What's the secret to delicious fried potatoes? In grade? Oil? The shape of the pieces? Or maybe in a frying pan? Let's take a closer look.
Secret number 1 - grade
Experienced cooks recommend using potato varieties with medium starch content for frying. This is in the range of 13-16%. But in our stores it is extremely rare to write varieties on price tags, so remembering which variety you definitely need will not be of any use.
And yet, now from the agronomists, advice: within the framework of one variety, potatoes can differ in starchiness and density, depending on the conditions in which they were grown and how they were stored.
How to be? You can determine the right potatoes for frying right next to the tray or box of potatoes in the supermarket: such a potato light, yellow and smooth skin.
But there are still nuances with a smooth skin - it can be a sign of a young potato, but it does not go for frying because of its wateriness.
And if the peel of the tubers is rough, then there is a likelihood of a high starch content, then this is a crumbly potato and it is more suitable for mashed potatoes or casseroles.
Purple potatoes and the so-called "blue eyes" have a rough peel - they are incredibly good boiled.
Now for the red potatoes. Have you noticed that when frying, it often remains almost soggy?
Red-skinned potatoes can turn out to be "waxy" due to their low starch content. But such potatoes are great for soup or salad, since their pieces will not fall apart there.
As you can see, red potatoes are not suitable for frying either.
Secret number 2 - water
Oddly enough, you need water to make delicious fried potatoes. Not only for washing tubers before and after peeling, but also for other purposes.
For example, when it is difficult to choose the right potato variety and you have to fry what you have. Water will help bring it to mind.
If you don't want to get dubious potato porridge instead of fried potato slices, use one of the tips of folk wisdom below.
Option 1:
There will be no sticky pieces if, before frying, pour the chopped potatoes into a saucepan and pour boiling water for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Drain, rinse potatoes in clean water and dry on a towel. This is to remove potato starch.
Option 2:
The potatoes will fry evenly if washed three times in cold water - before, after peeling, and then a third time after slicing.
And the obligatory ending stage is drying with napkins or cloth.
Secret # 3 - technology
Oh, just don’t have to teach us how to hold a frying pan and stuff! - I can just hear your exclamations from the screen. And I won't!
But I'll tell you what affects the quality result of fried, tasty potatoes. Just from twenty years of experience in regular frying of potatoes I know its subtleties and nuances:
- you need to take potatoes at room temperature
- pour a lot of oil, but not too much and it must be properly warmed up
- fry in strips, slices or cubes in one layer, and in circles and quarters you can in 2-3 layers
- it is better to turn the potatoes with a large wide spatula, so that immediately in layers, without mixing or destroying the pieces of potatoes
- onions, mushrooms, dill, garlic and salt at the very end
- the best frying pan is an old Soviet cast iron (deep, like a cauldron)
- if everything sticks to the pan, then first you need to salt the heating oil with the amount of salt that is needed for the potatoes, and then do not salt it itself
- I want fried potatoes - you don't need to fill a frying pan with it with it, as it will burn from the bottom and steam up at the top, and when stirring it will surely break into porridge
- the lid is the enemy of fried potatoes
- frying potatoes in lard is tastier and healthier, since lard has a low smoke level or a point boiling (that is, it is not carcinogenic, unlike vegetable oil, and there is no risk of oncology)
That's all the secrets for today. Delicious fried potatoes for you!
Subscribe to the channel "Culinary notes about everything" in
Zen- <<< almost 2,000 recipes for any wallet and meal
Telegram- <<< recipes, tips, humor, selections, useful things
Instagram- <<< quick recipes for advanced
Yandex. Messenger-<<< now we are here too
Thanks for reading to the end!