French Fries: Why soak in cold water, and if so, why a long time
I have heard that, to get crispy french fries, I need to get rid of the excess starch on the surface of potatoes after cutting them. But that can't be the reason, really, because starch is actually what FORMS the crust... so my reasoning is the following: we soak them because enzymes released by cutting will quickly convert the starch into glucose, and THAT will caramelise and burn our french fries. Is that the reason why we use cold water, to keep the enzyme inactive?
If so, soaking in cold water seems unnecessary to me. Thoroughly rinsing until the water runs clean should be enough. Am I correct?
Best Answer
According to https://foodcrumbles.com/should-you-rinse-or-soak-potatoes-before-frying-an-experiment/
when it comes to crispiness it makes little difference whether you soak for a long period of time or not (it only affects the color). So you are basically correct that thoroughly rinsing until the water runs clean should be enough.
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Quick Answer about "French Fries: Why soak in cold water, and if so, why a long time"
Soaking peeled, washed, and cut fries in cold water overnight removes excess potato starch, which prevents fries from sticking together and helps achieve maximum crispness.Why Soak potatoes in cold water for fries?
Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes. Cold water is used because hot water would react with the starch activating it, making it harder to separate from the potatoes.How long should you put fries in cold water?
Place them in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Allow them to soak, 2 to 3 hours. (You can also stick them in the fridge and let them soak overnight.) When you're ready to make the fries, drain off the water and lay the potatoes on 2 baking sheets lined with paper towels.Can you soak fries too long?
Don't soak cut potatoes longer than overnight. If keeping potatoes in water for more than an hour, refrigerate. However, don't soak them any longer than overnight\u2014after that, the potatoes start to lose their structure and flavor.Why do you put french fries in water?
The Key To Crispy French Fries Soaking the sliced potatoes in water helps to draw out some of the starch from the middle of the potato, resulting in a sturdier, crispier French fry.Tips for Frying Potatoes⎢Martha Stewart's Cooking School
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Answer 2
The reason why you want to get rid of the excess starch on the surface is, while cooking they will brown faster and will yield very dark brown fries, instead of golden-brown "which we all like ;)". It has nothing (or little) to do with enzymes aiding caramelization/maillard reaction. The browning happens at high temperatures, such as the temperature of the frying oil. As you have more starches on the surface, they will get darker, or even burnt.
As a side note, I’ve found out that instead of soaking, just cooking the fries in water for a short while helps greatly in getting rid of the surface starches, even more than soaking or running them through water.
Answer 3
I just know that when I soak them they don’t stick together when fried. Also it doesn’t just reduce starch it can reduce Acrylamide in the potatoes. That’s why I soak them at least. I never soak longer than 1 hour if I’m prepping dinner and sometimes I just rinse if I’m in a rush.
Answer 4
Soaking French fries in cold water is done for two reasons. This takes out the excess starch from the outside of the potato. Let them soak for a minimum of four hours in your refrigerator. They can stay in the water for up to some 24 hours or so with no harm coming to the potatoes. Be very careful in drying the fries before putting them into the oil? Water and oil do not mix. The second reason for soaking is that it has the advantage of keeping the fries from getting too dark during the cooking process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZJ739iMYXI
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