When I was growing up, French fries at home meant the frozen kind, that you baked in the oven. I was raised on all kinds of frozen foods, Swanson TV dinners, chicken pot pies, and Sara Lee frozen banana cake (I never waited for it to thaw). It was the 70’s and we were a modern family.

My mom would never consider deep frying at home. She had an extremely acute sense of smell, (sadly, that has changed) and the scent of oil lingering in the air would drive her crazy. We joked that she could smell an odour 1 day before it occurred.

It wasn’t until I went to Culinary school, that I learned the correct way to make real French fries. You need to fry the potatoes twice. The first fry, at 320°F, cooks the inside. The exterior will still be quite pale andthe fries will be limp. Then, crank up the fryer to 375°F for a second round. Fry until crispy and golden brown. Salt them as soon as they come out of the fryer.  

Now, my friend Brigitte will tell you that you need to fry them three times. She’s Belgian. They also give three kisses. It does get them extra crispy, so give it a try and see what you think.

I have posted about French fries on this blog a few times, here, here and here. I realized the photos needed an update. Here’s an image I took in 2012. It’s fun to look back and see how my skills have developed.

Last week my daughter reminded me that it was almost September and we hadn’t made French fries even once all summer long. So we busted out the deep fryer (it gets used twice a year, once in the summer for fries and again at Chanukah for donuts).

There will undoubtedly be those that insist on ketchup, but mix up a batch of chipotle mayo as well and surprise those traditionalists. Chop up one chipotle chili in adobo sauce and mix it into a cup of Hellman’s mayo. Brigitte makes her own mayo, but she’s special that way!😉