How to Make The Best Homemade French Fries

My kids love French Fries, and I must admit that I too am a fry addict.  I am guilty of buying a 5 lb bag of french fries when I go to the store and keeping them in the freezer for a side dish with meals.  Many times I just bake them, but on a special occasion, we will fry them. I have to read labels carefully because so many frozen french fries contain added breading and seasonings, which we don’t want or need.

A 5 lb bag of frozen fries can set me back $5 or more on a good day. I have made our fries in the past but was never too fond of them. UNTIL NOW!  These Homemade French Fries are incredibly simple to make, very frugal, and taste just like the fries from In-and-Out Burger. If you have never been, you are missing out!

I started with this 10 lb bag of russet potatoes that I picked up for $5. I have already doubled my money compared to buying frozen fries.

I pulled out a few potatoes and then drug out my Progressive International Curly Fry Cutter. I got this from one of the daily deal sites a while back, and just never used it much until now. I am in love with it, and my kids are giddy that their fries are so curly!  I sliced enough fries for my family of 5 within a couple of minutes. You can use any french fry cutter, or just sliced the potatoes yourself with a knife. My suggestion would be to make them as uniform in size as possible. Once cut transfer the potatoes to a bowl of cold salted water to soak.

*Soaking in the cold water helps remove extra starch and soften the potatoes giving them a better texture and making them easier to cook.

Now you can do this ahead of time and just pop the bowl in the fridge till dinner, or just allow them to soak while your oil is heating.  I have not tried just baking these yet. I have only fried them. I have found that these homeade french fries are not heavy like typical fried french fries. Something about the potatoes being fresh doesn’t make them absorb as much grease from being fried.

Once your oil has heated to 350 degrees, pat your cut potatoes dry on a paper towel and drop carefully into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown. Remove from oil, salt and serve.

They don’t get much better than this!

TIPS

• You can pre-slice your fries, soak, and flash-fry them for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the oil to cool and drain. Place in freezer bags and treat them just as you would frozen french fries. Just pop them in the oven at 450 for 15 -20 minutes to enjoy homemade french fries anytime.
• Stick with a firm potato such as a russet; this also works with sweet potatoes.
• If you would prefer just to bake, after soaking pat the fries dry, place them on a baking sheet and drizzle them with some olive oil before baking. Bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes, or until gold brown.

Homemade French Fries

Homemade French Fries

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• Russet Potatoes
• Vegetable Oil for Frying
• Salt

Instructions

• Slice your potatoes with a french fry cutter or a knife. Place cut potatoes in a large bowl of salt water to soak.
• Heat your oil in a large skillet or fryer to 350 degrees f.
• Remove potatoes from water and pat dry. Drop into hot oil and fry until golden brown.
• Remove from oil, salt to taste, and serve.

Servings: 0

Author: Amanda@AFewShortCuts.com