What effect will this have on my french fries?

What effect will this have on my french fries? - Top view of wooden table with salad bowl and fresh drink arranged with tray of appetizing steak and french fries near menu in cozy cafe

While making french fries earlier I began to wonder what would happen if I changed my process in a few ways.

My current method:

  1. Peel potatoes and cut into thin slices
  2. Pan fry until golden

Simple enough. But I was wondering what would happen if I did the following after my initial pan fry:

a. Cook fries in a pan with little or no oil

Or

b. Bake fries



Best Answer

Adjustment A: You're not going to see much difference from this method, because there's not going to be much heat transfer. One of the key parts of frying is oil contact, because the oil transfers heat at a very quick rate, and gets into all the tiny surface nooks and crannies, so more of it gets cooked at the same rate. If you're just pan cooking without (or very little) oil, aside from a relatively tiny bit of radiant and convection heat the only cooking will happen where the surface directly contacts the pan.

Summary: You'll need to turn every french fry, to every side, and even then the cooking won't be as uniform as you'd like, even if you do it perfectly.

Adjustment B: Baking means your getting good convection, but that also means you may be drying out the fries a bit, especially after they've already been in oil and lost some moisture. Baking might be a better addition, but I'd avoid it as a last step. You'll also be letting your oil that's on the fries, soak in a bit more, so they may be dry... yet still greasy.

Summary: They'll end up like reheated fries because... that's pretty much what you're doing.

My suggestion: Boil or steam the fries (not too much!) to start the inside starches cooking and getting "fluffy". Let them dry and cool a bit. Then hit them with a shallow (or ideally deep) fry to crisp up the outsides, but not have to sit in the oil long enough to burn or soak up the oil. This also would work with prebaking for what it's worth, but you may still get the drying. Just depends on what you're going for.




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What effect will this have on my french fries? - Appetizing burger with meat patty ketchup and cheese placed on wooden table with crispy french fries against black background
What effect will this have on my french fries? - Salad bowl and french fries served on table in cafe
What effect will this have on my french fries? - Delicious lunch with salad french fries and smoothies



What are the effects of French fries?

Ugly Side Effects of Eating French Fries, According to Science
  • Your Stomach May Start to Hurt.
  • Your Brain Gets Foggy.
  • Your Immune System Could Take a Hit.
  • You'll Increase Your Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke.
  • You'll Gain Weight.


What is the effect of increasing frying time on the moisture and oil content of French fries?

It can be concluded that the moisture content of the French fries decreases with increasing frying time and temperature, while the colour index of the French fries increases (the fries obtain a darker appearance). The fat content calculated on total weight increases with increasing frying time and temperature.

How can I make my fries better?

"Add a bit of gourmet flair to your fries by sprinkling them with some garlic powder, fresh rosemary, seasoned salt, or fresh virgin-olive [oil] or truffle oil," Koeppe said. As well as adding flavor, a drizzle of oil can also help keep fries from sticking together in the oven.

What makes French fries unhealthy?

They are heavy in saturated fats. If you're snagging a bag of fries that have been heavily fried in oil, they are likely dripping in saturated fats. Taking in too much saturated fat can raise your "bad" LDL cholesterol levels and can potentially lead to heart disease and stroke.



What Eating French Fries Everyday Will Do To Your Body




More answers regarding what effect will this have on my french fries?

Answer 2

I would reverse those two steps -- bake first and then pan fry. By baking first the potato will cook through in the oven without necessarily crisping or burning, then the frying step will add the crunchiness and texture that you want on the outside when you're ready to serve.

Frying first would be the same as searing, which you would only do when you don't want the inside of the food to be cooked as high as the outside. Either one of two things would happen: a) the middle of the fry won't cook all the way through and you'll be left with raw potato on the inside and perfectly cooked on the outside, or b) you'll have to change your timing to leave the fries in the oven long enough to cook in the middle, but that will increase surface exposure to heat and you'll burn the fries.

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