| 1 | Here are the results of chicago tribune test kitchen experiments to make the best homemade french fries: |
| 2 | To render liquid fat from beef fat, cook it in a heavy saucepan over low heat, about 40 minutes or more. |
| 3 | Discard pieces of fat which are left over. |
| 4 | Add an equal part of vegetable oil to beef fat in pan. |
| 5 | Cut unpeeled potatoes into long strips about ? 3/8-inch wide. |
| 6 | Soak in a large bowl of ice water for about 45 minutes. |
| 7 | Arrange on paper towels and carefully pat dry. |
| 8 | Heat oil mixture to 365 degrees. |
| 9 | Add potatoes in batches so pan isn"t crowded. |
| 10 | Fry until they begin to look partially cooked, about 5 minutes. |
| 11 | Remove and let oil return to 365 degrees. |
| 12 | Return partially cooked fries and continue cooking until they are crisp and golden, 4 to 5 minutes. |
| 13 | Transfer to a paper towel to drain. |
| 14 | Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately. |
| 15 | 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. |
| 16 | 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. |
| 17 | with no apologies to nutritionists, we decided to follow the conventional wisdom that beef fat is the best way to make good-tasting fries and to try using less saturated vegetable oil. |
| 18 | We got beef fat from the butcher, a big bag of idaho spuds and a bottle of vegetable oil to do some experimenting. |
| 19 | some basic tenets we accepted as truth: the potatoes would be cut by hand with the peels on. |
| 20 | They would be |
| 21 | soaked in ice water for 45 minutes. |
| 22 | They would be painstakingly patted dry. |
| 23 | They would be fried twice. |
| 24 | The wild cards: what"s the best oil to use? is it worth all the effort? beef fat won hands down-no contest. |
| 25 | Beef fat fries were crisp and delicate. |
| 26 | They were not greasy and had a subtle taste. |
| 27 | 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. |
| 28 | Those fries were gobbled up. |
| 29 | On the =============== reply 26 of note 1 ================= |
| 30 | board: food bb topic: food software subject: z-mm potato mega |
| 31 | to: rnmh52a janice maguire date: 04/24 |
