My intros are usually as far as they can be from food. I talk about my son, my everyday life and anything and everything that goes in my mind at that point of time. But for this marathon, I have been sticking mostly to the food.
So we are going to talk French fries today.When we think about food in US, the first thing that comes to mind is McDonald’s burger and fries. You can love it, you can hate it, but you can’t deny it – McDonald’s is kind of the American food icon for the rest of the world.
Fast food is very popular in US, but there are a lot of other options also. A lot of people, including my family, are not McD fans. But I love their french fries. There were so many other options for this alphabet, most of which started with ‘fried’. So I thought I can as well do french fries :D.
French fries are usually double fried, but I came across this ‘freeze ahead’ version which worked really well for me. I froze them ahead only for 3-4 hours, but I am guessing it’s going to work for potatoes in the freezer for longer times also. The main advantage was that I could freeze them in packets according to the portion size needed. That was a bonus for me.
This post is a part of the mega Blogging Marathon and A-Z challenge. I have chosen ‘popular American dishes’ as my theme.
Read on for the recipe.
Pictorial:
Peel and cut potatoes into finger-long French fries style pieces. Keep them immersed in water until the water is not cloudy anymore. You may have to change the water once or twice. Basically, you are looking for the starch in the potatoes to go away. Two medium potatoes make three small servings.
Bring water with salt to a boil, add the potatoes and cook until they are half done, about 4-5 minutes.
Pat dry the potatoes and freeze portions in Ziploc for at least 3 hours. When you want to make the french fries, take off the freezer and pat dry to take the moisture/ice off.
Heat oil and deep fry in batches. Drain in paper towels, toss with salt and pepper. Serve with ketchup.
Recipe source: Sanjeev Kapoor
Ingredients:
- 2 medium big potatoes for 3 small servings
- Water and salt
- Oil to deep fry
- salt and pepper
Method:
- Peel and cut potatoes into finger-long French fries style pieces. Keep them immersed in water until the water is not cloudy anymore. You may have to change the water once or twice. Basically, you are looking for the starch in the potatoes to go away. Two potatoes for three small servings.
- Bring water with salt to a boil, add the potatoes and cook until they are half done, about 4-5 minutes. Drain them in kitchen towels. Pat dry the potatoes and freeze portions in Ziploc for at least 3 hours.
- When you want to make the french fries, take off the freezer and pat dry to take the moisture off.
- Heat oil and deep fry in batches. Drain in paper towels, toss with salt and pepper. Serve with ketchup.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 63
My Kitchen Trials 
Oh lovely Rajani. For some reason I though this is going to be a hard one but after reading yours I feel bad that I have been away from this a long time.
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Vibha would want to make this now. Am sending her this link now. Looks very inviting
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Delicious golden looking french fries!!! Loved your methodology. I was also afraid of double frying… Will definitely try this.
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Me too scared of double-frying rajani! Would love to try this version..
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I must try this methodology – I like the idea of being able to pre portion them
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Freeze ahead technical sounds interesting, I usually double fry them,will try this method soon..Addictive fries.
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Such perfect fries Rajani and such awesome clicks. Fell in love with French Fries again. Lovely share, especially the idea of storing them half cooked.
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Perfect looking french fries.
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I’ve heard of this method of frying french fries and I’m glad to see that it obviously works GREAT. Thank you for sharing with us, your fries look amazing (And interestingly enough, McDonald’s fries aren’t my all time favorite. For me it’s a tie between Wendy’s and Rally’s/Checkers) :-)
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Though am trying to keep away from fries, you are seriouly tempting me to make some soon, those fries looks prefect Rajani.
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I used to finish this fries and pass the burger to hubby:) fries are tempting me alot feel like pic some from your pic:)
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Tempting fries . Thanks for the deep freeze option … Will try out a batch
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I usually go for double fry method. But this looks like breeze. Next time I will try your version. And as usual the snaps are amazing…
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Ah the eternally sinful snack!…though for the best part of my life I stayed away from potato fry, chips and fries have always been my fav snack…your pictures are making me want to make them right away..
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Love the McD style fries. Storing them half cooked is a great idea.
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Your fries have turned out perfect, just look like the McDonald’s.
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Fries are everyone’s favorite and I am no exception. I fight with my boys and eat theirs as well….I usually double fry my fries, but this sounds like a more doable version. I will try it this way next time.
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Whether you like McD or not, everyone loves french fries. Can munch on these anytime of the day.
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Very interesting way of making French fries. Will have to try this version some time.
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McDonalds is definitely the icon of Americans , even i am no great fan of this , though i love French Fries . I like the way you have frozen these . Ah i am a lazy person , i make either fresh or buy a pack from the frozen section .
Perfect time to post these fries , i can enjoy my breakfast with out guilt .😜
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Who doesn’t love french fries Even In India they are quite popular.You have made them perfectly just like Mc D’s style.
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