These are the best French Fries - the sugar solution has something to do with the carbohydrates, but by doing it they don't soak up so much grease, so they get crunchy.

French Fried Potatoes

white sugar

water

potatoes

vegetable oil

salt

In a medium bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water. Soak potatoes in water mixture for 15 minutes. Remove from water, and dry thoroughly on paper towels.


Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Add potatoes, and cook until golden, 5 to 6 minutes. drain on paper towels. Season with salt to taste.


Out of curiousity, I divided my potatoes into two batches and soaked one batch in cold water only, and the other in cold water with the sugar added. I must say that the one soaked in sugar water did come out crispier. The difference in the taste was discernible at best, but you can totally tell that one was crispier than the other, so I would suggest that you use sugar as listed in the recipe. Wonderful french fries. Finally I can forget buying thosed frozen ones. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It is a keeper.

Planned on fries tonight and decided to experiment.  Per Martha S. I've been soaking my potatoes in cold water for at least 2 hours before cooking.  I tried cold sugar water, warm sugar water and cold plain water.  There was diffinately a difference with the sugar water which my son noticed as well.  There wasn't much of a difference with warm or cold sugar water, but our preference was the cold.  It just may have been the first batch we cooked.  Will be doing the cold sugar method from now on as these were good. At first I didn't think it would work because the potatoes were crisp in the plain cold water and interestingly, the sugar water made the potates softer before cooking.

This is the way to make homemade fries as in a restaurant. It's in the sugar, guys! However... if you want them a bit crispier, here's a trick: first blanch the fries in hot oil for 2 min. Remove, let cool. Return and fry till golden brown.

Okay gang for those who think it's odd to soak them in warm water...well the warm water is merely to dissolve the sugar.  After the sugar is dissolved I add some ice and then do the soaking.  These fries are the best.  I have baked these (spraying with pam &amp; seasoning w/ garlic salt) as well as fried them and they are always a hit.  Thanks Lorelei!

Soaking potatoes ahead in warm water with sugar worked wonders, but borrowed technique from Alton Brown by first frying at 320 deg. until potatoes just began to float, removed from oil, and drained then increased frying temperature to 375 deg for a second quick fry (watch the fries carefully - the difference between crispy fries and shoestring potatoes is just very far apart!).  Had been looking for a "perfect" french fries recipe for a long time and this one is the closest to perfect yet!

Such lovely, crispy fries! I will never use another recipe! The only change I made was that I drained my fries on a paper bag rather than paper towels; doing this makes them not as greasy.

Excellent! The sugar water really does work...I cut my fries very thin because I like them xtra crispy and making them the normal way you pretty much have to cut them very thin to get them crispy...Big mistake when using the sugar water! They were TOO crispy...I cannot wait to make these again...I will just make sure to cut them a lot thicker this time!

I was surprised by how well these fries tasted. I only ate a few (need to lose weight)but my husband inhaled the rest. He said they were the best fries he has ever had (thats a big compliment because he doesn't really like french fries). I followed directions and they came out great but instead of seasoning the fries with salt I used McCormick Grill Mates Roasted Garlic and Herb seasoning. It tasted great on the french fries. So I would suggest instead of just using plain salt on your fries, go to your spice rack and pick out a nice spice mix to put on your french fries. Seasoning salt tastes good too.

I made two kinds of fries tonight to go with our fish dinner. These by far are "THE BEST" fries - homemade or otherwise! My family loved them!! Crispy outside-soft inside! Whenever I'm in the mood for "fried" fries - this is the recipe I'll use! Thanks!

White Vinegar works like the sugar does, it pulls out the carbs so they can get crispy.  Put a couple capfulls in the water, enough to just smell it, and you won't taste it after you fry.

I have not tried this, but in the 60's I was a fry cooker at McDonalds. We would cut, wash, (3 times) and then blanch them. (325 degrees) After they were blanched, we would let them cool, then refry them at 375 degrees til golden brown. The secret was in washing them, and drying them. The bottom of our sinks were covered with starch, and thats what we tried to get rid of. After three washes, there was little or no starch left.

This is my go to recipe for homemade french fries. I usually soak in sugar water for at least 1/2 an hour or overnight in refrigerator (water should be clear) and then drain and absorb as much of the water on a reusable drying mat and allow to dry as much as possible. I keep one just for these fries.  Always do a long fry (about 6-10 minutes depending on how thick your potatoes are cut- we prefer large wedges) and then just before you're ready to serve, refry till golden brown, about 2 minutes. not sure if it matters whether you do long or short fry first, but the long fry first makes most sense if you're doing fish AND chips.  I've done both with great results.  Prefrying the potatoes ahead of time helps speed up dinner time. Perfect and delicious every time! I cook for 5 hungry kids so anything I can do ahead helps. 
To save paper towel, line a large platter with folded newspaper under a of couple of pieces of paper towel.
Also, a large cast iron pot for frying is best. You can sustain the temperature of the oil better and fry larger and fewer batches. 

For those wondering what to do with the leftover oil, let it cool, strain or pour into a covered container and store in the fridge for your next time you need to deep fry something. I find reused oil actually makes the food taste better and it browns the food better as well. I add fresh oil to top up because you will lose some each time you fry and you have to get rid of the brown bits which causes the oil to go rancid.

OK, I see alot of great reviews. Today I experimented with different temperatures and thickness of potatoes. I must be doing something wrong. My fries either came out soggy or soggy and dark. If I kept my temperature at 365 they would burn before the cooked inside. If I lowered the temp. they would be soggy. Please Help!

This is the secret to the perfect french fry.

1)soak overnight in cold water with 2 tablespoons white sugar.
2)Dry with paper towel
3)blanch in vegetable oil with burner on medium until just before they turn brown - then remove to paper towel.
4)Turn burners to high and cook until fries reach your desired brown hue.
5)Enjoy the deliciousness

Another trick for draining is to use a cooling rack over paper towel or cookie sheet. I do this anytime I deep fry! It really works!

the two key things here are the sugar water and cooking twice!!! I will admit i was skeptical especially when i saw how soggy the potatos were out of the sugar water and then after they cooled from being in the oil after dipping the first time. but they came out perfectly crispy after the second dip in the oil for a few more minutes.  One other note...if you've tried french frying potatoes at home you know that cooking them takes forever..this method speeds it up greatly we did two batches in less time than it normally took one.  good recipe..finally good fresh cut fries at home!!!

I dissolved the sugar in the water, and then put a few ice cubes in with the potatoes, as per others' reviews. I let them soak in the fridge for a few hours before first blanching them in oil, and then doing a fry. They were great!

The best fries I've ever had.  I've tried making my own in the past on numerous occasions and they've never been as crisp as these.  Yum yum!

How have I never known that fries should be soaked in cold water prior to frying? I stopped making homemade fries years ago cause they would always be soggy. I knew I was doing something wrong but had no idea what..till today. I soaked them in cold sugared water for 2 hours,dried then fried. They were perfectly crisp outside,perfectly golden brown, none burned and they were absolutely delicious.I will NEVER buy those frozen fries again!

The sugar really does make all the difference!  You do need to fry twice though.  About 2 or 3 min the first time and let them cool.  Then fry them again till golden.

I followed MarylandGirl's advice and fried my potatoes twice.  Since I don't have a deep fryer, I just used a heavy saucepan and set the heat to medium and fried/blanched for about 3 minutes, drained, and cooled.  I then increased the temperature of the oil by turning up the heat to med-hi and fried a second time, 3-4 minutes.  The sugar solution is a great trick, only I used ice cold water and soaked for almost 30 minutes.  I will use this recipe and technique again.  Thank you all for sharing =)

I did the quick fry and then a second fry. Delicious.  My husband and I both thought they were as good as Five Guys or better. I used red potatoes.  My mother always soaked her french fries in ice water before frying to get them crispy.  The sugar water lends a sweet flavor to go with lightly salted fries.

If you are looking for fries that taste like the street vendors or a steak sandwich place these are it. They are slightly crispy on the outside but very soft on the inside. Make sure to use the large "russet" potatoes as suggested. They are the best for baked potatoes and fries. The fries are actually quite easy to make to. I just fried them in my mini deep fryer one batch at a time. The timing is very precise to about 5-6 minutes per batch. Make sure to have a salad or something else, because these are hard to quit eating.

My difference, I double fried mine, like Paula does, and I see from the reviews that Alton does also (I only recently started watching him) I also saw a tip in one of the reviews to use the salad spinner to drain the water. How clever! I forget about that little spinning wonder sometimes.

I doubled the recipe and followed the suggestion of frying twice.  I soaked the potatoes in the warm sugar water.  Dried fully and then put in the fridge until I was ready to fry them.  Fried them in a fry daddy for 1-2 minutes and did all potatoes.  Then went back through and refried for 2-3 minutes or until golden.  Salted and put in oven on 175 degrees to keep warm.  These turned out great.  The taste was really good and they were a little crispy and soft on the inside.  Will make these again.

yum. I did the double fry thing because that is what I see done on every food cooking tv show and it worked. Thanks for the recipe.

These were delicious. My whole family loved them. Quick and simple and a great side for lots of dishes. We added salt, pepper, chili and garlic powder to them for flavor (I add that to all the fries we cook). Will definitely make again!

GREAT RECIPE!  I soaked w/ warm sugar water and coated w/ my Gluten Free AP Flour Mix and everyone LOVED THEM! THANK YOU!

Terrific. Customize seasoning to preference. I like to add chili powder and seasoning salt for something with a burst. But still great as written.

I really liked the soaking in sugar water. I was able to cut &amp; prepare these way ahead of time. And when fried, they came out crispy &amp; good. I added some seasoning when they came out of fryer.

These french fries taste just like New York Fries!! I like to spice them up with a little bit of paprika and cumin rather than salt! So yummy! I have made these over and over again!

The sugar solution is great. For the first time, my wife has loved home cooked fries. I fried them twice though. Froze them between fryings. That seems to make them more crispy on the outside while keeping the inside soft. The kids like them better than at the "M" place! Thanks for the idea!

This technique is truly amazing! I'm going to try it with hash browns and baked potato wedges!

These are awesome!  The only thing we did differently was to double fry them.

I've always soaked potatoes in ice water before frying them to make them crispier on the outside and creamier on the inside - but the addition of the sugar really helps!  Try sprinkling a little lemon juice over the potatoes and stirring them as soon as they come out of the fat.  The lemon juice seems to turn a little sweet, and really flavors the potatoes.

Great recipe. Made tonight and was a big hit. Thank you for sharing. 

Really good!  My family liked these better than the frozen type.  I took some other reviewers suggestions and fried 2 min. in 375 oil; allowed to cool for about 10 min. then put back in the fyer for an additional 5+ min.  A keeper!

The sugar water makes this recipe complete. Thanks for the tip.

My family asolutley loved this! Some tips were very helpful Thanks!

Crunchy and crisp! Add 3-4 shakes of salt, and mix around.

Awesome!!  After this recipe, my boyfriend at the time refused to eat any other fries if they didn't come from my kitchen!!

I dunno what ANYONE saying this recipe could be improved upon is talking about! This ROCKED my glass pot tops!

Delicious. I had to make fries for more than 2 people so I doubled everything. Water sugar and potatoes. I soaked the potatoes for about 2 hours and then drained them and dried them a bit with a towel. I went with the hint of blanching them for a few minutes and then pulled them out of the oil. Once all the batches were done I could quickly get them crispy and brown. This took about 3 to 5 minutes per batch for the amount I Deep fried. They were so good my husband said that if there had been a five gallon pail full he would have still ate everything there. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I agree With another poster that the warm water is used to dissolve the sugar. I did this with one cup of warm water and then added the rest of the water as cold. I also put a layer of ice cubes over the potatoes as they were soaking. Then when it was time to take them out they were nice and cold.

Great recipe.  Only changes I made were cooking canola oil on a skillet medium-high.  YUM!

Never thought a sugar solution would be the key to great fries!  Thanks, will make these again!


Dragged out the old Frydaddy the wife hasn't used in years.  Perfection on the first try! Combined a couple tips from other reviewers to make the process go smooth and easy.  Tossed the potatoes in the water and put the bowl in the refrig for about forty minutes and used a salad spinner to save on paper towels. Drained the finished product on a paper towels on top of newspaper.  Thank you Lorelei.

I tried this with making homemade hashbrowns this morning. After chopping up the potatoes, I let them soak in the sugar water solution. By far the best fried potatoes I have ever had. I will be buying frozen potatoes NO more! Brown and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside! Perfect! Worth the effort!

My whole family really liked these fries. HOWEVER, for me they took forever and a day to cook. Fortunately I had horribly misjudged the time the entree was going to be done, so I was able to leave these in longer. Maybe 3x longer. BUT it could be that I had my potatoes cut much larger than the person who submitted this recipe did. So basically, the larger the cut, the longer the cooking time. The only ones that got crunchy were the little pieces, but that was ok. They really tasted like steakhouse fries. They were very good. My daughter (6 yr) has requested that I make these everynight. Ya right, like that's gonna happen. =  )

These were good. somewhat tastier than regular cut potatoes deep fried. i will probably make these again. I made two batches one regular and one with nacho cheese.

Tried it not as good as Mom's Everyone has there tricks to crisp french fries. My mother tough me to boil them to just before they are tinder and dry them  then fry them till golden to your liking.

This wasn't one of my favorite recipes, my baby threw it on the ground for the dog, and my kids went to the neighbors for dinner!!! But I thought it was pretty good!

Thse fries turned out terrible for me. I do better off when I don't soak the potatoes. Maybe I didn't use enough sugar in the water but I will not be trying these again. The time it takes for the potatoes to sit is the deterrent for me. My 4yr who adores fries wouldn't eat them.

Great french fries!! Better then the frozen, and better then the fast food fries. I followed the recommendation of another reviewer, and blanched in hot oil for 2 minutes, then drained for 1 minute and back in the oil for 5 minutes. Came out crispy and golden brown!

The sugar makes the difference, but if you really want to make the best fries, fry them in beef tallow.  That's what made MacDonald's fries taste so special before they caved in to extremists in 1990. Lard is almost as good and readily available.

I really liked these, you have to cook them longer that suggested, and the trick is to cut them thin. I also fried them twice as suggested, and kept them in the oven on a rack to keep warm, the longer they were in there the more crisp they got.

I soaked mine in cold water to remove the starch.  Fried twice (first to blanch, then to crisp) and skipped the sugar solution.  Also, I only used 1 cup of vegetable oil.  They turned out wonderfully!

Really good! I baked mine ( trying to cut down on the fat n calories from deep frying) and they still turned out great!!!! I can only imagine what these would taste like if I were to actually fry them!  The only thing I did different as far as the recipe was I did cold soak them before since I had cut the potato's in advance. Then did the warm water with sugar! WONDERFUL!!!

Very good--I have been using this sugar/water formula since trying this.  Like some other reviewers, I also fry twice because that is how I remember my grandmother and aunt making fries when I was young.

An awesome recipe. It was my first time cooking french fries and they were delicious!

Good recipe--although the cooking time seemed a little short to me.  At 5 or 6 minutes, these were still pretty "pale" in color.  I fried mine for more like 8-9 minutes with excellent results.

Made these for Thanksgiving for the picky grandkids.  After I finished frying them my grand-daughter requested I fry hers a little more crispier so being the grandma I am I did.  I noticed in doing this they turned golden brown and nice.  They were good originally but better after second fry.  I seasoned them with Lawry's Ranch Flavored French Fry Seasoning.  Some of the adults could not help themselves and said they were delicious and tasted like Red Robin restaurant fries. All and all a good recipe.

I tried these last night.. great recipe!   I soaked them for about an hour. Drained well, then layed them out on a towel while the oil heated (used Canola oil). I blanch fried them and it worked perfectly! Light, crispy fries.   I didn't get an overly sweet taste.. just clean potato taste came through

These are the best, very similar to McDonals's fries. My family loved them and want to know when we will have them again.

I haven't exactly used this recipe but it's just like the one my Mom passed down to me 40 years ago and with a little tweaking I made it my own and it's just like this one so I know this is worth 5 stars. ?? I find using vegetable oil like this recipe calls for is the best. I use it too. It's light and not heavy like olive oils and others can be. I also use a Westmark Potato Slicer and set it to make the fries thin like Mc Donald's fries except I leave the potato peel on. Mc Donald's removes the peel. The real secret is the sugar water. Trust me you will not get fries that taste sweet! Not in the least bit! In my 40 years of making them I have yet to be able to put my finger on exactly what the sugar does but I think it helps keep the fries light and not oily, fry up crisp and taste absolutely perfect! This recipe is worth all 5 stars and more!

Pretty good fries but be sure to cut the potatoes the correct size as the larger ones would not crisp up.

These are sooo yummy!!!  My husband is a french fry fanatic and he said these were probably the best he's ever tasted!  Great recipe!

Super bummed.  Very soggy.  We choked them down because we hate waste.  So disappointed.

My family loved these.  Surprised that there is no sugary taste.  Crisp on the outside.  This is how french fries are done.  Thanks Lorelei

I used gold potatoes instead cause that's what I had... But followed everything else as it is.. And they came out really good. My kids liked them also.. That says a lot;)

mmmmmmmmmmmmm. I've made these 4 or 5 times and they are always great. I usually dissolve the sugar in warm water then add ice cubes to cool it down before I soak the potatoes and I fry them for 2 minutes, take them out and then fry them for another 6 or so minutes and they are perfect. Better than McDonalds. :)  

I fried them twice as other reviewers suggested and it worked great.  My husband's comment was "these are impressive."  Thanks for all the good tips!

They turn out great every time.  I cook mine a lilttle longer bout 9 minutes though  Second time i made them i didn't peel the potatoes. I just cut it up. They turned out awesome!

The sugar has to be the trick here because I have never achieved the crispness that these fries have.  I did cook a bit longer, probably about 10-11 minutes.

My husband loved them...he said they remind him on In and Out Burger French Fries.

I have made these several times and they taste great.  Fresh french fries are much better than anything at McDonalds! The kids love them!

real crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.i left the skin on and the wedges with the most skin on them tasted really great! i followed the suggestions of the other reviewers and soaked in cold water for a few minutes before frying.

thank you!

So Easy and Delicious! One potato made a bunch for just me...my hubby wanted baked beans! Used my thin slicer on my food processor..a breeze! Thanks for the recipe..reminds me of my grandmother's homemade French fries when I was small.

These Remind me of a Fast Food Chain Fries like Wendy's. These are so good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

These are very good. My son asks for them all the time.

A great way to make fries. We had always done the short fry kind of like a blanching, but we had never tried with the sugar, this works great! I dissolved the sugar in warm water then cooled it off with ice. I will make fries like this from now on.

Worked like a charm! Kept the fries lighter and crispier than ordinary frying. Must have been a chemist that figured this one out.

Okay, so my cooking skills are sub-par to say the least, but this is by far the most amazing thing I have ever made with my own two hands in my entire life. These french fries are pure bliss. On par with my all time favorite McDonald's fries. Thank you!

Very good. I ran out of time so they didn't dry completely, but they were still good. I probably should have cooked them a bit longer, also. I will use this recipe again. Very good!!

These were great! Much different tasting than our normal potatoes in the deep fryer method w/salt and pepper.

I wanted this to work so badly. Recipe as written did not give me crunchy french fries. Recipe as modified by others (2 minutes in oil, then remove, then the final 5 minutes or so) also did not give me the french fry of my dreams. Could be my potatoes, could be operator error, not sure. I'll try again.

Fantstic!!! Oh my, these turned out just you would get at a county fair. Crisp and tender, perfect!

Wonderful potatoes! My husband loved these too! Super easy to make. I used nature's seasoning for the seasoning and it was very good. 6 cups wasn't enough to cover the fries in my deep frier, so make sure you check to make sure they are covered before you start your timer. Thanks so much Lorelei!

These fries rock!! I had planned on making them last night, but after peeling, cutting and soaking in the sugar bath-our dining plans changed.  So.... they held in the sugar bath in the fridge till tonight. Patted them dry, fried them up, salted them and polished them all off!  I even greatly increased the amounts of potatoes but my family of 5 did not even leave a spud rubble!  I am a believer in the sugar bath now!  Thanks for a great recipe!  (Oh, and I cut them quite thick-they were better than the county fair fries!)  Yum!

Hmmm.  Ended up a bit soggy - other french fry recipes on this site seemed to work for me a little better...

I don't have a deep-fryer, but using a medium-sized pot with oil heated on medium high worked perfectly.  I fried mine until they were turning golden brown; they were only slightly crispy, but we like them better soft so they were perfect.  Can't wait to try this recipe with sweet potatoes! Thanks.

Soaking the potatoes in water- sugered or otherwise removes some of the starch which is why they get crispy- less gummy starch.  The twice fry method helps also.

These turned out great!  I'm going to play a bit with how I soak and fry them to get them just right to my liking, but following the recipe as is turned out pretty well.

french fried potatoes

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total: 40 minutes

Servings: 4

Cost: $3.09 /serving

Author : Allrecipes

Ingredients

Instructions

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