I have an obsession with French fries. I love, love, love them. They are a combo of one of my favourite foods (potatoes) and cooking methods (deep-frying). If deep fried foods weren’t so calorific, I’d definitely indulge in them daily. The crunch and texture differences get me every single time.
I’ve tried making french fries at home multiple times and they never turn out quite as good as when someone else makes them. I’m not sure if it’s the commercial deep-fryers, or some secret that I don’t know about, but every time I give french fries a go, they end up disappointing.
Some of the best french fries (or chips, as the British like to call them) I’ve had were at Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant, Dinner. The triple cooked chips were insanely good. They had crispy-crunchy, shattering exteriors and fluffy, moist interiors.
They were so good that I should have known my at-home attempt would be pale in comparison. No surprise: they were ok, but not great. Definitely not as crunchy as I wanted them to be. I think I over cooked the potatoes a bit when simmering them. These were a little too fussy to try again, but I think trying again is going to be the only way I get to eat these fries unless I can somehow make my way to London again.
i am cooked, i am cooked, i am cooked again: i am triple cooked fries!
Triple Cooked Fries Recipe from Heston Blumental at Home
makes a lot of fries
- 2 pounds baker’s potatoes, peeled and cut into fries (approximately 2x2x6 cm)
- grape seed oil
- sea salt
Place the fries into a bowl of running water for 5 minutes to wash the starch off.
Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and fill with cold tap water until potatoes are covered. Place the pan on medium heat and simmer until the potatoes are almost falling apart, about 20 minutes.
Carefully remove the fires and place them on a cooling rack to dry out. Place the rack in the freezer to remove the moisture.
Heat a deep pan no more than half filled with oil to 265F. Fry the fries in small batches until a light crust forms (about 5 minutes). Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.
Put the potatoes on a cooling rack and freeze again for an hour to remove even more moisture.
Heat the oil to 350°F and fry the fries until golden (about 7 minutes). Drain and sprinkle with sea salt. Enjoy hot.
Your photos are fab. Are they your own work?
Are maris piper the best potatoes for these fries?
Maris piper are best if you can find them. They’re quite common in the UK, but not so much in North America.
Wow….
these are the best fries i’ve ever had..!
they taste much better than lambweston’s stealth fries;!
Love the recipes and craft of the site. As far as the fries between fryings put them in ice water for 20 minutes. They come out crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. Learned that on the No Reservations “how to” episode.
Aw, this was an extremely nice post. Taking a few minutes and
actual effort to generate a superb article… but what can I say… I hesitate a whole lot and never manage to get anything done.
delicious
I am a big fan of Heston! This recipe of his is just amazing!