How to Make Perfect Thin and Crisp French Fries (2010)(aht.seriouseats.com)
aht.seriouseats.com
How to Make Perfect Thin and Crisp French Fries (2010)
http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/05/the-burger-lab-how-to-make-perfect-mcdonalds-style-french-fries.html?daysago=1300
14 comments
I just got some SPL shipped to me today. I have a theory on how to make lime juice clarification easier, but will be making some French Fries too.
did you order your searzall?
Yep. Of course. They radically underpriced the thing.
Gah! I am just now seeing this...looks really awesome.
We're not getting them until June (I didn't order early-access; I opted for the 30 minute Dave Arnold phone call instead, which in retrospect seems silly because I can probably get that on any given Tuesday when he does his podcast) --- I imagine that by the time the Kickstarter units ship, people who order normal Searzalls will have much less time to wait.
> McDonald's french fries are great. At their best, they are everything a french fry should be: salty, crisp, light, and not greasy.
Funny. I tend to think of super thin fries as an American thing. Fries from McDonald's, in particular, taste like cardboard to me.
Then again, I'm Belgian.
Funny. I tend to think of super thin fries as an American thing. Fries from McDonald's, in particular, taste like cardboard to me.
Then again, I'm Belgian.
"Then again, I'm Belgian."
If you can access this 30 min radio programme from the BBC about chips (from June 2010), you might find it interesting. It features a segment on Belgian fries
"In Belgium the oven chip hasn't caught on. Instead friterie shops proliferate, and Belgians take their chips very seriously. How the potato arrived in Europe remains contentious, but the Belgians are confident that it was them, and not the French, who invented the "French" fry. Ray Kershaw visited the Friet Museum in Bruges established to celebrate their national fry with director Eddie Van Belle."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sqkgb (segment starts at 18:33 seconds)
If you can access this 30 min radio programme from the BBC about chips (from June 2010), you might find it interesting. It features a segment on Belgian fries
"In Belgium the oven chip hasn't caught on. Instead friterie shops proliferate, and Belgians take their chips very seriously. How the potato arrived in Europe remains contentious, but the Belgians are confident that it was them, and not the French, who invented the "French" fry. Ray Kershaw visited the Friet Museum in Bruges established to celebrate their national fry with director Eddie Van Belle."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sqkgb (segment starts at 18:33 seconds)
Just to clarify on this crucial topic, note that us people of France do not claim to have invented french fries and we find it odd that American people call them french. We generally also see it as a Belgian speciality.
Maybe it was some French-speaking Belgians who invented the French fries ;-)
Just a wink to the ridiculous conflict that goes on between French-speaking-Belgians and the Dutch-speaking-Belgians, now for years.
Just a wink to the ridiculous conflict that goes on between French-speaking-Belgians and the Dutch-speaking-Belgians, now for years.
Interestingly, in the Netherlands they often call them Flemish fries. Flanders being the Dutch-language region in Belgium.
If you called them that in Belgium I bet you would cause a riot. ;-)
If you called them that in Belgium I bet you would cause a riot. ;-)
In the Netherlands the thin fries McDonalds sells are referred to as French fries (franse frietjes): http://i.imgur.com/n0F248C.jpg.
Slightly thicker (square) fries are just called fries (patat): http://i.imgur.com/tui5FDe.jpg. These are served most often.
The big rectangular fries are referred to as Flemish fries (vlaamse frieten): http://i.imgur.com/QDwv9IA.jpg.
Slightly thicker (square) fries are just called fries (patat): http://i.imgur.com/tui5FDe.jpg. These are served most often.
The big rectangular fries are referred to as Flemish fries (vlaamse frieten): http://i.imgur.com/QDwv9IA.jpg.
[deleted]
What happened is that at the end of WW2, the Americans learned about the fries in Belgium, but since the people spoke French, believed to be in France.
Anyway, in Belgium people still use beef fat for the perfect fries.
Anyway, in Belgium people still use beef fat for the perfect fries.
The term "french fried potatoes" was in print as early as 1856. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_fries#Etymology
To "french" is a verb meaning to "slice". Probably the original expression was french(ed) frie(d potatoe)s.
Exactly. The article was almost annoying as it talks about "perfect" fries like everybody on the whole planet has the same taste. There aren't many things more subjective than taste. Just saying a fry should be salty in order the perfect is already a mistake. Not everybody likes that taste. Which is why you get asked specifically if you want salt or not. At least in Belgium, where we like to enjoy the one and only true superior real fries. Lol.
Anyway, still appreciate the article, it just started with the wrong premises.
Anyway, still appreciate the article, it just started with the wrong premises.
Talk to anyone about food, and everyone will have a different opinion of what/who/where the "perfect" is: the perfect pizza, the perfect burger, the perfect sushi, the perfect pie, the perfect ____. Everyone obviously has different tastes and it's universally acknowledged to be a subjective, if not contentious, topic.
If nothing else, I appreciate that the author laid out his criteria for selection, and didn't just jump straight into it.
If nothing else, I appreciate that the author laid out his criteria for selection, and didn't just jump straight into it.
People may not agree on perfect, but I think a lot more people agree on what "bad" is. Bad pizza, bad fries, etc. At the very least it should be universally easy to avoid those.
It literally starts off with the sentence "I'm gonna come right out and say something that I'm sure you won't all openly agree with".
That's a pretty decent acknowledgement that other perspectives exist.
That's a pretty decent acknowledgement that other perspectives exist.
I am italian living in hungary and I never considered McD fries "amazing". I have never met anyone who didn't prefer home made ones/random shop one's either.
So, last time this article came up on HN I generously filed it under "maybe fries in fast food chains in the US are different than fries in US fast food chains everywhere else".
So, last time this article came up on HN I generously filed it under "maybe fries in fast food chains in the US are different than fries in US fast food chains everywhere else".
I think they are. I'm a Canadian living in France, and I pretty much hate McDonalds here. Fries are soggy and not salted enough, burgers are completely messed up, and the service is impressively slow. I tried several places, it's all more of the same.
Everytime I go back to a McDonalds in Canada I find the food just tastes better. It's still fast food, but I'm enjoying it so much more.
Everytime I go back to a McDonalds in Canada I find the food just tastes better. It's still fast food, but I'm enjoying it so much more.
It's funny because it's the exact opposite for me as a French guy living in the US. I find MacDonald's to be vastly superior in France, and it's also the opinion of all my French friends who have tried both.
They say that McDonald's adapt their recipes to the taste of the country they're in, which these anecdotal observations would support :)
It's a shame we don't have 5 Guys though...
They say that McDonald's adapt their recipes to the taste of the country they're in, which these anecdotal observations would support :)
It's a shame we don't have 5 Guys though...
I don't remember McDonald's fries tasting better in the US than in Europe, but then I don't go to McDonald's all that often. (I do grant that there are subtle differences between McDonald's restaurants in different regions.)
There's actually a second type of American fries that I think is somewhat better than the ones at McDonald's. They're called Cajun fries [1]. They're made in an oven and are a bit spicy. You can get them at cheap fast food places like Checkers or fancier hamburger places like Five Guys.
[1] http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/cajun-oven-fr...!
There's actually a second type of American fries that I think is somewhat better than the ones at McDonald's. They're called Cajun fries [1]. They're made in an oven and are a bit spicy. You can get them at cheap fast food places like Checkers or fancier hamburger places like Five Guys.
[1] http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/cajun-oven-fr...!
Cajun fries at 5 Guys and probably most fast-food restaurants are made by simply sprinkling Cajun spices on fries prepared in a fryer as usual, the oven is an implementation detail Rachel Ray choose in the linked recipe that is uncommon.
Confirmed, an American who has made the trip to Belgium, the fries in your country are ridiculously superior to anything we get here, except certain places that specialize in them, where they occasionally manage to achieve par with Belgian frites.
The author acknowledges that other types of fries are also great, but this article is about the perfect "thin and crispy" fry, rather than the perfect thicker style fry.
"my thick-cut pub-style fries are super-potatoey and fantastic, and when I'm in the mood for them, my seasoned steak fries can't be beat, but for thin, super-crisp fries..."
The "taste like cardboard" is probably because McDonalds no longer fries in beef tallow.
"my thick-cut pub-style fries are super-potatoey and fantastic, and when I'm in the mood for them, my seasoned steak fries can't be beat, but for thin, super-crisp fries..."
The "taste like cardboard" is probably because McDonalds no longer fries in beef tallow.
Other than the thickness, what are some of the differences between the fries you like and the ones at McDonald's?
I'm European too, and I also wondered what was he going on about. I mean, McDonalds fries "great"? "Everything a fry should be"?
I've had lots of wonderful french fries in the US -- and none was in a McDonalds (or Burger King, or Jack in The Box, or Arbies, or ...).
I've had lots of wonderful french fries in the US -- and none was in a McDonalds (or Burger King, or Jack in The Box, or Arbies, or ...).
Gotta love a) this guy's passion for fries, b) that McDonalds gave away their secret recipe (blanching) without which Kenji seemed to be totally stuck, and c) the vinegar trick to make it easier for us to do back at home.
He doesn't mention what's he using to cut the fries?
He doesn't mention what's he using to cut the fries?
As sjtrny already mentioned, it's not a secret and Kenji would not have been stuck not knowing it. What he found interesting was that "McDonald's does indeed use a double fry method, but it's far from the traditional one." It's indeed interesting the method McDonald's has ended up with. I blanched many potatoes as a young lad working in a restaurant. Interestingly, the local farmers who we sourced our potatoes from often came in for lunch and requested single fried fries (unblanched). They were certainly a lot different, mostly not as crispy a crust.
bostik has also already mentioned that Heston Blumenthal covers a method in detail in the fish and chips episode of his In Search of Perfection series. I've only gone all the way with this method once, but it is fairly close to what we did at the restaurant, only we never froze our fries, only refrigerated them. It does make nicer fries than simply double frying, but not by a wide margin.
Fries are a bit of an ongoing project for me. I'm trying to find some reasonable method to have nice baked fries. What I get so far is serviceable, but not nearly as nice as frying them.
Edit: I forgot to add the second reason I wanted to make this post: Kenji has an ongoing series on Serious Eats called The Food Lab. He takes the same semi-scientific approach to certain dishes as in the submitted article. Another good post in the series is on dry-aging beef at home [0]. American's Test Kitchen [1] tends to do the same thing, but they only really share the final result with a few tidbits on their process of discovery.
[0] http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/03/the-food-lab-complete-gui...
[1] http://www.americastestkitchen.com/
bostik has also already mentioned that Heston Blumenthal covers a method in detail in the fish and chips episode of his In Search of Perfection series. I've only gone all the way with this method once, but it is fairly close to what we did at the restaurant, only we never froze our fries, only refrigerated them. It does make nicer fries than simply double frying, but not by a wide margin.
Fries are a bit of an ongoing project for me. I'm trying to find some reasonable method to have nice baked fries. What I get so far is serviceable, but not nearly as nice as frying them.
Edit: I forgot to add the second reason I wanted to make this post: Kenji has an ongoing series on Serious Eats called The Food Lab. He takes the same semi-scientific approach to certain dishes as in the submitted article. Another good post in the series is on dry-aging beef at home [0]. American's Test Kitchen [1] tends to do the same thing, but they only really share the final result with a few tidbits on their process of discovery.
[0] http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/03/the-food-lab-complete-gui...
[1] http://www.americastestkitchen.com/
Have you tried Blumenthal's roast potatoes from In search for perfection? Same goal as in fries, crispy outerior and fluffy interior. No frier needed and they are just - well - perfect and relatively easy to make for a Blumenthal's recipe. My wife was totally in awe when I made them the first time.
It's hardly a secret. In fact one of the worlds most renowned chefs, Heston Blumenthal, openly describes the practice.
I'm actually in the middle of The Fat Duck Cookbook. Blumenthal's recipe for top-notch pub chips (large and slightly bulky, not thin like fries) even goes by the name "triple-cooked chips".
In the TV series, In Search of Perfection, he goes the extra mile to figure out a way to reproduce the recipe in reasonably well equipped home kitchens. One of the many tricks is that having salt in the blanching water is mandatory. It helps to create the porous surface. His recipe is so good I can make delicious chips at home even without access to a temperature controlled fat fryer.
(Incidentally, Jamie Oliver blanches whole skinned potatoes before roasting them in the oven. I've tried that too and it does make a big difference to how they come up.)
But the vinegar trick was something I hadn't heard before. I'll have to give it a try, because it would seem to give some extra leeway with timing. For a home cook, that is an important factor.
In the TV series, In Search of Perfection, he goes the extra mile to figure out a way to reproduce the recipe in reasonably well equipped home kitchens. One of the many tricks is that having salt in the blanching water is mandatory. It helps to create the porous surface. His recipe is so good I can make delicious chips at home even without access to a temperature controlled fat fryer.
(Incidentally, Jamie Oliver blanches whole skinned potatoes before roasting them in the oven. I've tried that too and it does make a big difference to how they come up.)
But the vinegar trick was something I hadn't heard before. I'll have to give it a try, because it would seem to give some extra leeway with timing. For a home cook, that is an important factor.
Pretty much everyone parboils potatoes before roasting them in the oven. (About 10 minutes in lightly salted water. After boiling them and draining the cooking water, put the lid back on the pan briefly and give it a good shake to roughen the surface of the potatoes. You'll get better crunchy outsides that way.)
Is that what Jamie Oliver recommends, or is it some further less standard trick?
Is that what Jamie Oliver recommends, or is it some further less standard trick?
> Is that what Jamie Oliver recommends, or is it some further less standard trick?
Just one deviation: steam-dry step instead of putting the lid back on. The potatoes are poured out to a colander and left there for a few minutes.
Just one deviation: steam-dry step instead of putting the lid back on. The potatoes are poured out to a colander and left there for a few minutes.
Yes, and tossing them around gently in the colander is the ideal way to roughen the surface. This is also Raymond Blanc's method. If the water can be kept vigorously boiling, it's usually only necessary to parboil the potatoes for a few minutes: just enough to soften the outer 5mm or so.
By "in the middle", do you mean you are actually recreating the dishes as you go along? I have the book also, and it has some nice stories, but the recipes require not only a lot of skill and time, but also equipment. Also, eating at the Fat Duck was my best restaurant experience ever!
Good grief, no. The book is unapologetic in the extreme, and the recipes are practically impossible to recreate without a wide array of kitchen equipment. They really are the recipes used at the Fat Duck!
I'm reading it more as a slow story book. The history of the dishes, their evolution and particularly the failures are fascinating in and of themselves. Some of the nicer ways to cut the difficult corners (or in a way, "cheat") are the only things I can apply in my own cooking. Well... maybe some of the more unexpected flavour combinations might come in handy too. Haven't had the opportunity to try yet.
The main feature are the stories. After the history of any single dish it's interesting to see the final application of the procedures, and just how far the kitchen staff at the Fat Duck are willing to go. (eg. "Store in cool for five days to properly infuse the flavours.")
I have yet to eat at the Duck, though. Maybe sometime next year...
I'm reading it more as a slow story book. The history of the dishes, their evolution and particularly the failures are fascinating in and of themselves. Some of the nicer ways to cut the difficult corners (or in a way, "cheat") are the only things I can apply in my own cooking. Well... maybe some of the more unexpected flavour combinations might come in handy too. Haven't had the opportunity to try yet.
The main feature are the stories. After the history of any single dish it's interesting to see the final application of the procedures, and just how far the kitchen staff at the Fat Duck are willing to go. (eg. "Store in cool for five days to properly infuse the flavours.")
I have yet to eat at the Duck, though. Maybe sometime next year...
The whole process for all their dishes is fascinating. When visiting the restaurant, I managed to get a tour of the kitchens and the lab by one of the cooks. It takes from 6-24 months for a dish to go from idea to being on the table in the restaurant.
It's so much better to visit the restaurant with some knowledge of Heston's philosophy and the dishes. Having skimmed through the book and watched some of Heston's shows, eating there was much more exciting. If you are interested, [here](http://rafal.io/posts/the-fat-duck.html) is my write-up of my evening there together with some photographs. I definitely recommend you attend. Even though it's very expensive, I always prefer to spend money on experiences I'll remember, such as this one.
It's so much better to visit the restaurant with some knowledge of Heston's philosophy and the dishes. Having skimmed through the book and watched some of Heston's shows, eating there was much more exciting. If you are interested, [here](http://rafal.io/posts/the-fat-duck.html) is my write-up of my evening there together with some photographs. I definitely recommend you attend. Even though it's very expensive, I always prefer to spend money on experiences I'll remember, such as this one.
I think Heston Blumenthal at Home may be a bit more accessible. (It's also a really attractive book.) It still makes use of a fair amount of sous vide, pressure cookers, whipping siphons, etc. Sous vide equipment in particular is getting much more affordable for home cooks but it's still not something everyone had.
I'm sure his book is awesome, but blanching and parboiling are such rudimentary cooking techniques that they are described in virtually every cooking book that's not just a recipe collection.
I use this to cut my fries: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004RDFH/ref=oh_details_o...
I don't blanch them, I first soak them, dry them, then deep fry them twice per Alton Brown's guidance: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/chips-and-fis...
They're perfect.
I don't blanch them, I first soak them, dry them, then deep fry them twice per Alton Brown's guidance: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/chips-and-fis...
They're perfect.
A number of mandoline slicers will do this.
Be careful, it's ridiculously easy to slice way fingertips with these.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Selkin-Borner-V1-Slicer-White/dp/B00...
etc etc etc.
Be careful, it's ridiculously easy to slice way fingertips with these.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Selkin-Borner-V1-Slicer-White/dp/B00...
etc etc etc.
Two other recipes by the awesome chefs at ChefSteps
Thick: http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/thick-cut-french-fries
Thin: http://www.chefsteps.com/classes/science-of-poutine/#/thin-c...
disclaimer: I'm working on a project with ChefSteps
Thick: http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/thick-cut-french-fries
Thin: http://www.chefsteps.com/classes/science-of-poutine/#/thin-c...
disclaimer: I'm working on a project with ChefSteps
> I find it remarkable that the bigwigs have discovered a way to create a frozen fry that even a one armed eyeless chimp has trouble screwing up.
I find it in general remarkable that McDonalds' business processes seem to be so foolproof that any one armed eyeless chimp is able to create BigMacs, Hamburgers and any other McDonalds dish always and anywhere in the world with the same high quality.
I find it in general remarkable that McDonalds' business processes seem to be so foolproof that any one armed eyeless chimp is able to create BigMacs, Hamburgers and any other McDonalds dish always and anywhere in the world with the same high quality.
Obligatory joel article.
http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000024.html
http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000024.html
Now that I've had personal experience with FogBugz (from FogCreek) I heavily discount Joel's wisdom.
What was wrong with it?
It was slow, full text searching didn't work (literally), when using their API to delete repos and recreate them there would be race conditions that would leave us in a state where their support would have to go data spelunking on their end to correct them.
I could nitpick the GUI and such but the real issues were these fundamental problems. I was shocked. This happened for years.
I could nitpick the GUI and such but the real issues were these fundamental problems. I was shocked. This happened for years.
Here are Heston Blumenthal's triple-cooked chips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIiQbeVHgX0
I watch all Heston's videos he seems like he makes fantastic food, I think he shows how to make really good food sometimes in a different way not pretentious but fun.
To me, the most interesting part of this article was the quest to obtain the frozen fries in the first place. I'm amazed a McDonald's manager gave them out.
Corporations like McDonald's rely on trade secrets: things that can't necessarily be patented, or which might be placed in danger by being patented. (Applying for a patent makes a recipe public record, and the lifetime of the patent is finite.) The secret recipe for Coke, or in this case the secrets behind McD's fries, are worth billions of dollars.
For all the McD's manager knew, Grant might have been a rival doing some corporate espionage. Or he might have been a government inspector of some sort. It sounds farfetched. But many people in store management in retail and fast food are very aware of these possibilities, and they're trained to err on the side of extreme caution.
Kenji isn't lying when he says the employee/manager in question could get fired for having given these out. Trade secrets in multi-billion-dollar corporations are a fascinating subject: they're often tied to the most seemingly minute details, and they're guarded as carefully as gold.
Corporations like McDonald's rely on trade secrets: things that can't necessarily be patented, or which might be placed in danger by being patented. (Applying for a patent makes a recipe public record, and the lifetime of the patent is finite.) The secret recipe for Coke, or in this case the secrets behind McD's fries, are worth billions of dollars.
For all the McD's manager knew, Grant might have been a rival doing some corporate espionage. Or he might have been a government inspector of some sort. It sounds farfetched. But many people in store management in retail and fast food are very aware of these possibilities, and they're trained to err on the side of extreme caution.
Kenji isn't lying when he says the employee/manager in question could get fired for having given these out. Trade secrets in multi-billion-dollar corporations are a fascinating subject: they're often tied to the most seemingly minute details, and they're guarded as carefully as gold.
I doubt McDonalds really cares that much about their trade secrets.
Even though I love McDonalds fries (you can almost taste the oppression and cultural hegemony), perfectly emulating McDonald's fries is always going to be a tiny niche. No competitor is going to want their fries to be exactly the same as in McDonalds since brands want to position themselves as interesting and unique.
That said, I don't really like the deception he (and his agents) practiced, but it seems like a minor sin in the scheme of things.
Even though I love McDonalds fries (you can almost taste the oppression and cultural hegemony), perfectly emulating McDonald's fries is always going to be a tiny niche. No competitor is going to want their fries to be exactly the same as in McDonalds since brands want to position themselves as interesting and unique.
That said, I don't really like the deception he (and his agents) practiced, but it seems like a minor sin in the scheme of things.
They have about $1.7 billion in intangible assets on their balance sheet, of which trade secrets are not necessarily delineated but are a significant component.
I have no real idea if the fries are a trade secret; that much is pure speculation. But my point was more that I wouldn't be surprised if the fries were a trade secret, as such is the norm for large food companies. You'd be surprised at the level of granularity involved in food company trade secrets. It's not so much about protecting the quality of McDonald's fries; it's about protecting the properties of those fries that permit logistics at McDonalds-level scale: fries that are designed a certain way as to always cook consistently despite freezing, transportation across complex supply lines, inconsistent on-site storage and preparation, etc. It's not a huge stretch to call McD's fries a product of engineering as much as nature.
Source: http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/investors/sec_filings.html
I have no real idea if the fries are a trade secret; that much is pure speculation. But my point was more that I wouldn't be surprised if the fries were a trade secret, as such is the norm for large food companies. You'd be surprised at the level of granularity involved in food company trade secrets. It's not so much about protecting the quality of McDonald's fries; it's about protecting the properties of those fries that permit logistics at McDonalds-level scale: fries that are designed a certain way as to always cook consistently despite freezing, transportation across complex supply lines, inconsistent on-site storage and preparation, etc. It's not a huge stretch to call McD's fries a product of engineering as much as nature.
Source: http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/investors/sec_filings.html
This article takes a while to get to the good bits, which are:
triple cooking (blanch, cool fry, hot fry) and the sciencey stuff about sugars and starches.
I love the batches and notes about temperature. This is something I need to start doing so I can recreate the sucessful cooking I do.
What I'd have liked to see more of was a discussion of different types of potato, and different treatment of the oil.
triple cooking (blanch, cool fry, hot fry) and the sciencey stuff about sugars and starches.
I love the batches and notes about temperature. This is something I need to start doing so I can recreate the sucessful cooking I do.
What I'd have liked to see more of was a discussion of different types of potato, and different treatment of the oil.
For anyone interested in a broader look at the science of cooking I strongly recommend 'How to read a french fry' by Russ Parsons. It explains equally important factors like the need for natural soaps (surfactants) in the oil as it breaks down, for that perfect color. If you've ever tried to fry something until golden brown in a perfectly clean pot using new oil you've run up against this. The food is still white when it's done and cooking it until brown means overcooking it. You have to save a bit of the old oil to mix in with the new stuff.
It's an easy read with recipes for several dishes and the book can serve as a really solid base for understanding how to be a much better cook.
It's an easy read with recipes for several dishes and the book can serve as a really solid base for understanding how to be a much better cook.
Now can someone PLEASE post the recipe for KFC batter.
I walked into a KFC and ask to buy a bag of batter, it is how funny they turned very serious all the sudden and asked me to leave to store.
I mean I just want to use it on real organic chicken. Anyone???
I walked into a KFC and ask to buy a bag of batter, it is how funny they turned very serious all the sudden and asked me to leave to store.
I mean I just want to use it on real organic chicken. Anyone???
"Now can someone PLEASE post the recipe for KFC batter."
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2009/jul...
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2009/jul...
oh chestnut-tree, I love you! I will look to make this in Denmark at some point.
But they use 12 secret spices!
Really weird; I just made these last night and the post shows up here today. They're delicious, by the way.
One thing that McDonalds do is add the salt to the fries for you. This seems a little bit odd if you have been used to buying 'chips' from a British Fish and Chip shop.
However the 'salt' they add isn't just salt. It is a mix of sugar and salt. This does work wonders for making them taste really nice, it works well with regular 'chips' too. Yet it is tantamount to deception, unless you are in the know you would never imagine that McDonalds fries are sugar coated.
However the 'salt' they add isn't just salt. It is a mix of sugar and salt. This does work wonders for making them taste really nice, it works well with regular 'chips' too. Yet it is tantamount to deception, unless you are in the know you would never imagine that McDonalds fries are sugar coated.
It's a pretty common trick to ask them for no salt fries so they make a fresh batch for you...
Urban legend, I believe.
Cite sources?
I have none either. However I asked a chef I worked with why his chips tasted so good. He said that it was the sugar in the salt that made the difference, a trick he learned at a British McDonalds. Hearsay true, however sugar in the salt does actually work, as it should given our tastes: sugar/salt/fat = yum!
I have none either. However I asked a chef I worked with why his chips tasted so good. He said that it was the sugar in the salt that made the difference, a trick he learned at a British McDonalds. Hearsay true, however sugar in the salt does actually work, as it should given our tastes: sugar/salt/fat = yum!
As someone recently employed by a Golden Arches franchise, I will attest to using only "table salt" to salt french fries. More specifically, I'd load the fry salting device from a 4-lb paper box of commercial non-iodized table salt [1].
If you'd like to verify this fact at your local McDonalds go ahead and order some fries "no salt" and do the salting yourself. As a bonus, you'll also most likely ensure you get fresh fries. Don't do this in the drive thru, as it's kind of an asshole move. 3:20 for fresh fries.
[1] looks just like this: http://www.webstaurantstore.com/bulk-iodized-table-salt-4-lb...
If you'd like to verify this fact at your local McDonalds go ahead and order some fries "no salt" and do the salting yourself. As a bonus, you'll also most likely ensure you get fresh fries. Don't do this in the drive thru, as it's kind of an asshole move. 3:20 for fresh fries.
[1] looks just like this: http://www.webstaurantstore.com/bulk-iodized-table-salt-4-lb...
Love your nom-de-plume!
I had lived with the lie of sugar in salt for more than a decade, glad to have that settled.
I am actually thinking of getting some of the 'Diamond' salt they use in the US. It is not just granulated, it has a 'diamond' shape to the crystals so you get the taste but not the high quantity of sodium.
I had lived with the lie of sugar in salt for more than a decade, glad to have that settled.
I am actually thinking of getting some of the 'Diamond' salt they use in the US. It is not just granulated, it has a 'diamond' shape to the crystals so you get the taste but not the high quantity of sodium.
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I'll concede that Kenji (the food lab author) definitely has a hacker-ish point of view when it comes to cooking, but I feel like we may be diluting the content of HN with a french fry recipe. Maybe everyone just loves fries?
Oh and for the record, I'm a huge Food Lab fan and have been a regular reader for some time... But I think that this Cook's Illustrated recipe beats Kenji's fries (and it's way easier too): http://deep-fried.food.com/recipe/easier-french-fries-cold-o...
Oh and for the record, I'm a huge Food Lab fan and have been a regular reader for some time... But I think that this Cook's Illustrated recipe beats Kenji's fries (and it's way easier too): http://deep-fried.food.com/recipe/easier-french-fries-cold-o...
http://www.cookingissues.com/2010/05/12/the-quest-for-french...
I believe Kenji Lopez-Alt, the author of the Serious Eats article, is the "Former Cooks Illustrated Test Cook" quoted at the end of Dave Arnold's article.
(Everything at Cooking Issues is amazing, especially Dave Arnold's weekly podcast; also, you can get Pectinex Ultra SPL from Modernist Pantry online).