Not So Fast, Fast Food Style, Homemade French Fries

Oooh my kids love french fries! Me too. I finally mastered the art of french fry making in my own kitchen.

Step 1: Getting Ready

What you need:

A bag of potatoes (I was making fries for 5 people so I probably used about half of my 10 pound bag)

Oil (I usually use canola oil but this time I did not have enough so I used a combination of Canola, Coconut and Olive oils....it was actually the best I have ever made)

Deep pan for frying

Salt

Cutting board

Knife

Bowl for raw fries

Baking sheet lined with paper towels

Tongs

Step 2: Get It Hot

Alright, first thing you gotta do is get your oil hot. As you can see I only fill my pan about 1/3 of the way with oil.

Turn your burner on at a medium heat. I do this and set my cutting station up on the cabinet next to the stove so I can keep a close eye on the hot oil. No one wants a grease fire.

Now get to cutting up those potatoes...oh yeah, wash them first.

Step 3: Chop Chop Chop

This seems to take forever. I'm not gonna lie. I try to cut them into nice fast food french fry sized strips. They get nice and crispy that way. Cut them up and set them aside in a container. See how many you can get cut up before the oil gets hot enough.

Step 4: Ready Set Go! (Gently)

Ok when you can see ripples or a waviness in the oil, then it is good and hot. If you wanna test it out, put a fry in and see if it immediately starts to sizzle. If not, you need to wait a bit. DO NOT TURN UP THE HEAT, you will just burn your oil.

Put your potato slices in the oil gently. DO NOT SPLASH! I put in a handful of fries at a time. My oil bubbled and foamed this time around. And I know it is because I used a strange combination of oils (I ran out of my usual frying oil). Yours probably won't be all bubbly like that.

Step 5: Floaters

It takes about 10 minutes for the handful of fries to cook. When they are done they will float to the to of the oil. You may want to leave them just a bit longer beyond the floating stage so that they get a nice golden color. Use your tongs to remove them from the oil and place your french fries on your baking sheet that is covered in paper towels. The paper towels will absorb the excess oil. Add salt to taste.