Can you believe it? For 5️⃣0️⃣ years, I was cooking potatoes wrong! 😐😱 It took a chance meeting with a neighboring chef to finally set me straight 🫢😨 He shared the secrets I never knew, and now, every fry is perfect 🤤🍟 Read the article below to uncover secrets ⬇️
Frying potatoes in a frying pan seems quite simple. But recently I realized that I had been doing it wrong. My friend, a culinary expert, shared with me a few secrets that changed my approach to cooking this dish.
I will share with you the subtleties of frying potatoes. Despite the complexity of the dish and the small number of ingredients, it is important to know the details and nuances of the processes that occur during frying.
A few tips for perfect fried potatoes:
Shape of the shredding
Potatoes can be sliced into straws, circles, squares or wedges. It is important to slice thinly, as large pieces may not crisp up inside. Use coarse cuts only for braising.
Rinsing
Before frying, pour cool water over the cut potatoes for about 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly to remove excess starch. This will prevent the potatoes from sticking to the pan. After rinsing, let the potatoes dry out a bit so that the oil doesn’t splatter.
What kind of oil
Use deodorized, odorless vegetable oil, such as sunflower oil, olive oil or corn oil. Butter may make the potatoes taste better, but they may burn. Add a dollop of a little butter while frying for flavor.
Onion slicing
Onions are optional. If you add it, slice it into thin straws or grate it. This will add flavor to the dish.
Frying
Heat the frying pan for a minute on high heat, then pour the oil and heat it for half a minute. Start frying the potatoes at a temperature of about 200 degrees, laying them out in a layer of no more than 4-5 centimeters-in order for them to fry well.
How to achieve a rich flavor
Fry one side of the potatoes without turning them over on high heat until a light crust forms. This crust is created by the Maillard reaction and caramelization of sugars, which gives the potatoes a rich flavor. Do not stir the potatoes frequently to avoid disturbing their texture.
Onions
When the potatoes are browned on both sides, add the onions and stir fry them so that they are on the bottom of the pan. You can fry the onions separately for even browning, but you can fry them together with the potatoes. Fry the onions for 3 minutes, then reduce heat to medium.
Salt
Salt the potatoes after adding the onions. Fry over medium heat for another 7 minutes, stirring occasionally to allow the water to evaporate. The salt causes the potatoes to release moisture that needs to evaporate so the potatoes don’t soften.
Simmering under a lid
At the end of cooking, reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet with a lid and keep on the heat for another 3-5 minutes. This will prevent the potatoes from drying out and overcooking.
Following these tips, you will be able to prepare the perfect fried potatoes, after which everyone will ask for more. Bon appetit!
