French fries; I found this do-ahead step amazing [but then that doesn't take much]

M

marilynfl

Moderator
This recipe for frites is served with a steak...and the point of the recipe steps is to prep the potatoes so you only have to do a final 2 minute fry to have them ready exactly when the steak is ready.

This is going to seem like a lot of work, but here is the ticker: I prepped this on Sunday and the ready-to-go fries were still white and perfect on FRIDAY.

That's what this posting is about. I never knew you could keep lightly cooked peeled potatoes from turning brown for that long of a period.

1. You soak them overnight.

2. You boil them briefly in salted, vinegar water.

3. You dry them completely.

4. You par cook them for 1 minute

5. And THEN when you're ready with the rest of the meal, you do the final fry before serving...and that only takes 2-3 minutes.

I tried this out on one mutant-sized Russet...at least 8 inches long. That one potato made FOUR 1 cup servings. The first batch I did the two-step frying. But then I stuck the rest of the cold potatoes in the frig and didn't fry them for another five days. And they were still perfect. I just fried those for 3-4 minutes one time.

Am I the only person who didn't know this trick?

PS: I'm slightly horrified at how many french fries "FIVE GUYS" give you in a single serving now that I know one big potato provides four 1 cup servings.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/strip-steak-frites-with-bearnaise-butter

 
I've always used a 3 step cook on fries but different than this method.

I've only heard of pre soaking in water to remove starch and then a fry in 330 F. for the first cook so they are completely cooked but not brown. Cooled and then a final higher temp fry to make them brown and crisp. I've never heard of vinegar being used or boiling them.

 
Since you are correct about that, I looked it up--and in her recipe the potatoes are

boiled first. Here is a really interesting idea/fact about that step (it is in the Cooking Lab book about making potato salad where the potatoes are always cooked).
But there's a very good reason to add a little vinegar to the potato's cooking water: it prevents it from overcooking, something I learned a while back when I was on my quest for French Fry perfection. Pectin breaks down much more slowly in acidic environments. A tablespoon of vinegar per quart of water was enough to allow me to boil my potatoes without having to worry about whether or not they'll overcook while I'm distracted by the dog.
In the pictures accompanying this the potatoes are perfectly cooked through (used green food coloring to show) and in perfect form--not crumbling.
Something new every day. ;o)

 
They're soaked, then briefly cooked, then dried...and then sat in the refrig dry for 5 days w/o

discoloring...all ready to be fast-fried in 3 minutes.

It seems like a really nice way to prep food on the weekend and have it ready either for single servings or bulk batches for a crowd.

 
Yes, they wouldn't discolor, certainly after cooking. It was the explanation

of how the vinegar affected the cooking I found interesting. It also firms them so they don't crumble/break up. ;o)

 
I remember a distinct vinegar taste in homefries at Pitts. diners. But I always thought they were

just trying to stretch out old potatoes.

 
So did you taste the vinegar when you made them? I just have

never heard of boiling them but why not? The whole point is to get them cooked before browning and crisping them. And it will cut down on the guilt of the fried. I'm curious if anyone else does this. I don't make fries often but if I do I'll try it.

 
No vinegar taste at all. Structure was still perfect. Cooking and frying times are

set for 1/4" thick fries, but I believe the concept would work for other shapes, as Charley's comments suggest. Also, the recipe specifies the quantity of vinegar & salt for a given amount of water.

There have been many times that I was hungry for a small batch of French fries, but it's too much work to peel, cut, rinse, dry completely, then fry. This way I just pulled 1 cup of cut potatoes out of the refrigerator days later, all ready to go and fried them up.

 
Interesting, I have known about tossing with vinegar or pickle juice while warm, but not about

cooking them in vinegar. Must try it. I think many potato salads are overdressed to try to overcome the blandness. As he says, potatoes having more flavor when warm. I think potato salad always tastes better when it's warm. My favorites are the ones meant to serve warm or refrigerated very briefly.

 
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