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Better home fries?

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    #16
    I had fries at a restaurant a couple of nights ago that were big wide pieces like steak fries, only mandolined to about 1/8 inch thick or so. They were wide and thinner, and turned out to be a bit wavey in presentation. They were really good, especially if, like me, you're more in to the fried, salted part than the steamy potatoey inside part of a fry.

    Thought I'd give them a go, using your SnS fryer method, Polarbear777 , or I may try the gasser. These days I'm all about keeping the mess and the smell of fried food outside.

    Kathryn
    Last edited by fzxdoc; April 21, 2018, 06:46 AM.

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      #17
      That looks great.

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        #18
        BOYS AND GIRLS of "THE PT CLUB" This Is Getting Complicated For an "OLD BUCK LIKE ME"‼️ I Can't Boil Water❗️
        Without Burning It❓❓ ❗️❗️ ❓❓
        From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan

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        • RonB
          RonB commented
          Editing a comment
          Just stir the water more often.

        • Danjohnston949
          Danjohnston949 commented
          Editing a comment
          RonB, Who Woulda Thunk❓❓ 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 Dan

        #19
        Originally posted by Danjohnston949 View Post
        BOYS AND GIRLS of "THE PT CLUB" This Is Getting Complicated For an "OLD BUCK LIKE ME"‼️ I Can't Boil Water❗️
        Without Burning It❓❓ ❗️❗️ ❓❓
        From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan
        Don’t get me started on 48 hour sous vide, ice-bathed, dry-brined, parboiled, spice-rubbed, twice grilled, faux-cambro-rested, thinly sliced, lamp-warmed, "simple potato recipe".

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        • EdF
          EdF commented
          Editing a comment
          Lol!

        • mnavarre
          mnavarre commented
          Editing a comment
          You forgot to get the InstantPot in there somewhere...

        • fzxdoc
          fzxdoc commented
          Editing a comment
          Danjohnston949 , you're cracking me up!

          K.

        #20
        I tried the advice last night. I peeled three potatoes and microwaved them for a while. They seemed to be mostly cooked through. The outsides were kind of sticky and made a kind of skin that was hard to cut through. The potatoes tried to fall apart when slicing them. Before I always put them through this onion dicer I use, it forces the vegetables through a grill to make small uniform cubes.

        I cooked the onions first, and I had a bell pepper lying around so I threw that in, which I usually don't use. Made more of a mess using extra plates and such to store the half cooked foods. Do you need to drain the onion oil and reuse it for the potatoes?

        It was very oily and didn't need ketchup, which I always used to add. Is this a feature? Or did I just add too much butter and oil to the pan?

        How do you flip all the potato pieces? There's a lot of them, and handling them with tongs causes them to fall apart. I tried using that flip that French chefs use, but half the pieces still showed their uncooked side, meaning that the already browned side was still facing the heat. Here's a photo of what it looked like when done, is this the same brown that other people get, or should it be more brown? It was crisper on some sides but not what I seem to remember eating before, which was almost crunchy.

        Click image for larger version

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          #21
          If you are cooking a large batch, you will not get all the pieces browned unless you are using a flattop. Just flip parts with a spatula until everything is turned.

          I would not peel the potatoes at all, but if you want them peeled, do it after microwaving. The skins should be easy to remove then, and there will not have a hard, gummy layer on the outside.

          Did you add any garlic - it goes very well with potatoes. And as far as the dirty bowls go, just line the bowls with plastic wrap and they should stay clean.

          PLEASE use the onion oil for the potatoes - it will add tons of flavor, and garlic makes the potatoes even tastier. As far as how much oil, that'st really up to you...

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          • Lost in China
            Lost in China commented
            Editing a comment
            Yeah, well I just don't trust the skins. God knows what they have on them. I added a clove of garlic, it seemed enough. Don't use the French flip, but a spatula? OK I'll try that. The largest batch I do is about 3 medium potatoes.

          #22
          A local restaurant that makes the best potatoes does a par cook (as advised above... I suspect boiling) and then does a pan sauté of 1/2” cubes. The key is to not move them. Like at all. Let them brown very deeply on one side of the cube. I suspect nonstick spray is involved, but they may release when they’re ready.



          Perfect.

          The other idea is to parcook and then roast hot in the oven. More crispy, but you wouldn’t take as brown.

          a griddle would probably work better than a wok for a large volume. I would cook in batches ina wok.

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          • Lost in China
            Lost in China commented
            Editing a comment
            It's a nonstick saucepan. I guess it's the best out of all the options I have (nonstick, aluminum, cast iron).

          • Potkettleblack
            Potkettleblack commented
            Editing a comment
            I don’t think that’s a problem. Just keep it to the temp restriction of the pan.

          #23
          well, I have made home made potato chips and home made french fries. Fries will never cook nicely if you fry them from raw. that's why you parcook them. you can do it in many ways. you can cut them and fry then, stop, drain and allow to cool to room temp or in the fridge. the only important thing is that they be AT LEAST room temp before the final cook. You can cook them whole, microwave, boiled, baked, then chill. in that case, you need them cooled all the way to refrigerator cold (it doesn't really matter how long it takes to cool) then cook again to finish.

          the choice of potato is important. DON'T use potatoes that are fluffy inside and recommended for baked potatoes. you want the waxy ones that hold together well. I like Russets.

          Potato chips can be cooked from raw. I mandolin, then soak, drain and fry. when I say drain, I mean REALLY drain. any water on the outside is going to splatter badly in the oil. but, soaking means more water INside, so they absorb very little oil.

          when I drain them, I take a bath towel and after draining in a collander, I lay them down the center of the towel, then fold the towel over the taters from both edges, making a long, thin towel roll of potatoes. I take that, put in in the bottom of my washing machine (you need an upright for this, not one of those new fangled front loader thingies) and run it on the spin only for a few minutes (not the spin/rinse, defeats the purpose)

          once they have been spun, it's time to cook. set up a metal colander and line everything with newspaper (black and white, no color print, you don't want color ink, the black won't bother you but you never know what's in the color) I also line a couple of 9x13 pans with news paper. once they have drained a little in the colander, you dump them into the 9x13. THOSE pans go in the oven at around 180 degrees.

          now, cook them in 350+ oil until they begin to brown, then put them in the oven. this allows them to not quite finish cooking in the oil which reduces the amount of oil the potato holds. they finish off nicely in the oven.

          salt with superfine salt, not table salt.

          it sounds really complicated but it isn't. and it makes THE best chips in the world. I'd say you could make great chips like this up to 1/8" thick and cook from raw. anything thicker and I would boil the potatoes whole, them slice super cold. you cna still fry, though. and because there is so much moisture inside, they won't take up much oil at all.

          Hope this helps, guys!!

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          • Danjohnston949
            Danjohnston949 commented
            Editing a comment
            Karon Adams, I Knew If Anyone Here Could Make Them and Do It Right‼️ It Would Be You, Thank You,‼️ 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 Dan

          #24
          This thread is paying off! I have a bag of russets on the counter for a shepherds pie I'm planning to make. My son brought me one and said he wanted fries. Now don't get the idea that I fulfill every special request. But he's on a pretty restricted diet for managing autism symptoms, so I wanted to accommodate him. I showed him how to peel it, then I sliced it up, microwaved the raw fries for 1 minute, and then pan fried in coconut oil. Whole organic potato to plate of healthy fries in no time. And he loved it.

          Thanks - love this community!
          Click image for larger version

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          • Karon Adams
            Karon Adams commented
            Editing a comment
            SO glad he enjoyed them. now you need some superfine salt. you use that for fries, potato chips and popcorn because it weighs less and the starches can hold onto the salt better without as much oil.

          • radshop
            radshop commented
            Editing a comment
            Thanks for the tip, @Karon Adams
            I just used the regular sea salt I had handy - not very fine.

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