Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Scrub the potatoes and cut into sticks about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. Trim any green areas. Put the sticks in a bowl of cold water.
- Soak for 30 minutes, then drain and rinse. Spread over clean towels and pat thoroughly dry, including the creases between sticks.
- Preheat to 380°F (195°C), following the appliance instructions. Toss the potatoes with the oil and pepper. Arrange half in a loose layer; minor overlap is fine, but avoid a deep pile.
- Cook for 18–22 minutes, shaking after about 6 and 12 minutes. Remove any small fries that brown early. The centers should be tender and the edges golden. Add a few minutes if needed rather than raising the temperature sharply.
- Toss the cooked fries with half the salt. Cook the remaining batch and use the remaining salt. Serve immediately, or briefly re-crisp the first batch after the second is done without overcrowding.
Notes
Planning times depend on batch size, thickness and appliance. Two batches take about 36–44 minutes of cooking. The 30-minute soak is separate; preheat during the final drying stage. Smaller baskets may need a third batch. Nutrition is an ingredient-based estimate per serving (one-quarter of the batch). Per quarter of the raw potato and measured oil quantities, with all the stated salt counted. Dipping sauces are excluded. Illustrative images are generated, not a record of a personal cooking test.