Easy Homemade French Fries
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Before making these French fries, I had never deep-fried anything in my life. Sure, I had watched my and grandma fry calamari for Christmas Eve dinners, and the lingering smell of fried fish in my hair and on my clothes was proof that I had witnessed the frying, but I had never taken any frying projects on myself. Then last week, I decided it was high time to jump right in and made not only one, but two, fried recipes. Both will be featured here this week, starting with these French fries. Now, I love French fries. Love them with ketchup, with ranch, alongside burgers and sandwiches, on their own, piled high with cheese and bacon. However and whenever. It never really occurred to me to make them at home, however, because I (mistakenly) thought they would be a hassle – messy and time-consuming – and I wasn’t totally convinced that they would be all that much better than French fries I consume away from home. I couldn’t have been more wrong. These are easy, quick and DELICIOUS.
Prep is super easy – all you need to do is get your Yukon gold potatoes and slice them up into your French fry batons, which should take less than 10 minutes.
Then you toss the potatoes into the oil, together. Without heating up the oil first. I know, it sounds crazy, but it totally works.
You get the oil up to a boil, cook for about 15 minutes, then start tossing the potatoes while frying an additional 5 to 10 minutes until they are nice golden brown. And that’s it! Seriously couldn’t be easier.
You take them out of the oil, drain them on some layered paper towels, season them how you’d like, and then dig in!
I am so excited about adding these homemade French fries to my cooking repertoire – totally delicious and any time I’m craving French fries I know I don’t have to wait until I’m eating out somewhere, I can make them right here at home! And I have the ability to season them however I’d like. Such a liberating little frying adventure!
One year ago: Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispy Treats
Two years ago: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Three years ago: Hearty Whole Wheat Bread[/donotprint]
Easy Homemade French Fries
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds (1.13 kg) Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed, dried, sides squared off, and cut lengthwise into ¼-inch by ¼-inch batons
- 6 cups (1.3 l) peanut oil
Instructions
- 1. Combine the potatoes and the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Cook over high heat until oil has reached a rolling boil, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, without stirring, until potatoes are limp but exteriors are beginning to firm, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels.
- 2. Using tongs, stir potatoes, gently scraping up any that stick, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Using a skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer fries to paper towel-lined baking sheet. Season with salt (and pepper, if desired) and serve immediately.
- Note: Do not use sweet potatoes or russet potatoes; the starch content won't hold up to frying in this manner.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Even though this goes against everything I thought I knew about frying, tonight I made these as written and THEY WERE EVERYTHING YOU SAID THEY’D BE. I will say you have to watch them the last few minutes because they go from golden to dark pretty quickly. These were really, really good and I’d just bought Yukon gold potatoes today. Will be my go to fries from now on. Thank you.
Got to say, these were probably the best French fries I’ve ever made. I like my fires in between chewy and crunchy and this was excellent! I rate this 5/5. Would DEFINATLEY RECCOMEND.
Have always been afraid of frying and have the burn marks to prove why but hubby loves french fries and rarely gets them unless out of a bag and into the oven-not his preferred type. Am going to try this tonight in the hopes of finally overcoming the fear and ending up with a great new way to have a good french fry. Thanks!
Just made these exactly as written – AMAZING! I will never be able to eat a subpar restaurant french fry ever again knowing I can easily make them at home. This was my first time frying anything – I was nervous but it was surprisingly easy – dangerous knowing I can now make amazing fries from home. I seasoned with garlic pepper and salt, so good thanks for sharing :)
Hello,
Wanted to try these in a crock pot with adjustable temperature. What temp do you recommend setting the thermostat at ?
Thanks!
Mo
Hi Mo, This would not work in a slow cooker. You need to fry over a direct heat source.
Hi Michelle,
I found out what we have is a slow cooker/fryer combo Dazey Chefs pot. . It has a basket and all for frying. So what temp do you recommend me setting the dial for? It goes up to 400. Thanks so much LOVE primanti sandwiches cannot wait to try these out!
MO
Hi Mo, While I haven’t tested specific temperature, but I would guess that 350 F would work well. You may have to do some trial and error.
I made these today and oh my! They’re just as simple as the instructions indicate! The only thing I did a little differently was turn down the heat from high during the first 15 minutes they cooked. I kept the rolling boil still going, but I was afraid on high heat, I’d be reaching for the fire extinguisher before long. lol
I love crispy home-made fries. Yours look wonderful. I always drain mine really well, then pour them into a paper bag lined with a few layers of paper towel. I shake a bit of salt over them, close the paper bag and shake like crazy. This gets most of the oil off of them and they are nice and crispy and ready for a side of dipping gravy!
Oooh thank you for the paper bag tip, I will definitely try that next time!
If the fries turned to mush my guess would be you had too many fries i the pan in relation to the amount of oil. I tried this and it worked fine.
Completely DID NOT work.. Fries turned into mush and had my bubbie had to through it all away…. He was so pissed. Horrible recipe!!!
Yum! Love homemade fries! We like coarse salt & freshly ground pepper on ours. I also put mine under the broiler for 1-2 minutes at the end to get them a little extra crispy.
Oh goodness. I wish you hadn’t posted this. Now I don’t have a reason to ever leave my house…
I made these tonight, and they were the best homemade french fries I’ve ever made or had. They were out of this world.
I was going to point out the double fry method as being better but I am glad i read the comments and responses. I am amazed that this method has less absorption. This is so much less hassle and with a spatter guard you are made.
Siracha has become my new ketchup
I’ve made this recipe from Cook’s Illustrated’s website and it does work. It’s pretty amazing, but they turn out really well. You just have to use Yukon Gold potatoes according to their site – nothing else will work.
Wow. The photo makes these look like the best french fries ever! I’m sure they taste nothing like the junk one finds at the average restaurant. I love the method of frying and baking, combined.
I didn’t see anything about *baking*?
They look great!
Oh – and one more thing. This method works for any variety of potato you have on hand. My fave is the good, old-fashioned russet, or baking potatoes, because I enjoy that super crispy outside, and insides that are soft and somewhat dry, like the insides of a baked potato. Commercial outlets, like Burger King and Mickey Ds use them, which is how they get those super long ones (always my favorites. The longer, the better!) But experiment and find out which works best for you. MORE research to be done!
Michelle, I learned the secret of making perfect fries when I spent a summer in Paris in college, way back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth…Anyway, there’s a reason that they’re called “French fries.” Know that perfect, crispy, golden melt-in-your-mouth goodness of Micky D fries? Well, they’re using the French method. Ever see how they retain that outer crispiness even after awhile? Home made fries might be awesome when they first come out, but they lose that outer crispiness and become soggy realllly fast.
For some reason, very few people in this country know the secret to making the perfect fry. Until now, that is, because I’m going to share the secret with everyone who reads your blog…
You need to fry them twice. Yup, that’s it.
The first frying can take place anytime before hand. You can do it in the morning of the day you are serving them for dinner, or you can just let each batch rest until when you’ve done the initial frying on all batches, then immediately turn around and give the first ones their second frying. No need to let them cool before you give the second fry.
With Micky D’s, they give them the first frying at a central commissary, IQF (Individually Quick Freeze) them, bag them, then distribute them frozen to the retail outlets, where they are held frozen until needed, then given their second frying.
The first frying is just to seal the outer starches and par-cook them. You fry them for a few minutes (2-3, depending on how big each load is) and remove them from the oil before they start to brown. The timing isn’t crucial, so long as they’ve had a couple of minutes and haven’t browned yet. All you’re doing is sealing the outer starches and beginning the cooking process.
When ready to serve, heat the oil back up and give them a second frying to bring them to that mouth-watering, appealing golden brown.
And that’s it. Simple, uncomplicated.
No need to refrigerate them between the two fryings, and no need to soak them in cold water before you start cooking them. Make sure the oil is heated up to proper temperature (350-375) before adding both times. Starting in cool oil permits additional oil absorption. Frying in preheated oil makes sure that your fries will seal quickly, thereby uptaking very little oil, which will be limited to the exterior surface only, easily removable with a toss on paper towels. Healthier, if the word “healthy” can be applied to fries.
BTW, just so you know I have my bona fides, I’m a retired chef. This is always how I made them after my lesson, at the tender age of 19, at the side of a lovely French matron, who was known for her great cooking ability. My fries were famous. In later years, I rarely make them, since neither I nor the hubs can keep our paws off them. Plus, I hate the cleanup. Lazy in my old age.
You can do the initial frying and freeze, yourself, for later use, BTW. Just be sure to spread them out on a cookie sheet in a single layer, not touching, and freeze. Bag them up only when fully frozen, and you’ll be able to separate out as many or as few as you want. They will keep for up to 6 months. IQF method involves flash freezing, which we can’t do because the typical home doesn’t have a flash freezer (way too expensive,) but it works quite well the way described above.
Somehow, in France, it seems that everyone knows by osmosis that this is the way fries are properly made. Don’t know how that piece of info either never made it or became lost here.
But be sure to give this method a shot. It will be a good excuse why you have to make more fries (you can make the heavy, burdensome sacrifice of eating fries again so soon because it’s for research, you know. There. Don’t you feel better already?!) You’ll be amazed by the results. Promise.
Hi Cat, Thanks so much for sharing your preferred method for French fries. I have definitely heard of the “double fry” method, but wanted to correct one misconception, that double frying reduces the total amount of oil absorption. This recipe that I posted comes from Cook’s Illustrated, which is usually my go-to place when I first start researching recipes that I have not attempted before because of the tremendous amount of research they put into each recipe. They actually did a comparison of the method I posted here vs. the double fry method and had a lab analyze both for oil absorption. This recipe has 13% fat versus 20% fat for the double fry method.
But what about compared to a single fry method in hot oil? I have always been taught that putting food in oil that is not heated up results in greater absorption of oil – this recipe seems to encourage serious oil absorption (but looks pretty delicious!)
Hmmmmm. I did read that, Michelle, but I can’t help but be skeptical. Perhaps it has to do with how hot (or not) the oil was on the initial fry, or maybe various types of potato uptake differently? In any case, there are too many variables to definitively state that because one batch had that percentage of uptake, that all will. If you break one of the double-fried sticks in half, you’ll be impressed with how thin the actual crust, or saturated, part is.
In his definitive tome, “On Food And Cooking” by Harold McGee, he refers to deep frying as a “dry” cooking technique, meaning that the exposed surfaces of the food are immediately dehydrated by the high temperatures, while the inside retains its moisture. He states that food deep fried at too low a temperature absorbs more oil, because the frying has ceased to be a “dry” method of cooking. The molecules in the surface of the food actually act as a “wick” and draw up the oil. This would seem to refute the possibility that something that begins in room temperature oil and comes to frying temperature relatively slowly would absorb less oil than something that is instantly seared by high temps.
But hey, I’m all for trying new things. Never met a deep fried food I couldn’t get behind (no pun intended!)
I’ve made fries this way too! Love it!!! And it’s SO easy.
YUM!!! french fries are one of my favorite foods!!
A million years ago when I was a bit younger (1989) I spent a few weeks working the fries only station at the O. We’d blanch them first then store until we needed them. I still have the faint burn scars on my arms from the hot oil. Fun as that was I quit to work at the King’s Court because it was a better job with the free movie option.
Did you fry these in the cast iron pan? If so, how much oil did you end up using? Unless you have the largest cast iron pan I’ve ever seen, I can’t imagine it help six cups. :) Did you have splatter issues with the lower sides?
Hi Linda, I actually did use a 12″ cast iron skillet because I only made a 1/3 batch, but for the full recipe you would definitely need the Dutch oven/heavy pot.
These look good, but are they mushy or crisp? I make my fries (I love fries as well) basically the same, but after chopping them into fries I put them in ice water for about 1 hour. Drain them, this is to help remove some of the starch, on either paper towels or a dish cloth. I heat my oil up to 325, place them in the oil for 5 min. then increas heat to 350 for about 10 – 15 minutes. This makes my fries crispy like “I” like them.
I love these. May have to try this method out. I use a deep fryer and make fries once every couple of weeks. So much better when you make them yourself. I love that you used peanut oil. I have not yet as I find it pricey but I need to change my oil soon so may give it a whirl after seeing these. I am now craving fries and will probably make some for lunch. lol
I’ve got a Hamilton Beach Deep Fryer…would this recipe work in that? I think the oil might take a bit longer to heat up in it (not sure, but it seems that it might, because the oil is deeper, rather than more spread out as it would be in a Dutch oven ). Not sure how that might affect this recipe with the potatoes already in the cold oil.
Hi Liddy, I have never used a deep fryer so I couldn’t say for sure, but I would think if you use the same amount of oil and heat it according to the directions it should be fine.
Okay, thanks! I mainly have the deep fryer for frying up okra, and haven’t used it for anything other than that yet. (I’m a born and bred Yankee who’s been in the South for years and now have to cook fried okra for my Southern husband and kids.) ;) I’m going to give this a try…those fries look TOO good!! :)
Yay! I’m a sucker for awesome french fries and making them at home saves you the trouble of having to go out to buy some. It’s very affordable and super-delicious. Oh, and piping hot, woot woot!
The thought of frying at home intimidates me, but this makes it look easy. I’m going to have to try this out!
We haven’t done our own fries, ’cause I’m big on making sweet potato chips. They are so delicious!. I’m going to have to make these fries now though.
This is a dangerous thing…. now I know how to make french fries at home…. I’m going to pretend that this never happened. :)
I’ve only tried frying once; it was chicken and a disaster. This is making me seriously reconsider my aversion. Heinz 57 is my current dip of choice!
Help! Those look SO amazing I fell off my chair….now I’m stuck in a puddle of DROOL!
….ick! Why couldn’t I have fallen on a plate of those french fries?
I never would’ve thought not to heat up the oil first, but I can see how that would work out beautifully. Thanks!
You know, I have been thinking a lot about making my own french fries lately. So good with some fun seasonings, right? These look like they turned out great!
i made homemade fries for the first time last year and they were so delicious! definitely superior to most restaurant fries and i felt good knowing how fresh they were :)
Thanks for posting. They look awesome. I wish I could have a plate for breakfast!
I also only recently got over my fear of deep frying. Once you do, you wonder what took you so long…
I’ve never deep-fried either. These fries look so good!
Thanks for this! I’ve only attempted fries in the oven but I feel like frying them will be much more satisfying ;)
My gran used to make something similar with home breaded fish n peas every friday :) they were delicious and i will definitely try your method out to see if i can recreate them even slightly, lovely recipe thank you :)
They look delicious, and yes they are super easy to make. Any reason why you used peanut oil? I’ve always used canola oil or olive oil, but I am curious if they taste better with peanut oil? or it gives it a little twist? Thank you. Love your blog!
Hi Cass, I typically wouldn’t use olive oil for frying, so for most things vegetable oil, but the peanut oil was recommended for these and I have heard about French fries using peanut oil many times before. It’s delicious! :)
I will have to try it out then :) Thank you!
Oh my goodness! Those look amazing. I’ve never deep fried anything before either. For some reason I thought it would be difficult to make fries if you dont have a deep fryer but I’m so glad I’m wrong!
These look super scrumptious!
I am so scared of frying. I picture grease splatters, minor wounds, and subpar results. You have inspired me.
Fries are my nemesis! I have never met a fry I didn’t like. I need these right now…
I’d like to try this recipe but the best and most fool-proof method I have found after many failures is this: use Russet potatoes; peel and slice thinly lengthwise just larger than wood matchsticks. Soak in ice cold water for thirty minutes,
pour off starchy water then toss taters in clean kitchen towel. Fry in batches at 300 degrees for 5-6 minutes, then remove. Turn heat on fryer to 375 and fry again for 4 minutes or so, until golden brown. Sprinkle with Kosher salt and serve. A lot of work? Maybe. But perfection is worth the trouble and that is what you will have.