I fry in corn oil; Mazola Oil is cholesterol free. Heat the oil at a medium heat, 325 degrees. Use a heavy coated cast iron pot. Never use a lightweight pot when deep frying – it’s way too dangerous!
Invest in a thermometer suitable for deep fryer use. You never want the oil to boil. Never fill the pot more than halfway with oil and always deep fry in small quantities. Never turn your back or multitask when deep frying.
Have plenty of paper towels on hand and clean, dry, tossable cloth dish towels. You’ll need a container to dispose of the used oil properly. Never pour it down the sink.
Wash all containers completely in very hot soapy water before putting them in your dishwasher. Otherwise the oil will clog up the dishwasher.
Soak whole peeled, medium large, firm potatoes in a sugar, salt and cold water mix for a half hour. Just a couple of tablespoons of sugar and half as much salt with a few cups of cold water. Let stand, covered, on the counter.
Cut the potatoes lengthwise into medium large size fries.
Pat them dry with a clean tea towel but do not rinse. You want to keep the starch.
Deep fry the medium large fries for about five minutes at 325 F. Control the temperature closely. They won’t be cooked. Drain the fries in a metal colander on the paper towel. Remember: they are not cooked.
Wrap the fries in a clean tea towel that you can later toss in the trash. Put the wrapped fries in the coldest part of the fridge on a metal cookie sheet for about an hour.
Remove the oil from the heat source while the fries are in the fridge. Cover the pot. Wipe up any splatters. Keep work surface spotless, not just for safety.
Keep the fries wrapped and cold. Bring the oil pot back to the burner. Uncover the pot before reheating the oil. Allow the oil to reach 400 degrees, pot uncovered. Never put a lid on an oil pot while in use on a burner.
Unwrap the cold fries and carefully, using a large slotted spoon, gently lower the cold fries into the very hot oil. Just a few at a time as the 400 degree oil will drop temperature very quickly.
The potatoes will “poof”… and you have pommes frites; the most wonderful “French” fries ever. Salt while still super hot. Dipping sauce, if you enjoy it, can be aioli, made any way you like it, or homemade tomato ketchup or sour cream sauce. Whatever suits your fancy. Some people enjoy a flurry shower of granular sugar on their frites.
I made frites for the first time in the mid ʼ70s. It initially took a bit of careful doing to keep the oil at a just-right controlled temperature. It’s much easier to control using a gas fire than electric, but doable. But monitoring the oil temperature is most important, because the very cold fries drop the oil temperature rapidly.
Fry in small batches and keep adjusting the fire under the oil pot. Enjoy! Best fries ever! These pommes frites are a nice accompaniment to many dishes, and work especially well as a side dish to any of my recipes at my sea food birthday party fare grouping. Check here.
If you barbecue outside on a patio (I don’t recommend this for balcony preparation) and are lucky enough to have an add-on, additional freestanding attached burner, this recipe can be made outside and is a wonderful treat with your favourite barbecued steak and fresh salad. Perhaps this is a good choice.
How to make friends (or enemies) with your neighbours: When the fragrances of your meal-making efforts waft through the air, you might hear from them. And this is a recipe you will want to make at the cottage, but I can’t stress often enough, when deep frying be careful and dispose properly anything with oil attached and the oil itself. Do not reuse deep frying oil. What you save in the cost of buying new oil, is not worth doing.
From Lady Ralston’s Kitchen: A Canadian Contessa Cooks.
The working title for Carolyne’s Gourmet Recipes cookbook is From Lady Ralston’s Kitchen: A Canadian Contessa Cooks. This kitchen-friendly doyenne has been honoured and referred to as the grande dame of executive real estate in her market area during her 35-year career. She taught gourmet cooking in the mid-70s and wrote a weekly newspaper cooking column, long before gourmet was popular as it is today. Her ebook, Gourmet Cooking – at Home with Carolyne is available here for $5.99 US. Email Carolyne. Scroll down to the comments at each recipe column. Carolyne often adds complimentary “From Lady Ralston’s Kitchen” additional recipes in the Recipes for Realtors Comments section at REM.
