People make a lot of excuses when it comes to deep frying. “I don’t have a deep fryer.” “It’s bad for you.” “I’m still missing a patch of hair on my arm where I burned myself with hot oil in 1985.”

Whatever.

Contrary to popular belief (we blame the Fry-Daddy), a designated deep-fryer is by no means necessary for deep-frying. A fantastic fryer can easily be fashioned out of a heavy pot, lots of oil, and if you have one, a thermometer. As for the adverse health effects of frying, there’s no getting around them. Fried foods have no decent substitute; cake is nothing like a donut, boiled potatoes in no way resemble french fries. Once in a while, you’ll just have to indulge. And while fat burns are horribly painful, if you avoid certain poor choices (like putting wet or frozen things in oil or frying after a night of drinking), you should be okay. Now let’s proceed.

There are oodles of things that we like to fry at home, often in the donut/fritter/churro family, but we always come back to french fries. Like anything that you make yourself, homemade french fries have the benefit of being made according to your exact specifications. Shoestring thin? Fat and substantial? Peel on or off? Whatever you like. When we’re at home, we like to flaunt the confining uniformity required by our professional kitchen and cut our potatoes haphazardly, so that some fries come out perfectly cooked and others come out dark brown and deliciously crispy. It’s our thing. Undoubtedly, you’ll have your own.

As you’ve probably noticed, in this world there are french fries and then there are french fries. What differentiates an okay fry from a spectacular one is the cooking method, or more precisely, whether the fry is cooked once (McDonald's) or cooked twice (Yum). Twice-cooked French Fries--often called Pommes Frites or just Frites, a nod to their French or Belgian style of cooking--are inarguably superior and they are the only fry that we bother to make at home.

Now, frying potatoes twice is obviously more laborious, but each step plays an important role in the texture of the finished fry. The first cooking or blanching, done at a relatively low temperature, cooks the potatoes thoroughly without browning them. The second cooking, at a higher temperature, browns the skin of the fries and makes them deliciously crispy. Each step is essential to great fries and we promise that you won’t regret the extra time.

If you're still too afraid to plunge into the heady world of deep-frying, excellent fries can be found in Seattle at Brouwer’s, Le Pichet and Frites. If you have a pair, a recipe for Pomme Frites is after the break. Enjoy.

Photo by Rachael Coyle

Homemade French Fries, Pomme Frites, etc.

To make your own french fries, start by heating a a neutral oil (peanut or canola is good) in a nice-sized heavy pot. Make sure the pot is only about halfway full, as the oil will bubble up when you add the potatoes and you DO NOT want it to overflow.* If you have a thermometer that goes up to at least 350 F, you can put it in the oil now.

While the oil is heating up, cut your potatoes. Russets are traditional, but we also like to use Yukon Golds. Whatever size (up to about a 1/2” wide) you like is fine, and peeling is always optional. Pat the potatoes dry with a paper towel.

When the oil reaches 300 F, you are ready for the first frying or blanching. (If you don’t have a thermometer, just drop a fry in and see how it looks. If the oil is ready, the potato should sizzle pleasantly without getting brown. If it does nothing, the oil is too cold; if it boils rapidly and browns, it is too hot). Fry the potatoes in small batches (don’t crowd them or the temperature of the oil will drop too much) until they are soft and cooked through. Pull the fries out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. This step can be done ahead of time and the fries can be held aside or refrigerated until you are ready for the second frying.

Crank the heat on your stove and heat the oil up to 350 F. (Again, if you don’t have a thermometer, just drop a fry in and see. This time the oil should bubble vigorously and start to brown.) Fry the blanched fries in small batches until nicely browned and crispy. Drain on paper towels and season with kosher salt. Enjoy hot.

*If it does, and your stove catches on fire, don’t panic. Remove the pan, turn off the heat and douse the flames in baking soda, NOT WATER. Water can cause a fat fire to spread, which is bad.