Which Potatoes Make the Best French Fries?

Potatoes aren’t all created equal; some produce superior French fries than others. So, which potatoes are the finest for French fries?

Due to their high starch and low moisture content, russet potatoes, often known as Idaho potatoes, are ideal for French fries. And the most excellent russet potato for fries is the Russet Burbank.

On the other hand, the Maris Piper potato creates excellent fries and is the UK’s top chip potato for French Fries.

But there’s a lot more to learn about potatoes and french fries, so keep reading!

So, in this post, we’ll look at the best and worst potato varieties for making fries. After all, the russet isn’t the only color option. However, we’ll look at the ideal type for an air fryer, as well as whether or not soaking is required before frying.

So let’s get started!

Which russet potato variety is best for French fries?

The greatest russet potato cultivar for French fries is Russet Burbank. They’re denser, have more starch, and have less moisture than other types, so they’re firmer and crispier.

The following are the properties of these potatoes:

• Solid-to-water ratio that is balanced

The high starch content of russet potatoes makes fries crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. They’re also delicious and have a beautiful golden color.

• A perfect form

The form of good fries is like a shoestring. Using large and oval Russet potatoes while making French fries at home will make slicing a lot easier. Russet potatoes hold their shape in heated oil due to their balanced solid-moisture content.

Waxy potatoes, such as red and young potatoes, have a lot of moisture. Because the water evaporates while frying, the extra moisture causes them to hollow out.

• Excellent nutritional value

Iron, protein, vitamin C, and vitamin B6 are all abundant in russet potatoes. They also offer one of the most significant antioxidants and fiber of any tuber crop, particularly in the peel.

• The texture is floury-fluffy.

Crispy fries are made with floury-fluffy potatoes. Russet types meet this requirement, but the Maris Piper, an Irish potato that is difficult to come by in the United States, outperforms them. It is regarded as the best French fry potato in the United Kingdom.

If you can’t obtain any of the Russet kinds indicated above, Katahdin potatoes can be substituted.

What are the Best Potatoes to Use in an Air Fryer for French Fries?

Russets, to be precise.

Because Russet potatoes have a balanced solid-water ratio, they provide the most excellent quality fries in an air fryer.

In a short amount of time, an air fryer can serve your fries with the least amount of fat. It’s because Russet fries are dense, the amount of oil absorbed by them is small.

A tablespoon of olive oil is also plenty to allow the air fryer to circulate hot air down and around your fries, making them crisp and golden.

When using an air fryer, there are two more reasons why Russets should be your first choice of potato.

• They are quick to cook. Unlike high-moisture potatoes, russet potatoes do not require additional sugar during storage. It’s because of their low sugar content, they’re ideal for a quick meal.
• Under the severe temperatures of an air fryer, russets will keep their form and crispiness. This is because they are high-starch potatoes. Potatoes with a lot of moisture don’t stand up to the intense heat test and turn into a mushy paste.

When creating fries in an air fryer, the best results come from a single layer of potato on the basket. Stacking potatoes causes them to stay together, reducing their crispiness.

Furthermore, you will need to turn them multiple times, which will add to the cooking time.

If you don’t have an air fryer but want to know if they’re worth it, I wrote a recent post that goes through all the benefits and drawbacks.

Is it possible to fry Yukon Gold potatoes?

Yukon Gold potatoes are generally good but not perfect for frying. They have more moisture, less starch, and are waxier than russet potatoes, making them ideal for frying. Yukon Gold potatoes may result in a mushier, less crisp texture than most people prefer.

So they’re better than fresh potatoes or fingerlings, but not as lovely as almost any russet kind.

So, if that’s all you’ve got and you’re hungry for fries, go for it. However, if you want them to be a little crispier, you can double fry them. However, see how they appear the first time you cook them.

Is it true that some potatoes produce crispier fries than others?

When it comes to frying potatoes, varieties with less moisture and more starch produce superior results. Waxy potatoes like fingerlings, young potatoes, and red potatoes will also result in sloppy fries, and they also absorb more oil, giving them an unpleasant flavor.

The starch-moisture ratio is the key to crispy fries. As a result, potato experts will distinguish between waxy and high-starch varieties.

Crispy fries are made with potatoes with high starch content. However, if the starch content exceeds the recommended levels, your fries may turn hard and crunchy. As a result, the magic word is balance.

Aside from the type of potato, a few other things can influence the crispiness of your fries.

These elements include:

1. The frying oil’s kind and age

Older oil forms a stronger connection with your potato strips, making them crispier. You can reuse oil three to four times as a general rule, which equals about 6 hours of frying.

However, there is one stipulation to the rule. When reusing oil, filter it to eliminate any potato particles before storing it in an airtight jar.

You’re not alone if you’ve pondered how often you should change the oil in your deep fryer.

When oil is heated, it decomposes.

It is because different types of oil have varying smoke points, that the type of oil you choose is crucial. If you use oil with a low smoke point, it will break down more quickly, and your fries will not be as crisp as you want them to be.

Oil with a high smoke point degrades more slowly and produces a crisper result.

For crispier fries, experts recommend using refined peanut oil. Oils such as canola, safflower, corn, sunflower, and vegetable oils are also excellent choices.

2. The number of times your potatoes are fried.

The process of producing French fries by double frying is also known to make them crispier.

The method is cooking your potatoes for a minute at 375-400 degrees Fahrenheit and then allowing them to cool. This first process pre-cooks the inside while also forming a protective crust on top.

The potatoes are deep-fried a second time for five minutes at similar temperatures once they have cooled until they are golden and crispy.

Insider Tip: If you like In-n-Out Burger, request double-fried fries, and it’s one of several options available on their hidden menu.

Above, I discussed replacing the oil. Many people, however, are unsure how long they can keep the oil in their fryer before they need to change it. After all, if we had to change it every time, it would become prohibitively expensive.

You might be shocked to learn that you can keep it in your fryer for up to a month. But, before you do that, take a look at a recent piece I authored that explains precisely how to accomplish it.

3. Potatoes, both dried and frozen

If you’re making fries from frozen potatoes, remove them from the freezer packaging and cook them immediately. The drying and freezing technique appear to make your fries crispy and golden, which is a well-kept fast-food restaurant secret.

By turning the sugar in potatoes to starch, dehydrating and freezing low-moisture potatoes balances the starch levels. This is particularly true of the first crop of the season, which has higher sugar content.

Using frozen potatoes also saves you the time and effort of peeling and slicing, especially if you have to do it by hand.

Is it necessary to soak my potatoes before frying them?

Potatoes with a high starch content, such as Russet, Idaho, and Yukon gold, benefit from soaking before frying to avoid overcooking or scorched fries and get the ideal crispiness level.

Soaking is a fantastic strategy to avoid burnt and unappealing fries as long as it does not alter the starch-moisture balance in your potatoes.

When you chop potatoes, some of the sugars and starches are released.

When you dip them into heated oil with the extra sugar and starch on top, the sugar caramelizes and burns before the insides cook. It is because the sugar is burned, that your fries will have an unappealing hue and a bitter taste.

Another danger of dipping potatoes into heated oil without first soaking or washing them is that any excess starch on the surface may readily fall off and contaminate the oil.

Last but not the least, soaking potatoes helps to keep acrylamide levels in check.

When potatoes are exposed to light or heat, their levels of acrylamide rise, turning them green. When deep-frying, look for dark rather than golden yellow fries to indicate high quantities of this chemical.

We looked at all of the different types of potatoes used to produce fries and what makes some of them better than others. However, we also addressed several related issues.

The following are the main points to remember from this article:

• The best potatoes for cooking French fries are russets. Russet potatoes come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but they all produce excellent fries. Maris Piper or Katahdin potatoes are also suitable substitutes.
• Russet potatoes are also the ideal potatoes to use in an air fryer for French fries. To produce outstanding Russet-based French fries, you can use any frying method, including air fryers.
• Certain potato varieties provide crispier fries than others. Choose a high-starch potato if you want crispy fries.
• Before frying, high-starch potatoes should be soaked. Your fries will be brown and charred if you don’t soak your high-starch potatoes beforehand.