Why are some potatoes better than other for frying or making French fries? What is the chemistry in that? And how do I apply this method in selecting different veggies for different uses?
Vegetables – Selection of potatoes for frying
french-friesfryingpotatoesvegetables
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It sounds to me like the issue may be that you're crowding the pan.
Basically, to get everything nice and brown and crispy, you need enough space for all of the steam to escape. That picture you showed has potatoes stacked on top of each other -- that means as the bottom items cook, they're going to end up steaming the items above them.
At a diner, they have a large griddle to work with -- they can really spread things out. You're not typically that lucky in a regular kitchen, as you don't have as much space, and you have a lip on the pans that'll hold the steam in.
So, either work in smaller batches, or consider recipes that use an oven -- using sheet pans instead of a pan on the stove solves much of the problem.
One other trick is that most diners don't start from raw potatoes -- maybe with hash browns, but not for home fries, you're not going to get the nice soft interior in a reasonable amount of time unless you start with a potato that's already been baked or boiled. (If you're doing things in the oven, you might be able to, but not in a pan)
Just for reference ... I have a 14" cast iron skillet that I use for home fries ... and it's about the right size for cooking a single large potato, which might be two servings, maybe three for kids. (I tend to cook carb-heavy meals).
update : I probably should've stated this directly -- you want the chunks of potato to form a single layer in the pan, with space in between them.
I would definitely not try this in a frying pan. Deep frying a lot of food can be dangerous, because if the oil overflows, it's flammable. I'm sure you've heard the horror stories of people deep-frying turkeys and the oil overflowing.
The minimal set up you will need is a large, heavy bottomed pot, preferably stainless steel or cast iron, though heavy gauge aluminum is cheaper and would probably work. You want the pot to be large enough to accommodate the oil, plus a lot of extra space because the large amount of fries are going to displace a lot of oil. To maintain the proper temperature, you'll need a good deep-fry/candy thermometer. Digital thermometers are a bit more expensive, but are easier to read. I'd recommend getting one that clips onto the pot. You're also may want a basket, because pulling them out with a spider or strainer will take a while and could lead to uneven cooking. You will need to monitor the temperature and adjust the heat on your stove regularly in order to maintain the proper temperature. You can get a stovetop fryer with a basket for under $30.
A professional fryer uses a thermostat to control the temperature more precisely, and is built specifically for this purpose, so it's pretty safe. Generally these are electric, so they're inexpensive to run. But the issue for you is, they may not accommodate enough food. You might consider getting two, though the good ones run around $80-100, and depending on the power needs you might need separate outlets/circuits to plug them into.
Lastly, if you have outdoor space, you might consider doing this outside. You can get yourself a turkey frying kit at a hardware store or online. This will work well since it should come with a basket. You can also buy a propane burner and pot separately, if you need a special size or what a heavier pot. You'll still need to use the deep frying thermometer. A propane burner will have a control knob to let you adjust the heat and keep it at the proper temperature. This is probably going to be the fastest method for you to heat up the oil, as propane burners put out a lot of heat (often 100-200,000 BTUs). As always, you'll need to observe the proper safety precautions, like keeping a fire extinguisher nearby, and making sure you don't have too much oil in there to avoid an overflow, etc. The burner can also be used for other purposes, such as cooking with a wok, or frying/boiling other big items. A lot of people also use them for homebrewing beer.
Lastly, you should check this video out - it goes through the process they use to prepare authentic fries at Pomme Frites, some of the best Belgian fries in NYC - and according to their chef who trained in Belgium - they're better than a lot of what you'll get over there!
Best Answer
It's all about starch content of the potato. Waxier potatoes are wetter, meaning they have a lower start content and higher water content. They don't fry that well because they have too much water to crisp up properly. Starchier, drier potatoes are better for thin fries, but they aren't as good for chunky fries as they are actually too dry to give a fluffy inside. For chunky fries (aka chips), wedges or roast potatoes you want a potato with a medium starch content.
As for application to vegetable selection nothing comes immediately to mind, potatoes are vegetables from a botanical point of view but from a cooking point of view they are very different from most other things you prepare. Potatoes are just big balls of starch and water, so the advice above would only apply to foods that are structurally similar, like sweet potatoes and yams.