, yet still tender interior. Oh, and did I mention that they stay crispy well after they cool off? They absolutely do.
Other Notes on Cold Oil French Fries
Flavor Enhancers – We also add a few hefty scoops of beef tallow to the frying oil for additional flavor. Beef tallow is said to be the magic ingredient used by McDonalds up until 1990 after which it was forced to start frying their potatoes in all vegetable oil, thought to be healthier at the time. You can certainly opt to make your own beef tallow, but we buy it online from duckfatspray.com. Or you can sub bacon fat if you have it on hand. Or leave it out entirely and these fries will still be absolutely delicious. Also, don’t forget to hit the fries with your favorite AlbuKirky Seasonings blend as soon as they come out of the oil. We like our Casa Seasoning or Green Chile Rub for these spuds. At the very least, season with some fine sea salt.
Potatoes – We like using russet potatoes. In my heart, they seem to taste the most potato-y to me. They are a bit delicate when they first start out in the oil, so refrain from stirring them around. They’ll appear mushy at first and if you stir them around they’ll break apart and you’ll end up with potato bits rather than fries. Let them sit in the oil undisturbed until they start to get some color on them, about 10 minutes. After that, they’ll be sturdier and you can turn them over in the oil and gently move them around to encourage even browning. But even then, only stir them occasionally. These are mostly hands off.
The other option is using Yukon Gold potatoes. This is a waxier sturdier potato and will also yield a top notch french fry.
Time – Don’t “russet” the process. It will take between 30-40 minutes in total to achieve maximum potato crispocity (not a real word) and deliciousness (definitely a real word).
Cold Oil French Fries
Equipment
- large dutch oven (minimum 5 quart)
Ingredients
- 3 lbs russet potatoes (washed and scrubbed)
- frying oil (peanut or canola)
- ½ cup beef tallow (optional)
- AlbuKirky Seasonings Casa Seasoning or Green Chile Rub
Instructions
- Cut potatoes into french fry sized strips (between 1/4" – 1/2" wide, depending on preference). Lay the potato strips on a sheet pan lined with paper towels. Blot tops of the potato strips dry with paper towels.
- Place the potatoes in your preferred frying vessel. We fry outside using our DiscIt Grill (a propane burner outfitted with a heavy disc-shaped pan). If frying inside, use a large, heavy-bottomed dutch oven.
- Add just enough room temperature, neutral oil to the pan (such as peanut oil or canola oil) to barely cover the fries.
- Bring the oil and potatoes to a simmer over medium heat. The oil and potatoes should stay somewhere between a simmer and slow boil for the entire process.
- Let the potatoes go undisturbed until they start to get a little color on them. Stirring them too early will cause them to break into pieces. Once they begin to turn golden, they will be sturdy enough to stir. Once this occurs, occasionally stir and turn them over in the oil to encourage even browning.
- It will take a total of 30-40 minutes of gentle frying for the potatoes to finish cooking.
- Remove fries from the oil and drain on a paper toweled lined baking sheet. Immediately season with your choice of AlbuKirky Seasonings Casa Seasoning or Green Chile Rub. Both are excellent on these fries!
Notes
- The oil should be relatively clean afterwards and can be cooled and stored in the fridge for a short time to use for a future fried dish.
- To discard the oil, we use a plant based oil solidifier. A scoop of natural plant based powder turns the oil into a solid that is then easy and safe to dispose of in the regular garbage. Do not, under any circumstances, dispose of oil in the garbage disposal.
Time to Fry!
Sooooo…how about now?! Have I convinced you, fellow Spudknicks? Are you ready to take this potato plunge with me and give Cold Oil French Fries a go? It’s a perfect method for the at home French Fry connoisseur. If you have a set up where you can do this in the backyard, that’s even better. While the potatoes transform into their most delicious self, pop open a fizzy beverage and throw some ribeyes on the grill. Check out our post for Sugar Steaks on our blog. We’re throwing more food science-ish stuff your way in that article. You and your guests will be rewarded with an amazing Steak Frites at the end of the process.
Stock up on our rubs and sauces at AlbuKirkySeasonings.com and keep up with what we’re cooking on our Facebook and Instagram pages. See you next time!
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