Triple Cooked Fries Recipe · i am a food blog (2024)

I have an obsession with French fries. I love, love, love them. They are a combo of one of my favourite foods (potatoes) and cooking methods (deep-frying). If deep fried foods weren’t so calorific, I’d definitely indulge in them daily. The crunch and texture differences get me every single time.

Triple Cooked Fries Recipe · i am a food blog (1)

I’ve tried making french fries at home multiple times and they never turn out quite as good as when someone else makes them. I’m not sure if it’s the commercial deep-fryers, or some secret that I don’t know about, but every time I give french fries a go, they end up disappointing.

Some of the best french fries (or chips, as the British like to call them) I’ve had were at Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant, Dinner. The triple cooked chips were insanely good. They had crispy-crunchy, shattering exteriors and fluffy, moist interiors.

They were so good that I should have known my at-home attempt would be pale in comparison. No surprise: they were ok, but not great. Definitely not as crunchy as I wanted them to be. I think I over cooked the potatoes a bit when simmering them. These were a little too fussy to try again, but I think trying again is going to be the only way I get to eat these fries unless I can somehow make my way to London again.

i am cooked, i am cooked, i am cooked again: i am triple cooked fries!

Triple Cooked Fries Recipe from Heston Blumental at Home
makes a lot of fries

  • 2 pounds baker’s potatoes, peeled and cut into fries (approximately 2x2x6 cm)
  • grape seed oil
  • sea salt

Place the fries into a bowl of running water for 5 minutes to wash the starch off.

Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and fill with cold tap water until potatoes are covered. Place the pan on medium heat and simmer until the potatoes are almost falling apart, about 20 minutes.

Carefully remove the fires and place them on a cooling rack to dry out. Place the rack in the freezer to remove the moisture.

Heat a deep pan no more than half filled with oil to 265F. Fry the fries in small batches until a light crust forms (about 5 minutes). Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.

Put the potatoes on a cooling rack and freeze again for an hour to remove even more moisture.

Heat the oil to 350°F and fry the fries until golden (about 7 minutes). Drain and sprinkle with sea salt. Enjoy hot.

Triple Cooked Fries Recipe · i am a food blog (2)

29 Comments

  1. Lynna H. says:

    April 17, 2012 at 10:34 am

    triple cooked fries?! sounds amazing!

    Reply

  2. Jessica says:

    April 17, 2012 at 2:55 pm

    these look amazing im not sure i can make them ever or id just eat them forever and ever probably

    Reply

  3. Darrell says:

    April 18, 2012 at 1:44 pm

    After boiling and drying off, how long do you put in the freezer for this stage?

    Reply

    1. steph says:

      April 18, 2012 at 1:46 pm

      At least an hour. If you’re not planning on eating the fries right away, after the hour, you can put them in a freezer bag and keep them in the freezer until you’re ready to fry.

      Reply

  4. I’m new to your blog and absolutely love it. I’ve done the double-fry (the only way to go) but haven’t done the triple cooked fry! So intrigued.

    Reply

  5. April 21, 2012 at 6:59 pm

    Can’t wait … french fries are definitely an obsession of mine as well!

    Reply

  6. April 25, 2012 at 7:20 am

    Oh my god! What a nice blog! Will come back for sure!

    Reply

  7. April 30, 2012 at 1:20 pm

    Never tried triple frying. Since the children are grown up I don’t make home made chips anymore but this post just might make me have a fry night :)

    Reply

  8. Lauren says:

    May 24, 2012 at 1:33 am

    It could have been too much moisture in the potato that meant you didn’t get the mega crunch. Start with a potato that is already low in moisture…cut the potato with the skin still on, squeeze near the edge, if there is water or bubbles, then its too high in moisture. Also, when potatoes are washed and scrubbed for supermarkets, they will usually retain more moisture, so buy potatoes that are still covered in dirt and clean yourself.

    Reply

  9. Deea says:

    June 13, 2012 at 8:58 pm

    These look soooo good! I confess that french fries are my favorite food. Can’t wait to try them!

    Reply

  10. DL says:

    June 22, 2012 at 5:46 am

    Your photos are fab. Are they your own work?

    Reply

  11. karan mulki says:

    July 2, 2012 at 12:32 am

    Are maris piper the best potatoes for these fries?

    Reply

    1. steph says:

      July 3, 2012 at 9:06 am

      Maris piper are best if you can find them. They’re quite common in the UK, but not so much in North America.

      Reply

  12. karan mulki says:

    July 2, 2012 at 12:36 am

    Wow….
    these are the best fries i’ve ever had..!
    they taste much better than lambweston’s stealth fries;!

    Reply

  13. Jay says:

    October 4, 2012 at 11:48 am

    Love the recipes and craft of the site. As far as the fries between fryings put them in ice water for 20 minutes. They come out crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. Learned that on the No Reservations “how to” episode.

    Reply

  14. April 7, 2013 at 7:18 am

    Aw, this was an extremely nice post. Taking a few minutes and
    actual effort to generate a superb article… but what can I say… I hesitate a whole lot and never manage to get anything done.

    Reply

  15. alexandra says:

    April 9, 2013 at 1:26 pm

    delicious

    Reply

  16. November 12, 2014 at 4:16 am

    I am a big fan of Heston! This recipe of his is just amazing!

    Reply

  17. Cat says:

    June 18, 2015 at 12:07 pm

    If you have 17 hours to make effing french fries, heres the recipe for you!!

    Reply

  18. Fran Tarrio says:

    July 15, 2015 at 10:31 am

    Give me a break!!!!

    Reply

  19. Granny Gruntz says:

    August 29, 2015 at 2:01 pm

    *Sounds good! – *HOWEVER – would probably be too time consuming and complex for today’s “family cook and meal “preparer”!

    Reply

  20. dtaylor says:

    October 13, 2015 at 2:44 pm

    i saw these triple cooked fries on unique eats…so glad i found your site for the how to.

    Reply

  21. Tom Sidesinger says:

    May 21, 2016 at 8:48 am

    Can I use peanut oil instead of grapeseed oil?

    Reply

    1. Stephanie Le says:

      May 21, 2016 at 3:22 pm

      absolutely!

      Reply

  22. Gilbert Delgado says:

    October 9, 2017 at 7:51 pm

    I am definitely going to try that

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Triple Cooked Fries Recipe · i am a food blog (2024)

FAQs

What is triple-cooked fries? ›

To get them to the chip stage, we follow a method pioneered by Heston Blumenthal which often crops up on menus now as triple-cooked chips. The three cooks in the name are boil, first fry and second fry. It doesn't sound very complicated, but the devil is in the detail as ever.

Are triple-cooked chips worth it? ›

Who can resist a plate of golden, crisp, freshly cooked chips? Cooking them three times at different temperatures is the way to perfection: it's not difficult and is totally worth it!

Who invented triple-cooked fries? ›

Triple-cooked chips are a type of chips developed by the English chef Heston Blumenthal. Blumenthal began work on the recipe in 1993, and eventually developed the three-stage cooking process.

Are McDonald's fries baked or fried? ›

The suppliers we work with first peel, cut and blanche the potatoes. They then dry, partially fry and quickly freeze the fries for our restaurants. Once in our kitchens, we cook them in our canola-blend oil so you can have them crispy and hot—just the way you like them.

Why are my triple-cooked chips not crispy? ›

If you really want these chips to crisp up, whack them in the freezer for about an hour, once after the simmering process and once after the first fry.

What is the most unhealthy chip brand? ›

Potato chips from brands known for excessive salt, saturated fats, and artificial additives tend to be less healthy. Examples include Lay's, Pringles, and Ruffles. Opting for baked or kettle-cooked chips and checking nutritional labels can help make a healthier choice.

Who was the first person to eat fries? ›

It is believed that Belgians were the first to begin the process of frying strips of potatoes, at some time between the late 17th and early 18th century. Legend has it that the poor villagers of Meuse subsisted on a diet of fish caught in the local river, which they would then fry before eating.

What were fries first called? ›

According to linguist Stuart Berg Flexner, they were known formally as French fried potatoes until the late 1920s. The name was subsequently shortened, first to French frieds, then French fries, and finally, in the 60s, just plain fries, as in the famous fast-food query, “You want fries with that?”

Who invented fries on a burger? ›

Inexpensive to prepare and with an already established clientele, White Castle began offering French fries with their hamburgers. The rest, as they say, is history. The French fry's meteoric rise from a humble fish substitute to the world's quintessential culinary accompaniment has been a long time in the making.

Why do restaurants soak fries? ›

A: The main reasons to cut the potatoes and pre-soak in water are: To allow the excess starches and sugars to be removed from the outer surface of the fry strips AND to keep the potatoes from browning prematurely from exposure to air. Covering in water helps the potato from turning a dark color.

What is the secret to good fries? ›

The Double-Fry Method

When it comes to the actual cooking, you want to fry the french fries twice. The first round is at a lower temperature to cook the inside of the potato and the second time you'll use a higher temperature to make the fries golden brown and crispy.

Are McDonald's fries cooked twice? ›

The first frying gives the potatoes their crispy outer shell (then the rest of the frying is done at the restaurant). This is also why you may see some people claim that McDonald's fries have more than 10 ingredients — because the potatoes are double-fried so the vegetable oil ingredients may be listed twice.

Why are french fries cooked twice? ›

Theory #1: "The first fry gets the outside to create a water tight barrier. That way, when you fry them the second time, they stay moist." Or, Theory #2: "The first fry cooks them through to the center—if you skipped that step, your fries would brown on the outside, but still be raw in the middle."

What are the fries cooked in at Chick Fil A? ›

Crispy potatoes fried in 100% canola oil and sprinkled with our house seasoning blend. Certain Little Blue Menu items are made to order and may take longer than other menu items. Nutrition information is calculated using standard product formulations and incorporates multiple data sources.

What's the difference between fried fries and air fried fries? ›

The difference in air fryer vs. deep fryer taste boils down to individual preference. Because deep frying requires more oil, the flavor of oil you use will coat the entire food. This is where air frying can be an asset since using a limited amount of oil can enhance the natural flavors of the food.

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