Everyone knows french fries are crispy, golden, and delicious. But did you know they aren't
actually French? And moreover, could they be the ticket to helping you get pregnant,
or stopping you from going bald? You'll have to watch until the end to find out!
"French Fries. This is France, you gotta have french fries!"
It's a common misconception that french fries hail from France. So much so that
when France opposed the Iraq war, the U.S. renamed the fast-food snack "freedom fries."
French fries originated in modern-day Belgium in the late 1600s. The story goes that french
fries were invented in the Meuse Valley after the rivers froze in winter, preventing fishing.
The locals cut up potatoes into strips and fried them when they didn't have fish to cook up.
It's unclear how french fries got their name. There's one theory that American
World War I soldiers dubbed the snack french fries after discovering it in southern Belgium
where the language is predominantly French. This story is unlikely to be correct, however,
because as the outlet notes, Thomas Jefferson was apparently already asking for his potatoes to be
styled, quote, "in the French manner" in 1802. In fact, the president is credited with introducing
french fries to the United States after serving as the American Minister to France from 1785 to 1789.
It turns out that ordering deep-fried potatoes cut into strips can be more
complicated than we think — particularly if you're traveling abroad. In the U.K,
french fries refer to McDonald's-style skinny, golden fried potato sticks;
hot chips to their more thickly cut counterparts. The British chips that
you would get in an order of fish and chips are more like a steak fry than a standard french fry.
In the U.S, the term french fries refers to a huge range of different styles and shapes of
deep-fried potatoes. Aside from the thinly-cut french fries that we all know and love,
the snack can take the form of ultra-skinny shoestring fries, curly fries, waffle fries,
and crinkle fries. The British call pre-packaged, thinly-sliced potato snacks that line the shelves
of most supermarkets crisps. Meanwhile, chips in America are what the British refer to as crisps.
While potatoes in their most basic form are certainly vegan,
some french fries aren't even vegetarian. It all depends on the preparation method. For example,
as Taste notes, authentic Belgian french fries are fried in animal fat. While this method
isn't all-encompassing, some restaurants do use animal-derived products when cooking french fries.
As a matter of fact, most dining establishments use frozen french fries to save on the labor costs
associated with prepping the side dish. And while frozen french fries are usually plant-based, some
may contain non-vegan ingredients such as milk or animal flavoring. This is why it always pays
to check the ingredient list if you are buying frozen french fries at your local grocery store.
So how vegan-friendly are the french fries purchased at fast-food restaurants? The answer is,
it depends on the chain. When it comes to vegan french fries, your best bet is Burger King,
which prepares them in vegetable oil and designated fryers. In-N-Out french fries
are also a great vegan option since they are prepared using 100% sunflower oil. While KFC,
Taco Bell, and Wendy's technically offer vegan french fries, the franchises fry them in the same
oil as other menu items. This means that diners can expect cross-contamination. Unfortunately,
things don't look so vegan-friendly at the world's leading franchise, McDonald's. The chain's fries
contain hydrolyzed milk and natural beef flavor, which means that they are not even vegetarian.
The art of making french fries that are golden and crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy in the
center involves numerous steps. The potatoes all need to be cut into equally-sized strips,
stored in water to rinse any excess starch, and dried prior to deep frying.
They also need to be cooked in oil with a high smoke point, such as canola oil,
that won't burn at high temperatures. However, another very important part of the restaurant
french fry-making process that many of us may not know about is double frying.
Deep-frying french fries twice ensures that they are crispy on the outside and fully cooked on
the inside. To obtain the perfect texture, french fries need to be cooked at a temperature of around
325 degrees Fahrenheit first to cook the inside of the potatoes. Then they must be submerged in oil
at 375 degrees Fahrenheit to make them crispy on the outside. The fries should rest for at least
15 minutes on a paper-lined surface between the frying sessions. Alternatively, once-fried french
fries can also be refrigerated for a period of time before they are popped back into the hot oil.
"Oh, french fries! I love french fries!"
Of course! Who doesn't love a good french fry! However, If you think that french fries are good
for you just because they are made from potatoes, think again. While potatoes can be a decent source
of fiber, potassium, and vitamins B6 and C, this is only if they are baked and unpeeled. As soon
as the skin is peeled — which commonly happens in the case of french fries — potatoes drop some
of this nutritional content. Furthermore, the deep-frying process used to make french
fries increases their calorie content, thus decreasing their nutritional value per calorie.
Last but not least, french fries are usually salted, which isn't great considering that
many of us already consume more than the recommended amount of sodium per day.
Eating french fries on a regular basis has both short- and long-term
consequences. One of the short-term effects of consuming french fries is stomach problems
since our bodies don't digest fats as fast as they do carbs and proteins. According to
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a study of 4,500 adults found that those who ate
french fries more than two times per week doubled their risk of early death. While the researchers
associated this with the oil the potatoes were fried in and not with the vegetable itself,
the point is that french fries aren't the healthiest dietary option still stands.
While they may look similar, not all potatoes are suitable for making french fries. Without a doubt,
the best potato variety for making french fries is russet. Most commonly grown in Idaho,
these potatoes contain a high amount of starch and are low in moisture.
During the frying process, it's the starch that makes the french fries crispy
and the low moisture content that prevents them from becoming hollow.
This said, russet — or any other potato type for that matter — should be rinsed off prior
to frying to get rid of any excess starch and prevent the french fries from turning too brown.
While russet potatoes are considered the best choice for french fries,
they can be substituted by other starchy potato varieties such as King Edward and Yukon Gold.
Whatever potato type you decide on, for best results opt for a firm, rather than spongy,
spud. Stay away from potatoes with dark spots or eyes since this may be an indication they are
past their prime. It's best to select large potatoes that are all around the same size
since this makes them easier to slice and will give the fries an appealing shoestring shape.
As the birthplace of some of the world's largest fast-food franchises,
the U.S. is an obvious choice when thinking about french fry consumption. But if you think
that Americans are the world's biggest consumers for the fast-food staple,
you're in for a surprise. As The Wall Street Journal noted, while Americans certainly enjoy
a fry or two, it's the Belgians who take the title of the snack's biggest consumers.
In 2010, Reuters reported that Belgium sports around 5,000 fry vendors.
Belgium is the world's biggest exporter of frozen potato products,
including french fries. In fact, each year the country turns
5.3 million tons of potatoes into frozen goods that are sent all around the world. As such,
it's not surprising that the outbreak of Covid-19 had a devastating impact on the industry. As cafes
and restaurants closed and exports decreased, Belgium was left with a huge surplus of potatoes.
The solution? Industry leaders urged Belgians to eat more french fries. The secretary-general
of industry group Belgapom, Romain Cools, told Reuters the following in April 2020.
"We know Belgians like their fries, it's [an] intangible heritage [of] our frying culture,
so we ask Belgians to consume an extra portion of fries
to allow us to process more potatoes and to avoid food waste."
It would seem that a study conducted by Channel Mum found that some women believe that eating
McDonald's french fries after sex increases the chances of conception. And in particular,
it's the snack's high salt content that has been credited with increasing fertility with some
saying that it, quote, "prompts the body to 'soak up' extra fluid."
If you're looking for any scientific evidence to back up this claim,
you may find yourself disappointed. Nevertheless, the founder of Channel Mum, Siobhan Freegard,
seems to think that there may be some merit to the claim.
"Our members swear [french fries] have all helped and we
have hundreds of bouncing new babies to prove it."
Ashley Edwards Walker who writes for The Bump agrees, saying the following.
"I have found a lot of anecdotal accounts from internet IVF moms
who tried it and ended up with take-home babies."
We think that the strategy is worth a try. And if all else fails, at least you might end up
with an "After this we are getting french fries" T-shirt to show for your efforts.
Bald men everywhere can rejoice! Because, In 2017,
researchers at the Yokohama [yoh-kuh-HAH-muh] National University
in Japan discovered that dimethylpolysiloxane [die-meth-uhl-pah-lee-suh-LAHK-sayn] — say
that three times fast — is beneficial to hair regeneration. The substance is found in McDonald's
deep-frying oil and researchers used the chemical as an ingredient to help get hair follicle germs
ready for transplant. While not actually an ingredient in the potatoes themselves, the
McDonald's site explains dimethylpolysiloxane is added to the cooking oil to stop it from foaming.
Some publications were quick to capitalize on the research
and its alleged connection to McDonald's with misleading headlines stating the following.
"Chemical in McDonald's Fries Could Cure Baldness, Study Says."
However, pump the brakes before you start saying…
"The babes are back!"
In reality, there's absolutely no evidence that eating McDonald's
french fries is going to give you a fabulous head of hair, or any hair for that matter.
No references were made to any miraculous hair growth at any stage of the research. Nor were
there any mentions of McDonald's and their infamous french fries.
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