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[dianne1]

can someone help me with making your own fries do you all par cook them or not Ive done it either way but would like some suggestion as to get the crisp

[Joe H]

Cut your fries, let them soak in cold water for an hour or so. Then drain them. Drop them in your fryer, and cook for a minute. Remove, let cool, then they are ready for the final fry.

[Damon]

Go to roadfood.com, use the search function ..search professionals forum and search for french fries, there's been quite a few threads there on this subject.

[lunchguy]

that question reminds me of when i worked at mcdonalds as a teen in 1975-78. i was the fry guy for awhile, and i worked at one of the few mcdonalds that still made fries on site. i would throw 100 pounds of the biggest russet potatoes i ever saw into a drum peeler. the inside surface is very rough and the floor of the drum spins fast to keep the potatoes bouncing around until they are peeled. once you can see that the skins are removed, you open a trap door and the pototoes are ready for processing. first drop them into a deep sink, process into fries, fill with cold water and with both arms swish the fries in the water in a systematic way for a count of 10 swishes. drain, and repeat for 10 times. drain one last time. fill fry baskets 3/4 full. set aside. you need two deep fryers. one to blanch the fries for 3 minutes at 285 deg.F. (the fryers need to be strong enough to maintain temp). after you blanch them let them cool to room temp. on a rack if you have one. then they can be frozen in the fry basket or fried at that point. fry them in the other fryer at 385 deg.F. for 2 1/2 minutes or until the fries are,(the standard of fast food quality, hehe), golden brown.
throw fries in a finishing area under heat lamps. sprinkle with salt and toss. yum yum.
from that point you have 3 minutes to sell whatever finished fries you have until they are unsellable and must be destroyed. therefore i had to be as frugal as possible, providing just enough fries to sell every 3 minutes all day long. fun stuff hehe.

lunchguy

[ChefBeorn@909.236.COOK]

Joe, Lunchguy and Damon are offering you great advice...in essence, prepping your own fries is best. I recommend adding a little lemon juice to the water when you soak them.

You also have to realize that not all potatoes are equal. Some have waxy or creamy textures. Are you just wanting a cheap fry that does the job? Go Russets! Are you wanting something gourmet? Try Fingerlings! But beware, your food cost can be affected! Who'd of thought that french fries would require so much thought!?

A couple other things that could impact your customer's enjoyment :

*The thickness of the fry impacts crispyness and cooking times.
*The oil you use and the salt can play a part in it too. I love Kosher salt or smoked salt. I make this by placing a 1/4 inch layer on a sheetpan and I place it on the higher grill in my barbecuer so the red oak wood smoke can permeate the salt crystals...talk about good eatin'! I recommend adding just a hint of sugar when you salt em'. I also make a jalepeno cream cheese for dipping or you can offer your customers sour cream with a little cayenne sprinkled in or a little ranch dressing....good alternatives to ketchup.

Best of luck!

Chef Beorn