Why Do I Need To Use Corn Starch And Vinegar While Making Restaurant Potato Fries? (2024)

FAQs

Why Do I Need To Use Corn Starch And Vinegar While Making Restaurant Potato Fries? ›

Starch, when fried, is what creates that crispy surface we want! Meanwhile adding acid (the vinegar) to the water prevents the potatoes from disintegrating for the 10 minute simmering time required.

Vinegar: Vinegar is used to enhance the flavor of the potato fries. When a small amount of vinegar is added to the soaking water before frying, it can help impart a tangy flavor to the fries without making them taste overly vinegary.

Deep fried french fries are often double fried (once at a lower temp, once at a higher temp to crisp) I found out that the same thing works magically for oven fries! You can make oven french fries so good and crispy. Soak the potatoes in cold water after cutting for at least 30 minutes.

Vinegar is almost always added to starch-based biopolymers to change the molecular structure of the starch, making it stronger and more workable. It helps to disrupt the molecules further, resulting in a hom*ogenous bioplastic.

Starch rich potatoes usually turn soft and crumbly, while frying or baking. So, if you are making delicacies wherein you want the potatoes to be crispy and crunchy, then removing starch is the best way to keep your wafers, fries, crispy potatoes, hash browns crisp and delicious.

It's not so diffierent from putting ketchup on your chips. The idea is that you add something slightly acidic to your rather bland fried potatoes. I sprinkle the vinegar liberally over the fish as well (and the peas,) — but the vinegar is actually a condiment for the fried potatoes.

Vinegar alone as a condiment is unusual in America. Some others have mentioned that the style of fries that people put vinegar on in Britain are not the thin square kind but what Americans call home fries. Home fries are traditionally served at home or at steak joints.

And generally speaking, restaurants fry their french fries twice: once at a lower temperature to cook the inside of the fry, and then a second time at a higher temperature to brown the exterior.

Blanching: The Reason Why French Fries Taste Better

Your potatoes need to take two separate dips in hot oil to reach restaurant quality. Oil-blanching is a two-part process that reduces the moisture and starch content in your fries, helping them crisp up.

When cornstarch is mixed with vinegar, a chemical reaction does not occur that would cause bubbling. Instead, the mixture forms a paste-like substance. Cornstarch is a thickening agent commonly used in cooking and baking. It is derived from the starch found in corn kernels.

Why sprinkle vinegar on potatoes? ›

Vinegar causes the potatoes to form a thin crust that further helps in retaining their shape. Vinegar increases the acid pH levels of water which further helps the potato just like when you add a little salt to the water while boiling eggs.

Not your ordinary fry, these tangy boardwalk-inspired spuds are soaked in vinegar, refrigerated to allow the natural sugars to develop and then fried to a golden brown finish. Dress the rustic cut potatoes in plenty of vinegar and salt to enhance the already-tangy flavor.

The main reasons to cut the potatoes and pre-soak in water are: To allow the excess starches and sugars to be removed from the outer surface of the fry strips AND to keep the potatoes from browning prematurely from exposure to air. Covering in water helps the potato from turning a dark color.

Using cornstarch (or arrowroot) is optional. However it does add a light coating to the fries and helps them brown and crisp up in the oven.

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes. Cold water is used because hot water would react with the starch activating it, making it harder to separate from the potatoes.

Now to French fries, which did not come from France, they originated in Belgium and no one put ketchup on them because ketchup, as we now know it, had not been invented yet. The British put out malt vinegar for dipping their fries. The French themselves tend to just eat the fries straight.

Yes, vinegar and fries is a delight most Canadians love. It's a British thing. Except in French Canada, poutine is fries with cheese curds and gravy.

Condiment – Of course, it goes without saying that splashing malt vinegar on fish and chips helps to add flavour and cut the greasiness of the dish.

malt vinegar on fries. i love it. i'm not going to eat five guys. fries without it.