Why Homemade French Fries Are Never As Crispy As Fast Food's

Have you ever tried making french fries at home, only to find they just weren't as good as a fast food chain's? You might be missing a couple of crucial steps. When we spoke to Erin Clarke, creator of WellPlated.com and best-selling author of "Well Plated Every Day," she shared the key techniques these chains rely on to create the crispiest fries.

"Fast food fries get their signature crispiness from double frying — first at a lower temperature to cook the inside, then at a higher temp to crisp up the exterior," Clarke says. "At home, most people don't deep-fry or have access to the same industrial fryers that maintain ultra-precise temperatures, which makes getting that perfect crunch trickier." 

Temperature is the name of the game here. Much like double-frying fried chicken, the second, brief dip in searing hot oil makes a fry's exterior shatteringly crisp while leaving the interior untouched. But, as Clarke points out, not every home cook can precisely control their oil's temperature, nor do they always have time for a second fry.

"My secret tip is to pour boiling water over the sliced potatoes and letting them sit. The heat mimics the first 'fry,' so you end up with crispier results," Clark tells us. "Plus, soaking the fries eliminates some of the excess starch, which causes them to soften." 

Soaking potatoes for crispy, golden homemade fries is a well-known trick that can elevate your side dish with minimal effort, but it's certainly not the only one. Combining the advantages of soaking with the right finishing touch is a one-two punch that all but guarantees crispy fries.

"Many fast food fries are lightly dusted with modified starches or dextrin, which create a crisp barrier that holds up longer," says Erin Clarke. "Some chains soak their fries in a sugar-water solution before frying, which helps with color and crunch by encouraging caramelization." 

While it may seem counterintuitive, deep-frying is a dry-heat cooking method. Any sugars present in the potatoes crisp up much like they would in a bone-dry pan. Provided you don't overdo it, you shouldn't notice any additional sweetness — just extra crispiness. But if you can't bring yourself to add sugar to your fries, there's no need to worry. Clarke has a suggestion using one simple pantry staple. "Home cooks can try soaking raw fries in water to remove excess starch and then patting them dry and tossing them lightly in cornstarch before cooking to mimic the effect," she says.

From the ultimate steak crust to the crispiest onion rings ever, cornstarch's crisping superpowers are no secret. This trick works especially well with the double-fry method, as the cornstarch crisps up alongside the potato starch to form a delicate barrier, locking in a fluffy, white interior.