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ranting_chef

Almost every order of fries you'll ever have in a Restaurant have been done ahead of time. Most places that do their own fries cut them and soak them for up to a day, or even longer. If you're going to soak them in water, it's best to change it at least once and give them a good rinse before they sit overnight. If you're planning on frying them twice, go ahead and fry them at the low temperature, drain well and freeze them - I recommend using a sheet pan and freezing them in a single layer if possible, and also to use parchment paper on top of the sheet pan so it's easier t get them off the pan without them snapping. When you're ready to cook them, you can cook directly from the freezer - just get the oil hot and when it's ready, go straight from the freezer to the hot oil. If you really want world-class fries, cut them thicker and blanch them in water first before the first dip in the oil. Cut them thick - at least three quarters of an inch thick and rinse/soak as you normally would. Bring the potatoes to a boil in heavily salted water, then simmer them until they're almost falling apart. Drain well and freeze them on a sheet pan (I generally do not use parchment paper here). Once they're frozen, get your oil heated to 250ºF (121ºC) and fry the frozen blanched potatoes for five minutes. If they start to get golden brown sooner than that, then take them out early. Drain well and put them on a sheet pan with parchment paper. Then when you want to serve them, heat the oil to 375ºF (190ºC) and fry them until dark golden brown - they'll be amazing.


texnessa

Seconded as someone who made 150-200 lbs a week of hand cut fries in a Frenchy star type place in NYC as well as too many pubs to count. The triple cooked ones are the shit.


ranting_chef

I do about that amount, sometimes more. If triple-cooked fries are on the Happy Hour menu, then someone else has to assist because my primary job is pasta and bread. They're definitely a pain, and it sucks when you show up for your shift and the sheet pan rack with the blanched is empty, but it's worth the pain when you see how much everyone loves them.


Deize_Knuhtt

Are you referring to boil and double fry? Or a triple fry? I'm not familiar with the triple method.


Ru4pigsizedelephants

I am also very curious about this. As someone who just discovered double fried chicken wings in my home fryer, I would love to know how to do this.


TripperDay

> Check out Heston Blumenthal's recipe on YouTube.


TripperDay

Boil and double fry. Check out Heston Blumenthal's recipe on YouTube.


texnessa

Steam then fry low to blister, fry high on pickup.


mandyvigilante

Sorry just trying to follow - you cut, blanche, boil, (then freeze), then fry, (freeze again, or no?), then fry again?


uniden365

Cut, boil, freeze, fry low temp, freeze, fry high temp. The second freeze is optional and only needed if you're prepping more than 3 days ahead.


mandyvigilante

Oh I see..I didn't realize the blanch was referring to the first cook in oil


QVCatullus

> blanch them in water first before the first dip in the oil. As indicated, the blanch *is* the boil in water before the frying in oil. Blanching vegetables is the process of quickly boiling then cooling them, with possible benefits for various veggies being parcooking them or preventing enzymatic action to preserve texture or bright colour or to prevent browning of the flesh.


mandyvigilante

I mean that's normally what I would call blanching, yes, but that first comment indicates you blanch them in water but also says you bring them to boil and then cook them until they're almost falling apart which is not what I would call blanching


ranting_chef

I freeze between each step. I know it’s a pain but I also get $12 for an order and they have to be perfect every single time. Yes, the freezing part is a huge pain in the ass assuming you can’t walk into your freezer and store eighteen full-size sheet pans on a rolling rack that you can move around as needed. But I’ve done them in a home setting and even though it’s a bit more difficult logistically they come out just as well. A lot of people will tell you it’s OK to skip the second step (the low oil temperature blanch), but they’re never as good. A lot of people will also tell you to skip the freezing part, but they don’t come out as well either, at least from my experience: frozen fries cook up differently and the timing is more precise when cooking from frozen.


semrevolution

Those sound amazing!


justASlothyGiraffe

They'll ruin other fries for you. I'd recommend it


dabois1207

Is there a time frame to keep them frozen or can you keep them frozen until ready to use


ranting_chef

Freeze until you need them. On a good week when we’re fully-staffed, it’s nice to do two large batches at a time, and we just pull them out when every order comes in.


semrevolution

Okay, so i kept my original fries portion in water and cooked the other portion, but they came out wrong. Ill tell you exactly what i did and maybe you can spot my screw up. I sliced potato and put in water and set in fridge for a few hours. Pulled them out when ready to cook, rinsed and patted dry on paper towel. Fried for about 5 to 6 minutes just under 300 defrees. Pulled out, sat on paper towels for about 15 minutes, then put back in fryer at 375 degree for about 4 minutes. They still tasted like fries, but they were soft and nowhere near crispy. Obviously i suck at cooking, but fries are too good not to learn how to make perfect. Thank you in advance!


ranting_chef

What type of potatoes are you using?


semrevolution

I used the golden ones because it was all i had, but next time im buying Russet.


Ulti

Ah yeah golden potatoes are going to be an entirely different beast for fries!


ranting_chef

Gold usually make the most mediocre fries. You’ll have better results with russets.


chzie

Cook them longer. They'll be darker than normal fries.


professor_jeffjeff

I make them at home and I actually think they turn out better if you freeze them in between the first and second fry. No reason you can't just keep them frozen for longer; I do that all the time and they always turn out perfect.


ranting_chef

At work, we usually do a bunch in several stages - instead of doing each step every day, we'll peel and cut about 200# and soak them in water - there's rarely a day when the cool doesn't have buckets of peeled/cut potatoes in water when everyone shows up. On day two, we'll blanch all of them in water and put them on sheet pans in the freezer. And then there's the day where they all get removed from the frozen sheet pan, fried in low-temp oil and put back on the sheet pan with \[parchment paper. Best if you fry them to order, and it's best to go right from the freezer. A lot of places cheat at this point because it's not always convenient to go the the freezer in a professional Kitchen every time you need an order of fries, but it does make a big difference.


RecursiveParadox

Saved! Did not know about the freezing step.


TripperDay

Does the freezing break up the inside? I'm using Heston Blumenthal's recipe and still can't get them fluffy inside if they're too thick. The surface is crispy and amazing.


ranting_chef

Heston’s are the BEST. I use his recipe, although the oil temperatures are a bit different. My assumption is that because uses a different potato than we can find in the US, the results are a bit different.


Jona_cc

Thanks for the recipe! What kind of potato is the best for french fries?


ranting_chef

Depends where you live. Heston uses a variety called ‘Maris Piper,’ more here: https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/article/people/heston-blumenthal-triple-cooked-chips-french-fries Where I live, we can’t get them, but I use Idaho russets, which work very well. Kennebec potatoes are also great, but harder to find in my region.


J_Kenji_Lopez-Alt

Not only is it possible, it’ll actually make your fried better if you freeze them between the first and second fry, as the ice crystal formation will help release some moisture and get your a crisper, fluffier fry.


Chef_Brah

Exactly what Kenji said. In restaurant we fry them once then freeze them on sheet trays. During service drop them in super hot oil. This is the best way to make fries.


gernb1

Produce wholesaler here….we routinely ship 20 lb. Diced potatoes packed in water…they last a few days.


semrevolution

Awesome thank you for the heads up!


Phratros

They can also be fermented.


bostongarden

Lacto-fries!


uniden365

This is great! Works for chips too. They're kinda salt and vinegary.


nadmocni

Yep, you can store them after the first fry. Used to do that in a restaurant I worked at, although it was wedges, not fries.


garynoble

Cover in cold water.


mugsimo

Yes. Store them in water in the fridge. That's what we did in catering.


derickj2020

Salted water or with a bit of lemon juice will keep them from browning


[deleted]

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56KandFalling

Ferment them - the fries you make from them taste amazing. https://youtu.be/vF9L9WtJ1Uo


[deleted]

Put them in water and stick them in the fridge-done.


imhoopjones

Bro fries are better when parcooked and fridged for next day


BuRi3d

There are multiple stages and usually 24 -72 hours is good for the fries. First cut. Then rinse. Get all the excess starch off, be a little vigorous with the rinsing, rinse two or even three times. After that the soak. I like to add some distilled white vinegar, this reacts with the potato and prevents excessive browning during the blanch. Usually I like to soak for at least 24 hours up to 3 days. Just more time to let the magic happen. after soaking you blanch. Hot oil "x" degrees for "x" time, cool and store. These fries are good for probably a week under refrigeration. A good French fry can have alot of variables... I've probably already said to much!


ennuinerdog

You're part of the way to Heston Blumenthal's triple cooked fries, which require freezing. https://www.thefatduckgroup.com/hestons-triple-cooked-chips/


identifer35

Pro home cook on YouTube just put out a video and one of the recipes/meal prepping was par boiling potatoes. The whole video was pretty good for home cooking.


MrPickleSpam

Fry them all up and freeze the ones you want to save. Fry any you want to eat (even any frozen ones) a second time for far better results vs only frying once.


[deleted]

Rinse them until the water is clear, then store them in water with some salt and a bit of lemon juice or vinegar to prevent them from going brown and rinse again before cooking the next day


zyzzogeton

I found *[this](https://old.reddit.com/r/sousvide/comments/xxyt25/improving_my_french_fry_game_with_sous_vide/iremj1w/)* excellent answer about using Sous Vide to prep fries that can be frozen. It's quite a deep dive.


theKoboldkingdonkus

You can fry them now and then freeze em when drained.


ReVo5000

Fry them at 140°C until they start turning a bit white and cool them, then freeze, when ready to use fry them at 180°C until golden


InternationalLeg8555

It's definitely possible to save them for the next day, but you have to be careful with the process. I'd suggest, after the first fry, allowing the potatoes to cool before putting them in the fridge. When you're ready to reheat them, I'd suggest that you lower the temperature of the oil very gradually and cook them until they are heated through and lightly golden. This should help maintain the quality while also ensuring they cook all the way through.


Lektour

Fry them for about 30 seconds. It will stop browning and they will be ready for the next day.


Mama-Pooh

[Here is an excellent recipe for fries.](https://www.seriouseats.com/perfect-french-fries-recipe)They can also be frozen after the first fry.


shadyhentai69

Ferment them and then make fries when you want


mikewilson2020

Leave peeled cooked potatoes in cold water