French fries are probably the ultimate way to cook potatoes. Unfortunately, it’s very easy to end up with limp and soggy fries when you do it at home. In the industry, it’s common to actually cook the potatoes by frying them at a medium temperature before they are frozen. Then you just toss them in super hot oil and crisp them up and heat the middle which is already cooked. This method takes it to the next level. This is the recipe for triple-cooked fries.
If you follow this recipe you will be rewarded with the absolute best and most delicious fries you have ever tried. The crispy, almost glass-like surface shatters between your teeth in the most satisfying way. In the middle of the fry is the softest, creamiest mashed potato. I’m salivating just thinking about it.
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Where does this recipe for triple-cooked fries come from?
The recipe for these fantastic french fries is developed by the British chef Heston Blumenthal. He developed the method for his TV series In Search of Perfection.
The idea behind the series was to make the ultimate versions of dishes loved throughout Great Britain. Dishes like Chicken Tikka Masala, Hamburger, Bangers & Mash, and Fish & Chips.
For Fish & Chips, Heston would obviously need fries. Knowing Heston it would have to be the ultimate, most delicious french fries ever created.
So he tested absolutely everything. Different types of potatoes, different ways to cook the fries, and the size of the fry itself. He got a lab to test the amount of dry matter in different varieties of potatoes.
The whole process took several months, with lots of tests in the kitchen as well. The result speaks for itself.
How does it work then?
The common way of getting crispy fries are double cooking. You prepare the potatoes this way:
Fry the potatoes in oil at medium temperature until they are done in the middle.
Cool the potatoes.
Fry the potatoes in oil at a high temperature until they are crunchy.
This recipe also uses those two steps but adds another step in front. The potatoes are boiled until almost fall apart. That makes the surface of the fries bumpy, which makes many separate surfaces that can get crispy.
A difference is also that the fries will be put in the freezer in between the steps. As the freezer is a dry environment, the time in the freezer will help the surface of the fries to dry out. That way there’s very little moisture in the crust. This will help battle soggy fries.
So the overall process for triple cooked fries is as follows:
Simmer the potatoes until they ALMOST fall apart
Cool the fries in the freezer.
Fry the potatoes in oil at medium temperature until they are done in the middle.
Cool the fries in the freezer.
Fry the potatoes in oil at a high temperature until they are crunchy.
Heston recommends the Maris Piper potato for these fries, but they are only available in the UK. The Russet Burbank is a good substitute if you are in the United States.
Everywhere else it seems the humble baking potato is the answer. I did some tests on Danish baking potatoes using different saline solutions, which can tell you how much dry matter is in a potato. Almost all of the potatoes fall inside the recommended range. So if you are somewhere else, I’d go with those.
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This is my version of Heston Blumenthal’s recipe for triple-cooked fries – the world’s best french fries. I hope you will try to make them.
If you make this recipe and post it on Instagram, please tag med as @foodgeek.dk so I can see it. That will make me very happy.
Cut the sides and edges off the potato to square-ish and cut them into sticks. They should be about 2cm x 2cm x 6cm. About ¾ inch x ¾ inch x 2⅓ inch.
Put in a bowl under running water to rinse off surface starch,
Fill a pot of water and simmer the potatoes to the point where they almost fall apart. The water mustn't be at a rolling boil. It usually takes 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the potato.
Carefully remove them from the water, place them on a wire rack and let them air dry for 15minutes.
When they are dry, place the rack in the freezer for one hour to dry them further.
Pour oil into a pot or a deep fryer and heat to 130°C/250°F.
Fry the potatoes until they are a bit puffy and slightly colored. It takes from 5 to 10 minutes.
Remove them from the oil and let them drip off on paper towels.
Place on the wire rack and let them cool in the freezer for about one hour.
If you want to save them for another day, you can keep them in the fridge for three days, or you can place them in a zip lock bag and freeze them, and they are good for three months.
Heat the oil to 190°C/375°F. Fry the potatoes until they are golden and super crunchy. It can take up to about 4-10 minutes.
