Food Talk  Discussion Forum

I love french fries. I tried them at home once. I cut the potatoes and fried them in oil. Later I mixed with a little salt and chilli powder. Did not turn out to be crispier. I read that you should fry them twice to make them crispier. I want to try them in a microwave oven, but dont know how it will turn out finally. Has anybody tried making french fries in the microwave oven. kevin replied. dear lovefrenchfries,

i don't think you'll like the results of making french fries in the microwave unless your other nickname is lovesbakedpotatoes. the microwave cooks the potatoes from the inside out, and will do a nice job of baking it. but, well, a crisp and cruchy exterior it won't have.

there are a lot of variables in making good french fries. here are some that i know off hand. and i am sure there are lots more.

1. start with a 'dry' potato variety. some potatoes are very moist inside. these don't make for good french fries usually.

2. slice them into long sticks abt 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch on each of the 4 sides. pat them dry. now, i have heard, but have never tried, & don't know it to be absolute truth, that some places, after patting dry, spray a sugary water over them to help them brown (carmelize) while cooking and to increase the crispy factor. i don't know the proportions, but sounds like it might work to me.

3. use an oil that can go to a rather high temperature. butter just ain't gonna do it. the oil needs to get very hot without burning or scorching so that the potatoes are 'sealed' when they hit the hot fat. peanut oil is marvelous for this, and lends a nice flavor, to boot.

3.5 at this point you could put them into a hot oven instead on a tray with no french fry touching another. you may want to place them on parchment paper to prevent from sticking to the tray. and you would want to spray them lightly with a bit of oil, too. olive oil might work ok for this. the oven needs to be hot...400F to 425F. and they may need to be turned after a while, too. and, again, they won't be as crunchy as fried, but won't be as 'baked' as microwaved.

4. when you pull them out of the oil, drain them well on paper. then season and serve.

ya know, they are always coming out with those 'crispy' trays for the microwaves that will crisp things up. they may work on french fries, but you may have to go through a hundred pounds of potatoes experimenting with them to get them the right way. also, if you don't have a deep fryer, you can always do them in a smaller pan with a half inch or so of oil, and then turn them. but do make sure that you get the oil hot before putting them in. and you may need a splatter guard to keep the oil from splattering around the kitchen and on you. i have done them this way with success.

o, and about double frying...yes, but, it works better if you cut them into rounds first...no need to peel the skin off either. then dry them, then fry them the first time. take them out, allow to cool completely. then put them back in. they will puff up so that they are hollow inside. (unless you peel them or do something to allow the gasses inside to escape on the 2nd frying, like piercing them with a fork , etc) they will be very crispy. these were originally done like this back in france around 1800 by a chef who had an order of fried potatoes sent back for not being done enough. he angrily threw them into the hot oil again and they puffed up, crisped up, and the diner adored them. they need to be sliced a little less than 1/4 of an inch in width. i love them this way, but they are a lot of work.

hope this helps.
kevin