Have you ever wondered how fast-food chains like McDonald’s and others make golden brown french fries? Well, unlike us, they have access to many refined additives like modified starches, dextrose, and more. McDonald’s even uses beef flavoring that contains wheat and milk ingredients. Meanwhile, check out this recipe to learn what one simple ingredient can do to turn your pale fries into golden beauties! They are nice and fluffy on the inside, a perfect match. Browning always adds flavor to food. These are the best-tasting fries we’ve ever made.
Does Flour and Added Starch Add Color?
People often use flour and starch to make French fries crisper. However, they add little or no color. I have yet to discover a recipe promising an ingredient will crank up their golden browncolor. This recipe supplies just that!
Should I fry the potatoes at a lower temperature the first time?
Some famous websites suggest frying the potatoes at a lower temperature during the first batch. However, I tried that, and these potatoes did not turn out any crispier. A matter of fact they turned out a little softer. So, stick with 375°F during the entire frying period.
This recipe is available to everyone.
Golden Brown French Fries
Ingredients
- 3 large russet potatoes peeled and slice into 1/4 x 1/4-inch thick fries*
- 1 small russet potato peeled and slice into 1/4 x 1/4-inch thick fries*
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 quart peanut oil for frying (or other high-smoke-point oil:: vegetable, canola, etc.)
Instructions
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Soak the raw fries in ice water for 2 or more hours and store in the refrigerator. (I just add to a bowl using water from my refrigerator and top with ice.)
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When you’re ready to fry the potatoes, preheat oil in a deep-fryer, Dutch oven or large pot to 375°F and line two baking sheets with paper towels; set aside.
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Rinse the chilled fries thoroughly under cold running water and drain thoroughly. Transfer the potatoes to a tea towel. Using another tea towel, cover and pat dry all of the fries.
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Transfer the fries to a gallon-size zipper storage bag and add the egg yolks. Seal shut and smear the egg yolk all over the fries to evenly distribute.
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Working in batches of three, fry the potatoes for 3 minutes. Drain using a spider or the basket of your deep-fryer. Transfer the hot fries to the lined baking sheet and cool for 30 minutes. Continue to par-fry the other two batches in the same manner.
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Once all of the fries are fried one time and the first batch has cooled, fry them again at 375°F for an additional 5 minutes or until crispy and brown to your liking.
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While their frying a second time, line the baking sheets with clean paper towels.
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Transfer the fried French fries to the baking sheets and allow to drain. Lightly press the oil out of the tops with additional paper towels. Serve and enjoy!
Tips
*For this batch, I cut my fries 1/3 x 1/3-inch thickness because the width of my mandolin slicer is 1/3-inch wide. However, they didn’t turn out as crispy as I would have wanted them to be. Therefore, I suggest cutting them 1/4 x 1/4–inch if you like them crisp.
**Costco sells a huge jug of peanut oil in a box. That’s where I purchased mine.