I had a big, crazy recipe planned for this week, but then TJ got sick, and I got sick and yadda, yadda. Basically, life with kids happened. But I still wanted to do something fun for potato week, so I thought I would show you guys my best friend, my vintage french fry cutter!
These are Homemade French Fries!
AuthorRetroRuth
Tested Recipe!
[cooked-sharing]
Scrub and rinse your potatoes, dry them thoroughly. Cut them with your fry cutter or a plain old knife into even fry strips. Immediately toss cut fries into a bowl of cold water, and let them soak in there for about an hour.
Scoop fries from the soaking water and immediately put them into boiling water. (I usually work in 1-2 lb batches.) Boil them for 1-2 minutes, depending on how thick your fries are. Scoop them out of the boiling water and immediately put them in ice water until they are cool. Dry fries out by spreading them on a paper towel, then toss with 1 tablespoon of oil for every pound of fries. Spread out on a large cookie sheet and freeze in your freezer until firm. Transfer them to a gallon freezer bag or a container, and keep for up to 6 months in the freezer. Ours usually don't last that long.
Fry in your home fryer at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. If you want crispy fries, make sure you double fry them. The length of time depends on your fry thickness, so make sure to keep testing them.
Or you can bake them in your oven at 375 degrees for 15-17 minutes. When fries are done, immediately toss them with salt and pepper. If you like "fancy" fries, you can toss them with a liberal sprinkle of finely grated Parmesan cheese and garlic salt.
Ingredients
Directions
Scrub and rinse your potatoes, dry them thoroughly. Cut them with your fry cutter or a plain old knife into even fry strips. Immediately toss cut fries into a bowl of cold water, and let them soak in there for about an hour.
Scoop fries from the soaking water and immediately put them into boiling water. (I usually work in 1-2 lb batches.) Boil them for 1-2 minutes, depending on how thick your fries are. Scoop them out of the boiling water and immediately put them in ice water until they are cool. Dry fries out by spreading them on a paper towel, then toss with 1 tablespoon of oil for every pound of fries. Spread out on a large cookie sheet and freeze in your freezer until firm. Transfer them to a gallon freezer bag or a container, and keep for up to 6 months in the freezer. Ours usually don't last that long.
Fry in your home fryer at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. If you want crispy fries, make sure you double fry them. The length of time depends on your fry thickness, so make sure to keep testing them.
Or you can bake them in your oven at 375 degrees for 15-17 minutes. When fries are done, immediately toss them with salt and pepper. If you like "fancy" fries, you can toss them with a liberal sprinkle of finely grated Parmesan cheese and garlic salt.
Notes
So, I know you can get new fry cutters on Amazon , but honestly most of the reviews for these aren’t great. If you can find one of these vintage fry cutters, (affiliate links) I would encourage you to get it. This thing is pretty heavy duty, and we cut about 50 pounds of potatoes this year into fries. No joke. It’s potato season here in Michigan, so if you are out and about you can find “on your honor” roadside carts where you can get 50 pound bags of potatoes for $8. The prices aren’t as good this year as previous years, where the bags were buy one get one free, but 50 pounds of potatoes is a lot of potatoes and no one really needs that free bag.
Slice!
So, my recipe is for homemade frozen fries, because no matter how much Tom loves fries, he can’t eat 50 pounds of fries in one sitting.
We use a method that we found a few years ago in a vintage cookbook. Unfortunately, I can’t remember which cookbook it is, other than it had a red cover. But, after cutting and soaking the fries, we blanch them quickly, and then toss them with a little oil before freezing them.
Here is a sheet of fries, ready for the freezer! After that you can either fry the frozen fries in a fryer if you have one, otherwise you can bake them in the oven. Either way they turn out great!
Does anyone out there make and freeze homemade french fries? Please share in the comments!
I will have to try this…. I have my Mother’s cutter from the 60’s. We always cut the potatoes, then did a double fry on the potatoes. They were good and the double fry really made a difference. I like the idea of blanching and freezing so they can be fried or baked later. I really enjoy your posts and photos! This page is like a peek into my childhood!
Do you think this would work for sweet potatoes? I have killed 3 fry slicers with sweet potatoes and decided it was time to give up with that nonsense haha!
Thanks for this post!
I’ve had a vintage french fry cutter for more than a decade (truly!) and have never tried it! We grew a bumper crop of potatoes this year (we’re in Michigan, too) and I’m excited to freeze them and to give your fries a try.
How long do you blanch them? Did you chill-water them before blanching, as well as after?
If you take that free bag, could you donate it to a food pantry or soup kitchen?
Wow, it never occurred to me to freeze them. That is a great idea. I am going to hunt down one of those vintage potato cutters. My husband loves potatoes so much he calls me his potato!!
Hope you and TJ are feeling better.
I have used these” vintage cutters”, for years, I never pass up the chance to buy another old one at yard sales, Goodwill, where ever I can find them. If you find an original, it might have to cutters, one for regular fries and one for McDonald’s style fries..
I love your post!!! It is exactly what I was looking for. We had lots of spuds this year and some got a bit of frost so they won’t keep, so figured instead of throwing them out I’d find a way to save whats still good. Looking forward to trying out your idea.thanks so much for share. Oh by the way I still have some more potatoes that are under snow in the beginning of October .