I have an obsession with French fries. I love, love, love them. They are a combo of one of my favourite foods (potatoes) and cooking methods (deep-frying). If deep fried foods weren’t so calorific, I’d definitely indulge in them daily. The crunch and texture differences get me every single time.
I’ve tried making french fries at home multiple times and they never turn out quite as good as when someone else makes them. I’m not sure if it’s the commercial deep-fryers, or some secret that I don’t know about, but every time I give french fries a go, they end up disappointing.
Some of the best french fries (or chips, as the British like to call them) I’ve had were at Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant, Dinner. The triple cooked chips were insanely good. They had crispy-crunchy, shattering exteriors and fluffy, moist interiors.
They were so good that I should have known my at-home attempt would be pale in comparison. No surprise: they were ok, but not great. Definitely not as crunchy as I wanted them to be. I think I over cooked the potatoes a bit when simmering them. These were a little too fussy to try again, but I think trying again is going to be the only way I get to eat these fries unless I can somehow make my way to London again.
i am cooked, i am cooked, i am cooked again: i am triple cooked fries!
Triple Cooked Fries Recipe from Heston Blumental at Home
makes a lot of fries
- 2 pounds baker’s potatoes, peeled and cut into fries (approximately 2x2x6 cm)
- grape seed oil
- sea salt
Place the fries into a bowl of running water for 5 minutes to wash the starch off.
Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and fill with cold tap water until potatoes are covered. Place the pan on medium heat and simmer until the potatoes are almost falling apart, about 20 minutes.
Carefully remove the fires and place them on a cooling rack to dry out. Place the rack in the freezer to remove the moisture.
Heat a deep pan no more than half filled with oil to 265F. Fry the fries in small batches until a light crust forms (about 5 minutes). Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.
Put the potatoes on a cooling rack and freeze again for an hour to remove even more moisture.
Heat the oil to 350°F and fry the fries until golden (about 7 minutes). Drain and sprinkle with sea salt. Enjoy hot.
29 Comments
Jessica says:
April 17, 2012 at 2:55 pm
these look amazing im not sure i can make them ever or id just eat them forever and ever probably
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Darrell says:
April 18, 2012 at 1:44 pm
After boiling and drying off, how long do you put in the freezer for this stage?
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steph says:
April 18, 2012 at 1:46 pm
At least an hour. If you’re not planning on eating the fries right away, after the hour, you can put them in a freezer bag and keep them in the freezer until you’re ready to fry.
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April 20, 2012 at 1:33 pm
I’m new to your blog and absolutely love it. I’ve done the double-fry (the only way to go) but haven’t done the triple cooked fry! So intrigued.
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J ... semplicemente J says:
April 21, 2012 at 6:59 pm
Can’t wait … french fries are definitely an obsession of mine as well!
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Annick Gaudreault says:
April 25, 2012 at 7:20 am
Oh my god! What a nice blog! Will come back for sure!
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Pearletta Wilson says:
April 30, 2012 at 1:20 pm
Never tried triple frying. Since the children are grown up I don’t make home made chips anymore but this post just might make me have a fry night :)
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Lauren says:
May 24, 2012 at 1:33 am
It could have been too much moisture in the potato that meant you didn’t get the mega crunch. Start with a potato that is already low in moisture…cut the potato with the skin still on, squeeze near the edge, if there is water or bubbles, then its too high in moisture. Also, when potatoes are washed and scrubbed for supermarkets, they will usually retain more moisture, so buy potatoes that are still covered in dirt and clean yourself.
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Deea says:
June 13, 2012 at 8:58 pm
These look soooo good! I confess that french fries are my favorite food. Can’t wait to try them!
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DL says:
June 22, 2012 at 5:46 am
Your photos are fab. Are they your own work?
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karan mulki says:
July 2, 2012 at 12:32 am
Are maris piper the best potatoes for these fries?
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steph says:
July 3, 2012 at 9:06 am
Maris piper are best if you can find them. They’re quite common in the UK, but not so much in North America.
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karan mulki says:
July 2, 2012 at 12:36 am
Wow….
these are the best fries i’ve ever had..!
they taste much better than lambweston’s stealth fries;!Reply
Jay says:
October 4, 2012 at 11:48 am
Love the recipes and craft of the site. As far as the fries between fryings put them in ice water for 20 minutes. They come out crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. Learned that on the No Reservations “how to” episode.
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April 7, 2013 at 7:18 am
Aw, this was an extremely nice post. Taking a few minutes and
actual effort to generate a superb article… but what can I say… I hesitate a whole lot and never manage to get anything done.Reply
mycookinghut says:
November 12, 2014 at 4:16 am
I am a big fan of Heston! This recipe of his is just amazing!
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Cat says:
June 18, 2015 at 12:07 pm
If you have 17 hours to make effing french fries, heres the recipe for you!!
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Fran Tarrio says:
July 15, 2015 at 10:31 am
Give me a break!!!!
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Granny Gruntz says:
August 29, 2015 at 2:01 pm
*Sounds good! – *HOWEVER – would probably be too time consuming and complex for today’s “family cook and meal “preparer”!
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dtaylor says:
October 13, 2015 at 2:44 pm
i saw these triple cooked fries on unique eats…so glad i found your site for the how to.
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Tom Sidesinger says:
May 21, 2016 at 8:48 am
Can I use peanut oil instead of grapeseed oil?
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Stephanie Le says:
May 21, 2016 at 3:22 pm
absolutely!
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Gilbert Delgado says:
October 9, 2017 at 7:51 pm
I am definitely going to try that
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