How Do You Like Your French Fries [General]

2008 Feb 29
MelodySoul's recent review on Harveys got me to thinking, HOW DOES EVERYONE LIKE THEIR FRENCH FRIES ?

There are so many kinds to choose from now, Shoestring, Regular Cut, Chunky, with Coatings, without.

What do you like on them?

And do you have a favourite vendor?

2008 Feb 29
I like mine homemade, I cut them to about 7mm on my mandoline, double fried (325, then 375F) in peanut oil, and sprinkled with kosher salt right after the second frying.

As for vendors, hands down Wes' out in Arnprior (www.ottawafoodies.com) , but I havent been in years.


2008 Feb 29
My favourite fries are chip wagon style... Regular cut no coatings. I'll eat the other kinds if that is all there is offered when I'm having Fish & Chips, Rotisserie Chicken or Hamburgers. That's pretty much the only times I eat fries.

I usually get them "half full" then soak them with vinegar (malt preferably) and lots of salt. Then do it again once their topped up. I'm definitely not a ketchup fan!

In Montreal some places have Paprika (or is it Cayenne Pepper) that you can sprinkle on top. Gives the fries a different flavour for sure.

I do like fries dipped in gravey.

Although, I'm not a big fan of poutine. It just is too filling and leaves me feeling uncomfortable.

I find that more and more restaurants are "buying" their fries rather than making them anymore by hand, so a lot of them are very bland & commercial (especially shoestrings).

My favorites come off the chip wagons. There are a few restaurants that get fries right, but chip wagons never fail. Hmmm, could be time for a trip to "The Prior" to Wes' Fries.

2008 Feb 29
I mirror Tre on this: home-made, double-fried in peanut oil, sprinkle of kosher salt, toss 'em around a bowl lined with a tea towel to get the excess oil off.

Mayo or bearnaise on the side if I'm having a big-honkin' steak, salt-vinegar-ketchup if it's with a burger.

Vendors? I do think that McDonald's has perfected the fry, so long as you get them fresh. The ones I had at Allium a couple of months ago weren't bad at all.

2008 Feb 29



In Homer Simpson voice; "aaahaaahaaaahaaaahaahaaaahhh FRENCH FRIES !!!



I'm not going to tell you how I like my French Fries...

but I will tell you how I DON'T like my French fries .....

Around my waist !!!




2008 Feb 29
I love fries! But for hopefully obvious reasons I keep it to once a month or less. I like them just about any way, but prefer crispy on outside and tender inside. CHip wagon fries rock! WIth gravy or without. Or in the form of poutine.

2008 Feb 29
Who doesn't love fries?! I like them all ways but my favorites (I will never tie myself to just one fave) are either shoestring sweet potato fries (sorry but I am a fan of the ones at The Works) or the fat beefeater jobbers that are crispy on the outside and soft and squishy on the inside. Those puppies will stick to your ribs and go great with a nice juicy rib steak.....ohhh, I am remembering fries in Belgium with yummy homemade mayonnaise....I can feel the calories on my waist already!!

2008 Feb 29
I like french fries with just salt or sometimes....and this is kinda ghetto but I'll eat them with a mixture of mayo/salsa.

I prefer sweet potato fries with just salt and a couple of grinds of President's Choice Thai Stir Fry Spice. Never used the stuff in a stir fry ever but it's great on sweet potato fries or in a tall glass of vegetable juice with a splash of hot sauce, a sprinkle of sea salt and a wedge or two of lemon.

2008 Feb 29
Oh, a good healthy and yummy way to make fries is in the oven. They can be really crispy on the outside if you spray them with oil before baking. Either with aeresol or one of those pumps. We sprinkle them with a bit of salt and pepper after spraying.

2008 Feb 29
I can't stand fries that aren't cooked properly, in fact, if they're slightly overcooked, all the better. I love it when it's super crispy on the outside with just a bit of potato "fluff" on the inside. So many chip wagons (in the spirit of keeping positive I won't "out" any misdemeanour chip wagons here) get it WRONG by cooking them too quickly (to keep the lines moving)...

Mousse: I get your ghetto'ness of mayo/salsa. I enjoy the mayo/tabasco (or chipotle hotsauce preferably) combo myself.

2008 Feb 29
Chimichimi, you'd love the oven-bakes ones I was talking about, then. It's actually easy to make them a bit overcooked with just a bit of 'potato fluff' inside. I actually really like them that way too and tend to do it this way when making them in the oven :-)

2008 Feb 29
All this tater-talk is making me crave some fries! Maybe I'll do the oven-bake-jobby there.

Oh yeah, F&T, coatings on french fries are sacrilege ;)

2008 Mar 1
I lean more towards the regular cut fries - crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Lots of salt sprinkled on top, ketchup on the side. And occasionally I like to dip them in mayo as well.

When I've done deep fried turkey, I usually make french fries to go with that since there's already 15-16 litres of heated peanut oil. So far, I've used Russet potatoes - first they're cut and rinsed under water to wash away some of the starch and then they're dried before they get fried twice.

Favourite vendor: Wes' chips in Arnprior for regular fries

For poutine: My new all-time favourite is the Foie Gras Poutine at Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal. Crunchy fries, foie gras, cheese curds and incredibly rich gravy all magically bundled together on one plate. Wow! It's pretty much a heart attack on a plate but definitely a food to be experienced in your lifetime. :-)


2008 Mar 1
I am not as into Fries as I once was but I really do love sweet potato fries when they are done nicely, especially with a garlice Mayo. I always end up getting both onion rings and the sweet potato fries when I go to The Works.

Cheers

2008 Mar 2
Sushi Guy: Au Pied de Cochon rocked my world so hard when I was there a couple months ago. I still dream wistfully about the Plogue à Champlain I had. And the prices are so cheap!

2008 Mar 2
Momomoto: I agree with you on the pricing and I do have flashbacks of my food experience there. Also tried "duck in a can" which I highly recommend. The duck is not as tender as it could be but the flavor more than makes up for this.

So before I lose track of the subject line in this thread - the fries that are served as a side dish are extremely tasty too. Properly seasoned and nicely presented in a paper-folded cone and served with a side of mayo. I think they help absorb all that fat from the other dishes. :-)


2008 Mar 3
Ah yes, my wife had the Fois Gras poutine at APDC, and I had to be quick to snag a bite away from her. I look forward to picking up a copy of their cookbook, which comes out in paperback in April...I'll have to give the poutine a try.

2008 Mar 10
I prefer skin on chip wagon style fries with a side of garlic mayo. I cannot stand fries that have that crispy batter or coating on them.

2008 Mar 10
There is a chip wagon in Kanata at Canadian Tire that has very good fries and my kids say good poutine (veggie gravy for my non-meat eaters). Wes' in the Prior are still very good and Jean Burger (near Wakefield)have good fries and real milkshakes...yum. Fries and milkshakes are available from kiddie size to family size--large for shakes--how can you feel guilty if you order kiddie size? I only indulge a couple of times a year but these are my fav's.

2008 Mar 11
W.C.: Not only is the chip wagon at the Kanata Canadian Tire good, but the owner's fantastic, too. Good ol' Dmitry. Apparently he used to be on the Bulgarian national soccer team!

2008 Mar 11
Damn you guys - now I'm anxiously awaiting the spring arrival of my chip wagon!!!

2008 Mar 11
My favorite are chip truck fries with malt vinegar and lots of salt. I used to like grave but now unless it's homemade I don't bother and I never did get into poutine. Sweet potato fries are also high on my list.