Poochie Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Nice looking taters MacKenzie. That last batch looked like winners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted November 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 They still need to maintain the crispness for longer but they sure tasted great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Well, I changed my dinner plans last night and did try this. I'm with you, MacKenzie, need a lot more practice and experimentation to catch up to Syz. I did 2 styles - wedges and frites. Potatoes in the SV @ 183F for 30 minutes. Then shocked them under running cold water in the sink (still in the bags). To bryan's point, I did dust the wedges in cornstarch and seasoning before frying in my deep fryer @ 360F. First batch cooked for 4 minutes, not crispy at all, despite having a light brown color. Second batch for 6 minutes, still not very crispy, and just a tad darker. Don't think that longer was going to significantly improve the results. Next time, I'll use my bigger fryer, which gets to 375F, and see if it improves the results. The classic cut frites were fried without coating, again @ 360F, for about 4 1/2 minutes. Decent, but I've done much better using traditional methods. Did another batch for 5 minutes. Again, only marginal improvement in crispiness. Still thinking the temp needs to be higher (370F - 375F). But, to Syz's point, the interior texture was spot on. So, just gotta keep playing with the second frying - temp and times, to see if I can replicate my classic double fried frites! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted November 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Tony, you sure did a lot of experimentation. I do like the interior of the fries cooked at 194 F for 15 mins. It's getting the crispy outside that we need to figure out. I wonder if frying at a lower temp. say starting at 350F drop the fries in and that will extend the frying time and perhaps we would get a thicker crust of fried potato on the outside leaving a creamy inside. I am going to try another batch where I do a soak out of the cut fries to get rid of some of the starch, add some vinegar, SV, freeze then fry at 350F. In the end I want to be able to SV the cut potatoes and freeze for later use. It would be great to just be able to pull some out of the freezer and fry for dinner. That's my goal. BTW, I have bought some extra butter to make ghee;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted November 3, 2015 Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 Excellent plan, MacKenzie. It reminded me that I didn't soak the potatoes before putting them in the SV bath, a step that I would normally do if doing them traditional style. Let's keep experimenting and sharing notes, as I know that between the two of us, we'll get it figured out! I love ghee, but have a local Indian market where I can buy it, so I haven't made any for a long time. Simple to do, but grabbing a jar off the shelf is soooo much easier! Once we get this figured out, I'll up my game and fry them in duck fat. I have a tub in the freezer that's been calling me! I think I'm down to my last duck leg confit, so time to do some more confit, too. I can get a 3# tub from my local butcher for $25. Can't beat that with a stick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted November 3, 2015 Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 I must interject here. I understand the experiments to try and get the perfect fry but maybe we are in the - right tool for the job syndrome. Will a kamado with a Wok make good stir fry and Chinese dishes? Absolutely! Is it the best tool for the job? Not by a long shot. Same holds true for Kamados versus dedicated pizza oven. I think you two are now in the same loop with SV fries versus a high end deep fryer. OK bring it on - I have my full flame suit with flak jacket doned and zipped up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted November 3, 2015 Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 I think you two are now in the same loop with SV fries versus a high end deep fryer. OK bring it on - I have my full flame suit with flak jacket doned and zipped up. I much prefer potatoes pan-fried in ghee to deep-fried in vegetable oil. (Lard is a different story. Then there's the elusive horse fat.) You'll note that I advocate sous vide as a first step for pan-frying. I haven't tried it for french fries. My prejudice is that one deep-fries french fries twice at different temperatures deliberately, and that sous vide is not a substitute for the first deep-fry step. Nevertheless, these are fascinating experiments. You needlessly suited up, hoping for flames? What I often think but rarely say: Lack of imagination is not an acceptable form of reason. It isn't accepted as a form of proof in mathematics, and we mathematicians watch helplessly as it is routinely accepted as a form of proof outside mathematics. More to the point, a sous vide water bath is far more manageable than a hot oil deep fryer. Ask anyone who has sharpened using both an oil stone and a water stone. Or painted with both oil paint and latex. Oil is messy, and water rocks! Of course, if one is going to fire up a deep fryer for pass two, it is available with little additional effort for pass one. If one has equipment for a water bath, it is also available with little additional effort for pass one. So this is an empirical question, not meant to upset people who resist change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted November 3, 2015 Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 Don't get me wrong - I love a good experiment - half of my cooks are some type of experiment. I try and keep an open mind to anything and I've been following this thread. Just not sure how practical this one is in the end but then again I haven't been taste testing them along the way either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted November 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 It maybe that we will still have to fry twice but I like the idea of doing SV for the first cooking procedure rather than a pot on the stove. The SV is just so predictable. As you said if you are going to fry once it won't be much more work to fry twice. It would be easy to do the double fry once the potato is cooked inside. We'll enjoy the experimenting:) Thanks for the input Syzgies and I'm sure I will be trying those pan fried potatoes with the ghee too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted November 3, 2015 Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 Unfortunately for this experiment, I have other dinner plans for the rest of the week and won't get to try again until at least Sunday. So, looks like you're carrying the water for us for a while, MacKenzie! (pun intended!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted November 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 I have another batch underway but not sure if I can try the fry part tomorrow or not, but Thurs for sure I should some something to report, good or bad who knows. Enjoy the other dinner plans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poochie Posted November 4, 2015 Report Share Posted November 4, 2015 Way way back in the day when I was 16, I worked at McDonalds. Yes, I had to club dinosaurs out of my way to get to work back then. They used REAL potatoes that were put in an auto peeler. Then we would put each one through a press to make the fries. Next step was to wash them 7 times in a giant sink. On wash number 7, the water was crystal clear. They were blanched for 5 minutes and then held waiting for the second and final fry to actually serve a customer. They were the best fries MickeyD's ever had. Now they use frozen. What does this has to do with the current discussion? I have no idea. But that's how the pros did it in the Jurassic days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted November 4, 2015 Report Share Posted November 4, 2015 McDonald's was my first real job(16 also). I worked the fish and apple pie deep fry station (among other stations). One day I accidentally dropped a piece of fish straight into the fryer (instead of in the basket). Without even thinking I dove my hand in there to retrieve it. Dam that hurt. Yea I was young and dumb in those days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted November 4, 2015 Report Share Posted November 4, 2015 Don't get me wrong - I love a good experiment. Oh I know. This forum is such a nice place, I feared that you wouldn't realize your wish to be flamed unless I took one for the team! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted November 4, 2015 Report Share Posted November 4, 2015 Way way back in the day when I was 16, I worked at McDonalds. McDonald's was my first real job( My version of this was Schaller's Drive-In on Lake Ontario. I remember best drawing straws to push the "on" button for the onion mincing machine. There would be a "The Martian" rescue afterwards, two guys carrying me into the walk-in freezer and tilting my head at the overhead fan, till I recovered. Perhaps that's why I thought the scuba mask for cutting onions in Diva (1981) was so funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted November 4, 2015 Report Share Posted November 4, 2015 That's the classic technique, Poochie, except I don't wash mine 7 times - DAMN! I do soak them in salted water and rinse them, then they get air dried before the first blanch fry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted November 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 If it wasn't so late I'd report on today's experiment, there is still more fine tuning but I will do a write up tomorrow with pixs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 I don't wash mine 7 times - DAMN! You have a problem with the number seven? Some old work of mine: In Shuffling Cards, 7 Is Winning Number Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 Kewl! Don't have a problem with the number 7, just washing my spuds that many times! I don't even wash rice that many times, generally only 3 or 4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 You have a problem with the number seven? Some old work of mine: In Shuffling Cards, 7 Is Winning Number OMG! I read some of your stuff back in grad school! It caused me no end of grief! Nice to "meet" ya! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
