Cooking: Homemade French Fries

Fries made at home. They might not be as thin and long as the ones you buy out, but you have to admit the thicker ones are actually better, and they don’t taste bad either.

Ingredients:

• Potatoes
• Ketchup
• Plenty of oil
• Cornstarch

Method:

• Slice the potatoes, then cut them into strips
• Soak in clean water for 5 minutes, then change the water and rinse once more (the point is to wash off the excess starch)
• Bring a pot of water to a boil, drop the potato strips in to blanch for about 2 minutes, make sure they’re cooked through, then fish them out. The point of this is to guarantee the fries come out crispy outside and tender inside
• Let the blanched strips dry off, sprinkle in cornstarch, mix well. The point here is for the cornstarch to soak up more of the excess moisture
• Pour plenty of oil into the pot, low heat, start adding the potato strips to fry
• Fry until golden brown and fish them out, until all of them are done
• Finally turn the heat to high, put all the strips back in for a second fry, fish them out in under a minute or so
• A plate of delicious french fries, done

Really the key is the blanching and the double fry. Nail those two and it basically can’t taste bad. I recommend everyone give it a try, especially Duan-ye, whose JB is as thick as a fry.