Recipe - Homemade French Fries

1 pound Beef fat; cut in
small pieces
Vegetable oil
1 pound Idaho potatoes
Salt

Here are the results of Chicago Tribune Test Kitchen experiments to make
the best homemade French Fries:

1. To render liquid fat from beef fat, cook it in a heavy saucepan over
low heat, about 40 minutes or more. Discard pieces of fat which are left
over. Add an equal part of vegetable oil to beef fat in pan.

2. Cut unpeeled potatoes into long strips about One fourth 3/8inch wide. Soak
in a large bowl of ice water for about 45 minutes. Arrange on paper towels
and carefully pat dry.

3. Heat oil mixture to 365 degrees. Add potatoes in batches so pan isn't
crowded. Fry until they begin to look partially cooked, about 5 minutes.
Remove and let oil return to 365 degrees. Return partially cooked fries and
continue cooking until they are crisp and golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer
to a paper towel to drain. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

NOTES FROM THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE TEST KITCHEN: When we asked where to find
the best french fries, no one suggested homemade ones, which start with
fresh potatoes instead of a bag of frozen sticks. Making french fries from
scratch is a mighty effort, raising the question of whether the end
justifies the means, so the Tribune test kitchen endeavored to find an
answer.

With no apologies to nutritionists, we decided to follow the conventional
wisdom that beef fat is the best way to make goodtasting fries and to try
using less saturated vegetable oil. We got beef fat from the butcher, a big
bag of Idaho spuds and a bottle of vegetable oil to do some experimenting.

Some basic tenets we accepted as truth: The potatoes would be cut by hand
with the peels on. They would be

soaked in ice water for 45 minutes. They would be painstakingly patted dry.
They would be fried twice. The wild cards: What's the best oil to use? Is
it worth all the effort? Beef fat won hands downno contest. Beef fat fries
were crisp and delicate. They were not greasy and had a subtle taste.
People said it smelled as if we were cooking Christmas dinner, which we
took to mean they were used to standing rib roast for Christmas, not french
fries. Those fries were gobbled up. On the =============== Reply 26 of Note
1 =================

Board: FOOD BB Topic: FOOD SOFTWARE Subject: ZMM POTATO MEGA

To: RNMH52A JANICE MAGUIRE Date:
04/24 From: RNMH52A JANICE MAGUIRE Time:
2:14 PM

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