French fries : The potatoes are peeled, washed, detailed en sticks more or less big, dried et fries in two times : blanched at 130°C maximum, then foreclosures at 180°C.
The "fry" is a stick of potato cooked in animal fat or vegetable oil (frying). The names French fries and fried potatoes are used interchangeably for this stick, for a slice or for a round of the same vegetable cooked in this way.
Cooking in a pan or pot tended to disappear in households in the 2010th century in favor of a household appliance called a fryer. Around XNUMX, a cooking basket allowing cooking in the oven with a minimum of fat appeared on the market for more dietary cooking. There are also fries in special packaging for microwave cooking.
At the beginning of the 21st century, most fries consumed around the world are industrially produced frozen fries, marketed either directly in large retailers or chains specializing in frozen products, or in restaurants (particularly in fast food chains). ).
Typology of French fries: There are different names depending on the size of the stick:
– “log” apples: square section of 2 cm;
– “Pont-Neuf” apples: square section of 1 cm;
– “matchstick” apples (also called julienne cut in Quebec): section of 0,5 cm, often used in fast food;
– “straw” apples: section of 0,25 cm;
– “golden hair” apples (cut even finer);
– “nest” fries (straw potatoes arranged in a nest in a basket mold and fried again).
French fries gastronomy: Mussels and fries, for the Belgians and the north of France, the steak fries for the French and the Belgians and the fish and chips for the British are very popular dishes in their respective countries. Fries traditionally accompany certain dishes such as Liège meatballs, Mussels, the pan-fried steak, the steak Tartare, submachine gun or vol-au-vent. In Quebec, fries are the main ingredient of poutine with cheese Cheddar fresh in grains and Hot Chicken type sauce. It is a Quebec dish of which there are many variations (fries with sauce à spaghetti, thak chopped, shrimp, etc.).
Since the end of the 20th century, the largest quantity of fries has been used by fast food, which receives them precooked and frozen.
Choice of potato for fries: There are two types of potato. The farms and mealy.
To make fries, you should prefer floury potatoes because their high starch content makes them crispier and lighter.
The queen of potatoes for fries is the bintje. Manon and Agria are also good varieties. If you choose a variety with firm flesh, choose Charlotte. It produces soft fries, with a texture that is both firm and tender.
For the taste quality of the fries: in the vast majority of potato varieties, you must choose those with the highest “dry matter content”. The higher the dry matter content, the less oil the fries will absorb as they cool, and the fries will retain their texture without forming cells. The final weight of the fries, significantly lower than the weight of raw potatoes, reflects the evaporation of its water.
Cutting the fries: Cut the potatoes into sticks.
– 1 cm side: Belgian or Pont-Neuf fries.
– 0,5 cm: to have matchstick fries.
– 0,3 cm: to have straw apples.
Choice of fat for frying French fries: The best way to make French fries is to use animal fat. Pork fat (Brittany tradition) or beef fat (Belgian tradition) intended for frying at 170°C. They bring a very special flavor to the potatoes.
Less interesting in terms of taste, but also less expensive and less rich in bad cholesterol, vegetable oils are obviously very suitable for cooking fries. Among these, peanut oil stands out, whose alpha-linoleic acid content is particularly suitable for high cooking temperatures.
Vegetable oil (peanuts, sunflower, etc.) can be reused around fifteen times while animal oil is limited to around ten times. The traditional method of cooking with beef breast is tending to disappear. There is also a lesser known cooking method using duck fat in the South-West of France and pork fat in Brittany.
Cooking French fries: To cook French fries, it is recommended to use a deep fryer.
Poach them for around 5–8 minutes in oil at 130°C maximum.
Remove them, drain them on absorbent paper and let them cool for a few minutes (10-20 min).
Plunge them back into the oil bath at 175-190°C for two minutes, to fry them and brown them.
Important: A basket too full of fries causes the temperature of the oil to drop and slows down cooking; in addition, the fries risk sticking together. Also, it is advisable to cook the fries in small quantities.
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See as well Fry under Mouth slang.