[crunch]
[sizzling]
[energetic rhythmic music]
- I'm Bianca, and I'm a level one chef.
- I'm Khadjiah, and I'm a level two chef.
- I'm Palak, and I've
been a chef for 10 years.
[energetic rhythmic music]
- French fries are great
when you're binge watching
Netflix with a friend.
You have all of the ingredients you need
to make it a great night.
- I like to use russet potatoes.
Like having crinkle cuts,
so I can have a little queso
that's running through
the ridges and everything.
- My recipe, the potatoes
ferment for five days.
They're double fried, it's
served with an applesauce.
[charming rhythmic music]
- I hate peeling potatoes! [laughs]
- And we kinda wanna
get all of the skin off.
- Sometimes having the skin on potatoes
gives a nice little crunchy texture,
but I do not like it.
- Then we'll cut it to make
little stringy French fries.
- I wanna cut them to
about a half-inch thick.
Cut the rounded edges.
- No pressure to be perfect, right?
We're gonna put the
potatoes in the waters.
All good.
- We're gonna use red potatoes.
These are usually sweeter
and they hold up a little bit
better in the cooking process.
Want the skin on, scrubbed, no dirt.
We're gonna put 'em on a mandoline.
This things is dangerous,
do you see the blades?
That's what you're looking
for with the skin on.
The first thing I wanna do
is I wanna wash all the starch off.
This'll help them get nice and crispy.
And dump 'em in clean water.
- And we wanna make sure the water
fully covers the potatoes.
We wanna salt the water 'cause
oh, wow.
Heh heh heh, it got stuck.
Ha ha, ha ha.
And then you also add the vinegar.
- And we're gonna drain them.
We're gonna shake, shake, shake.
Okay.
And add them to the pot.
- The next process is to make the brine.
And it's a simple solution
of just water and salt.
Remember science class?
Osmosis?
That's what it is.
It basically means the salt is carried
to the inside of the potato
until it's perfectly salted.
So I'm feeling fancy today,
so we're gonna put some
herbs and some parsley
just for a little brightness
and start our fermentation process.
Mystery ingredient, cabbage leaves.
These are gonna help the
potatoes stay to the bottom.
And I'll see them a week later.
Have a nice vacation.
- We're going to boil these fries
and then we're going to
fry them at 375 degrees.
Then we're gonna freeze them
and then we're going to
refry them at 400 degrees.
- And now we're gonna add some canola oil.
About one inch.
This is the cold oil method.
The oil slowly rises up to temperature.
So you won't overcook your fries.
- Fry them for about 40 seconds.
We're just doing this to
agitate them just a little bit.
Stay away from that pot!
Okay.
- So the fries cook for about 15 minutes.
Looking good, so I'm cooking some fries.
- Now we're going to season
them with salt and pepper.
Put this in the freezer.
Now whenever you're ready for fries,
you take them out and pop
them in for a final fry.
- I have a batch that I made five days ago
that's ready to go.
Check this out, it's not a sad fry,
it's just fermented.
The actual structure of the
potato changes five days later.
Shake out the excess water.
It's really important to make sure
that these fries are very dry.
Curl the paper towel on itself,
give it a little squeeze.
- Our oil has come up to temperature.
Stir it for a bit.
And then allow it to cook
for about 30 more minutes.
This method may take a little longer,
but you only have to fry your fries once.
- The reason we fry our
French fries two times.
The first one is to blanche,
and what that does is to cook
the fries from the inside,
and the second, high-temperature cook
is just to get the fry extra crispy.
Double frying.
- Now we got the frozen fries.
We're going to put some of
the fries on the spider.
Oh!
- This oil is at 325 degrees.
Set your timer for five minutes.
- Usually takes about three minutes.
Lettin' 'em do their cute
little potatoey thing.
- It's been five minutes.
First fry is done.
This has made sure that the French fries
are completely cooked in the center.
For the second fry.
This oil is at 375 degrees.
We're only gonna cook for one minute.
Just to get that extra crispiness.
I really love potatoes.
- So it's been about 45 minutes.
These fries look ready to go.
Mm.
- You know that they're done
when they get a nice golden brown texture.
- As soon as fries come out of the fryer,
just hit 'em with a little salt.
- I always feel like salt bae,
you got the salt, right?
- You don't need a lot of salt
because we brined these fries.
And they're already salted
from the inside out.
- Gonna get some chili lime seasoning.
Give 'em a nice little sprinkle.
- This is our first batch.
I'm gonna fry up some more
and then we're gonna move on to the sauce.
- We're gonna make a cheese sauce
that I like to call calypso queso.
Gonna add some butter,
add your tiny onions.
- The French fries are pretty pickled
from the fermentation process.
So what we're making now
is a curry applesauce.
Carrot gives it a natural sweetness.
And a little bit of celery.
- I am gonna put some cream cheese,
some milk.
- The spices, starting with tumeric.
This is an Indian spice.
Really good for you.
- Putting in the garlic.
- One clove of garlic.
- And I'm also putting in some paprika--
- Some smoked paprika.
- For the seasoning.
You want it to brown a bit.
- A little bit of mustard powder.
A pinch of red pepper,
just to give a little kick.
- [Both] Pinch of salt.
- Even up the seasoning just a little bit.
- And some brown sugar,
apple cider vinegar,
just to bring out the
flavors of the apple.
Let this cook down until the
apples get really, really soft.
Almost caramelized, it
takes about 20 minutes.
- I love sour cream on my fries,
but we're gonna kick it up a notch
and add some hot sauce and lime.
I love spicy food,
so we're just gonna go crazy.
Now we're gonna cut our line.
Arr, squeeze that in there.
Okay, here's my sour cream
with hot sauce and lime.
- You wanna make sure the cream
cheese merges with the milk.
As this is happening,
take your Monterrey Jack and your cheddar.
Flour is gonna help
make this sauce thicker.
Add the cheese mixture in.
- The apples have been
cooking for 20 minutes.
We're just gonna take them off the heat
and puree them with a high-speed blender.
- Oh, it's starting to thicken.
What you wanna do is you
wanna add some nutmeg.
Also add some allspice.
And here is my calypso queso!
- This is our curry applesauce.
It's gonna go great with our French fries.
Perfect!
- So now let's get to our toppings.
So we're gonna start
off with our sour cream
with hot sauce and lime.
To be honest, you really
can't have enough sour cream.
- Take out nice matil calypso queso.
♪ Put that on top ♪
♪ Dippity dip, dippity dip ♪
Deh, nyeh.
And then add onions to the top.
- I have my curry applesauce.
And I'm gonna top them with some parsley.
Voila.
- And now we'll add our cheese,
add our jalapenos.
And last, but not least, the tomatoes.
And here are my nacho fries.
[dramatic thump]
- And these are my French fries.
[dramatic thump]
- These are my fermented French fries
with curried applesauce.
[dramatic thump]
[eager anticipatory music]
- Okay, now we're ready
to taste the magic.
[crunching]
- Oh my.
- Mm.
Mm!
- I'm happy, I'm proud.
- Mmhmm.
[laughing]
- Really tangy.
- You know how I know it's good?
Because I'm dancing.
I'm gonna take another bite.
- I did this!
I am so happy right now.
I'm just gonna keep on eating.
- These are crunchy,
tangy on the inside, sweet.
- This is so good, I
wouldn't change a thing.
Actually, I think I'm gonna add sour cream
to every one of my meals.
And hot sauce and lime.
- When's a good time to eat these fries?
Every day.
You just need a five-day running start.
- I recommend eating this when you're sad.
This thing is gonna make you happy.
[dramatic bell]
- French fries come in all
shapes, sizes, and textures.
Let's look at how our chefs cut,
fried, and topped their fries.
[dramatic drums]
The most important attribute
when choosing a potato for
frying is the starch content.
Bianca and Khadjiah chose russet potatoes,
which have a high starch content.
Palak chose red skin potatoes,
which have a lower starch content
and higher sugar content,
but could cause the potatoes
to burn on the outside
before they are completely
cooked on the inside.
While most fried foods are coated
in a starch-based batter or breading,
potatoes contain enough starch
to produce a crispy fry on their own.
When the potatoes are
placed in hot frying oil,
the starch absorbs water
naturally present in the potatoes,
and the starch swells,
creating a fluffy interior.
The starch then forms crosslinks
on the exterior of the fry,
which enforces a brittle
coating or crust around the fry,
making it crispy.
The high starch content
of Bianca and Khadjiah's
russet potatoes can create
a crispier French fry
and softer interior.
- I'm gonna use my russet potatoes
'cause it's nice, it's tough.
- The cut can also optimize the crispiness
and fluffiness of the final fry.
Bianca hand-cut her potatoes into fries
that were about three
eighths of an inch thick.
Khadjiah cut her fries
into a half-inch thick
crinkle-cut shape.
And Palak cut her fries
into a shoestring style.
By increasing the surface
area with a thin cut
like Palak did, or by
adding grooves and ridges
to the fry with a crinkle-cut
like Khadjiah did,
the surface area is greater.
Increased surface area can provide
more exterior contact for the hot oil
to brown the potato and
form a crispy crust.
[dramatic drums]
All of our chefs approached
their frying method differently.
Bianca started frying in cold oil
and heated the potatoes
and oil simultaneously.
Khadjiah parboiled, fried, froze,
and then refried her French fries.
And Palak fermented and then
double fried her French fries.
- You can smell a lot
of funkiness in here.
That's fermentation at work.
- With Bianca's slow-heating method,
she allowed the starch
inside the fries to swell
and become fluffy at a slower rate
while also producing a crisp crust.
- This is a great method
because you don't need a oil thermometer.
- As the oil begins to
heat, the starch will swell,
but the pectin, or the
plant fiber, remains intact,
which helps the fries
keep their structure.
If broken down, fries can become limp.
Because the pectin is deactivated
at 170 degrees Fahrenheit,
the slow heating that Bianca employs
can keep the pectin intact for longer,
producing a crisp French fry.
Khadjiah's cooking method
began with parboiling.
The vinegar that Khadjiah
added to her water
will also slow the breakdown of pectin
like Bianca did with her oil,
maintaining the integrity
of the fry when boiled.
The pre-cooking also washes
away some of the sugars
that can cause the potatoes
to burn during frying.
Khadjiah's initial frying removed
some of the residual moisture
left on the potatoes after parboiling.
Freezing the potatoes
converted any leftover moisture
into ice crystals, which
evaporated as steam
during the final frying stage,
creating a very fluffy interior.
Palak fermented her potatoes for five days
before double frying them.
She soaked the potatoes in water
with salt, herbs, and cabbage.
In the oxygen depleted
storage environment,
the natural bacteria found in the potatoes
converts sugar to lactic acid,
creating an acidified potato.
The fermentation process
gave the fries a tangy flavor
and delayed the breakdown of pectin,
allowing the fries to hold up
to the high heat of the oil.
The salty brine that was used
seasoned them thoroughly.
After drying the fries well,
Palak then fried her potatoes twice.
Her first fry gelatinized
the starch inside the potato,
and the second fry
created a crisp coating.
Bianca fried her potatoes in canola oil.
Khadjiah used safflower oil.
And Palak chose grapeseed oil.
All of these oils are neutral flavored,
high smoke point oils.
These oils will not add flavor
to the potatoes during cooking,
and can withstand the
high temperatures required
to deep fat fry without
smoking or burning.
[dramatic drums]
Each chef chose a different flavor profile
to add to their fries.
Bianca made a lime kerma.
Khadjiah made a homemade
queso cheese sauce.
And Palak made curried applesauce.
The acidity in the lime
kerma that Bianca used
will help to balance the
fatty French fry flavor.
The stark contrast in texture,
a crunchy potato in a creamy sour cream,
will complement each
other in the final dish.
Khadjiah used a combination
of herbs and spices,
milk, and cheeses to make her queso sauce.
The fattiness from the cheeses
and the oil in the French fries
will yield a very rich and heavy dish.
Palak made a curry-spiced applesauce
to serve alongside her fries.
She cooked apples with
carrots, celery, and spices
before pureeing the mixture.
The sweetness from the cooked apples
and the combination of spices
will complement the
acidity and starchiness
of the fermented potato fries.
- The golden color is from the tumeric.
And that's a consistency
you're looking for,
it serves like a ketchup.
- Sauces paired with fried
foods like French fries
should have a low water activity.
Low water activity means
moisture in the sauce
is bound to large molecules.
This binding prevents the water
from passing from the
sauce to the French fries.
Khadjiah's queso sauce is high
in fat and lower in water.
It will not disrupt the integrity
of the French fry crust.
High water activity sauces
can make the fries soggy,
dampening the crust's structure.
Bianca's lime kerma has a
fairly high water activity.
To avoid sogginess,
the loaded fries should
be eaten right away.
Palak made a fruit-based sauce,
which has a very high water activity.
This type of sauce is
better suited for dipping
rather than pouring over
top of a plate of fries.
[dramatic drums]
All of our chefs used
some uncooked elements
to top their fries,
which have a fresh flavor
in contrast to the fatty
and starchy French fries.
Bianca topped her fries with cheddar,
tomatoes, and jalapenos.
Khadjiah used red onions.
And Palak used fresh parsley and dill.
Try some of these methods to
get great French fries at home.
[warm orchestral tone]
