It just seems like French fries are a very simple dish.
Let's start by discussing the shape of the blocks.
I saw a restaurant where balls were cut out of potatoes.
I saw a kitchen where the potatoes were first cut into large pieces,
and then the pieces were planed and got something in the form of pencils.
Imagine such potato sticks.
All this, of course, is very beautiful,
and demonstrates the diligence of the kitchen workers, their respect for the eaters,
but for good French fries, it is enough to cut the potatoes into even cubes.
That is why I tried to cut off at least some slabs from the potato.
It is important for me that all the blocks have the same thickness along their entire length.
Well, there are quite a few other secrets in cooking fries that
have a much stronger effect on the taste of the finished dish.
For example, potato cubes must be soaked in water in
order for the starch to dissolve and come out into the water at least from the surface of the bar.
The meaning of this action is approximately the same
as in soaking and rinsing rice for pilaf.
Well, as for the slabs, scraps, look how few of them are.
They will come in handy in the kitchen.
In the end, you can always fry them in an ordinary skillet with an onion for yourself.
And to fry fries for customers,
the kitchen must have clean, dry waffle towels.
They are necessary in order to dry the potatoes.
Let the fabric absorb as much moisture as possible
from the surface of the potato wedges, as
this moisture will interfere with frying the potatoes.
And it's not just that the oil will splash.
The more moisture on the surface of the cubes,
the more the oil in which the fries are fried cools.
And the temperature of frying potatoes is a very important parameter.
Don't switch, I'll tell you everything now.
Dry the potatoes thoroughly, gently and cover them with another clean cloth
so that they do not darken in the air.
And now the oil. And pay attention to how much oil.
So much oil is needed not to make the potatoes fatter,
but so that the oil accumulates as much heat
as possible and cools down as little as possible when the potatoes are dipped into it.
The temperature for frying potatoes at the first stage is about 160-170C.
I exhibit 166C on my plate.
My cooker is automatic, it allows you to control the temperature.
Anyone who does not have such a stove should get a kitchen thermometer,
which I have been repeating for 15 or 20 years now.
Please, do not look back at the so-called real chefs.
They have a lot of experience, they feel this temperature with their hands, face,
even by the crackling of potatoes they determine.
And even that is not all, I assure you.
If you buy a thermometer, your potatoes will turn out much better
than most restaurants.
And if in some restaurant the potatoes turn out to be very tasty,
then keep in mind that there is most likely an automatic deep fryer
that maintains the required temperature.
The second question: how long does it take to fry potatoes at the first stage?
And this depends on the heating power, on the volume of oil,
on the initial temperature of the potatoes
and on the amount of potatoes that are dipped into the oil.
That is, it is probably theoretically possible to calculate this temperature,
but according to a very complex formula.
Is it necessary to use complex formulas in the kitchen?
I'd better tell you one secret
that will always allow you to get very tasty potatoes.
But now the oil heating temperature must be increased to 190C,
now the potatoes need to be salted.
You will notice that I laid it out on paper
so that the excess oil from the surface of the potato was absorbed.
And now I transfer it to another container and also on paper.
Now the secret. After the first stage of frying, the potatoes should be soft.
Look, I am holding it by one end, it bends about 30 degrees. You
can already eat it, but this is not yet tasty French fries.
The second stage is ahead. Please note
that I put the potatoes in a saucepan in small portions so
that the oil does not cool down and the potatoes are fried at a high temperature,
and not boiled and softened in lukewarm oil.
And to what color do you need to fry the potatoes at the second stage?
I am absolutely convinced that not to red and not to black at the corners of the blocks.
And in general, the second stage occurs rather quickly.
If at the first stage the potatoes were fried, maybe 8-10 minutes,
now only 2-3 minutes.
And look, this is the correct color and this is the correct consistency of potatoes.
Note that it no longer bends.
Now it has become elastic and its surface is crunching.
Have you ever wondered why butter foams when we fry potatoes?
The fact is that moisture continues to come out of the potatoes, the
smallest droplets of water boil, form bubbles of steam.
And these bubbles of steam threaten to splash the oil out.
Therefore, sometimes you have to blow,
but in general it would be better to take a deeper cauldron.
The hardest thing in the kitchen is to prepare very simple foods
to turn them into a masterpiece.
It seems that now we have coped with the task, I am in a good mood.
And all that remains is to serve the potatoes.
It would be correct to serve directly from the cauldron.
Fried and served, fried another portion and served.
You don't need potatoes to wait for the waiter.
It is necessary to serve it on the table as soon as possible,
while it crunches, until it softens.
But before serving, I want to sprinkle the potatoes with mint, thyme, and basil.
Rub dry herbs between your fingers and sprinkle through a sieve.
It is only necessary to set off the taste of the oil.
Dry herbs do this very well.
The potatoes are not only tasty, not only crispy,
but also very aromatic.
I want to reiterate that good cuisine is first of all hard work,
first of all knowledge,
first of all love for consumers and respect for products.
It is sometimes said that a chef should be kind.
And in what should his kindness be expressed, if not in love.