The Oil Trick For Easy At-Home Fries That'll Still Come Out Crispy Every Time

Homemade french fries sometimes seem like an exercise in disappointment, since the oven-baked or air-fried ones never seem to come out quite right. They're certainly not as crispy as our deep-fried fast-food favorites, but boiling an entire pot of oil seems messy, wasteful, and maybe even dangerous. If you pan-fry instead of deep-frying, however, you're looking at a whole new ball game. Not only can you use a lot less oil, but according to food blogger David Davidov (aka The Cooking Foodie), you don't even need to heat the oil first. (I can confirm this, as I adopted the cold oil technique after it was suggested by America's Test Kitchen several years ago.)

Conventional cooking wisdom holds that anything fried in oil that's not up to temperature will absorb too much fat, resulting in food that's greasy and limp, but it seems this rule doesn't apply to potatoes. As Davidov explained, "Starting in cold oil can actually yield surprisingly crispy results, because the gradual temperature increase allows moisture to escape slowly without shocking the potatoes. The starches on the surface gelatinize evenly, leading to a delicate, crisp shell." He did warn us, though, that cold-oil frying requires keeping a close eye on things. "It's harder to maintain even cooking and timing, especially with large batches, which can cause uneven browning or oil absorption," Davidov advised. "It also requires more attention since the fries can go from pale to overdone quickly once the oil reaches high heat."

The traditional deep frying in hot oil method works well for larger batches, especially in a busy kitchen where there may not be eyes on the fries at all times. For this reason, it's still favored by fast food restaurants. If you're determined to make fast-food-worthy french fries and don't mind the extra effort, David Davidov feels that frying potatoes twice is the way to go. "The double-fry method is ... essential for achieving restaurant-quality crispy fries," he explained.

The reason why Davidov prefers twice-cooked fries is that the first fry, which should be done at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, not only cooks the potatoes but also removes any of the excess moisture that might cause them to grow soggy. The second fry, which he says should be in hotter oil (375 degrees Fahrenheit), is done to crisp them up even more. "This two-step method is what separates soft or soggy fries from truly crisp ones," he told us. And it really is the best way to make the crispiest fries at home.

This is not to say, however, that frying in a shallow pan of cold oil can't yield some pretty crunchy fries, as well. I've done it myself, and it's the only method I'll ever use from now on. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's the main reason I'm still cooking fries at home instead of giving up and outsourcing the job to McDonald's.