It’s been a year since I had french fries. To me, french fries are best when eaten at a restaurant, and I haven’t done that in, well, a year. In order to get my fry fix, I’m going to have to make them at home.
If I’m going to make my own fries, I want them to be restaurant-quality, and I want the cooking process to be as streamlined as possible. Enter cold-start frying. This technique uses half the oil, skips the double frying, and still achieves crunchy fries with deep potato flavor. (It also minimizes mess and any scary splattering.)
In cold-start frying, a deep pot filled with oil and vegetables (potatoes, brussels sprouts, or any nonbattered vegetable) is set over high heat; as the oil heats, the food slowly softens and cooks through, browning and crisping up at the end as the oil eventually reaches a boil. It requires less oil and little temperature monitoring. (Our all-time favorite deep pot is this 7¼ quart Dutch oven from Le Creuset.)
See the technique in action in this video for our Easier French Fries recipe: