Nothing beats the crunch of crispy, golden french fries. But if you’ve ever tried to make fries at home, it can feel impossible to replicate that restaurant-quality crispiness that we all crave.
With a few simple tweaks, we can help you ditch the bag of frozen fries in the freezer and start enjoying delicious fresh-cut fries every time! We’ve compiled a list of the internet’s best-kept secrets — from the best potatoes for homemade french fries to tips and tricks for each cooking method — so you can savor french fries that taste amazing no matter how you cook them.
Secrets to Making the Best Fries at Home
Making the best french fries at home is all about the preparation. Your potatoes need to be properly primed before you jump into frying or baking. Use these 3 homemade french fry tips to learn how to make the best fries at home.
Secret #1: The Potatoes You Use Matters
The secret to perfectly cooked fries begins with using the right potatoes, and not all potatoes are created equal. Russet potatoes are undeniably the best potatoes for homemade french fries because they are high in starch. And starch is the key to avoiding sad, soggy fries.
Starchy potatoes like Russets are dense and low in moisture which helps create the delicious bite of a crunchy exterior and fluffy interior. If you don’t have Russets on hand, all-purpose potatoes like Yukon golds and white potatoes will work too.
Just be sure to stay away from waxy varieties, like red-skinned, yellow, or fingerling potatoes. Their high moisture and sugar content makes them unsuitable for deep frying. The resulting fries will be limp, soggy, and can darken too quickly.
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Read our blog to learn about the different types of potatoes and their uses.→
Secret #2: Don’t Skip The Ice Bath
The ice bath is a crucial part of the french fry preparation process. Soaking them in cold water for at least 30 minutes helps prep the potatoes for frying or baking in 2 important ways:
- Keeps the fries from browning too fast: starch is the key to crispy fries, but too much starch and sugar can cause your fries to brown on the outside before the inside is fully cooked. Soaking them in water helps remove the excess starch and sugar to keep your fries from burning.
- Ensures they maintain their structure: ice water will stiffen the potato’s cell walls to help you achieve crispier fries.
As you cut your fries, place them into a bowl of cold water. When all of your potatoes are in the bowl, give them a gentle swirl with your hand. Drain the cloudy water and replace it with enough cold water to submerge the fries.
Throw a handful of ice cubes into the bowl or place it in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes to let the ice bath work. After half an hour, rinse your fries and dry them very well before cooking. Completely drying the potatoes before baking or frying will result in the best possible texture.
Secret #3: Parboil The Fries
Parboiling is another secret that will take your homemade french fries from good to great. Parboiling is the process of cooking your potatoes part-way through before frying or roasting.
It adds an extra layer of protection when cooking your homemade fries so ensure that by the time the outside of the potatoes are golden brown, the inside of the potatoes are fully cooked and fluffy.
After your potatoes have soaked in the ice bath and dried, add them to a pot of lightly salted water over high heat and cover.
When the water reaches a boil, remove the lid, decrease the temperature to a rolling boil, and cook your potatoes for 5-7 minutes. Drain the fries and dry them well again before moving on to the final step.
How To Make Homemade French Fries: 3 Ways
After preparing the potatoes for your homemade french fries, you can finally move on to cooking them! We’ll cover the top 3 ways to make french fries, including the classic double-fry method, and healthier oven-baked and air-fried methods.
The Classic Deep Fry
Deep frying is the best method for making restaurant-quality fries. Although it’s time-consuming, almost all chefs suggest that double frying is the recipe for perfection.
You’ll need a neutral oil with a high-smoke point. Some popular options include peanut oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, safflower oil, or avocado oil.
For the first round of deep frying (sometimes referred to in recipes as your “oil blanch”), heat your oil to between 300° – 325°F. In 2 batches, add your potatoes and cook them for about five to seven minutes. Remove them from the oil to drain on a baking sheet lined with paper towels or a wire rack.
At this point, they should be partially cooked, though still pale and limp. Don’t worry if the fries don’t have that distinct golden color — that’s what your second fry is for.
After your french fries have cooled, it’s time for the second step in the double-frying process. Increase the oil temperature to 360° – 375° F and cook your fries again for an additional 4 – 6 minutes, or until they are golden brown and crisp.
This time when you remove them from the oil, add them to a large bowl and toss them with some fine sea salt. Then you’re ready to enjoy!
Healthier Fries in the Air Fryer
While most of us love the taste of deep fried french fries, the thought of all of that oil can be hard to justify when making them at home. The good news is that it’s possible to achieve that same delicious crunch in the air fryer for a slightly healthier alternative.
To cook these homemade french fries in the air fryer, follow the same preparation methods as above: use the best potatoes, let them rest in an ice bath, and parboil on the stove. Just like before frying, be sure to dry your french fries really well before air frying.
Coat them in some oil (any of the same high-smoke point oils we suggested above) and toss with some light salt, pepper, and any other seasonings before arranging them on your baking sheet or the air frying basket in a single layer.
We cannot stress how important that is for getting an even fry. If you have to do several batches (which is likely), you can keep your fries warm in the oven as you finish air frying the rest of your potatoes. Set your oven to warm or preheat to 175° – 200° and transfer your air-fried potatoes to a larger baking sheet to rest in the oven until you’re ready to eat.
Air fry your potatoes for 15-18 minutes at 380°F. Most recipes recommend tossing the fries halfway through cooking time, but we’ve found tossing them every 5 minutes or so helps ensure the fries don’t stick together or to the pan, and get the most even color.
Crispy Homemade Fries in the Oven
Don’t have an air fryer? No problem, you can still make crunchy fries using your oven. Prepare your french fries like normal with an ice bath and parboiling. Again, be sure to dry them before baking, excess moisture in the potatoes will prevent them from getting crunchy.
Toss the potatoes in some oil and seasonings before arranging them in a single layer on the baking sheet. Preheat your oven to 375°F and cook for 15 minutes. Give the pan a shake every 5 minutes or so to keep the fries from sticking together or to the pan.
After 15 minutes, bump the heat up to 425°F and cook for another 15 – 20 minutes until they’ve reached the crispy texture you’re hoping to achieve. (You may have to adjust the cook time depending on the strength of your oven. Use the color and firmness of the fries to gauge when the fries are cooked to your liking.)
Regardless of how you choose to cook your french fries, as long as you use the best potatoes for homemade french fries and you properly prepare them for cooking, you can achieve the best, crunchy french fries at home.
