Popular Science

The Perfect French Fry, According to Science (ft. Jet Tila)

There’s nothing quite like a perfect french fry. It’s that magic combination: crispy on the outside, pillowy on the inside, and just the right amount of seasoning. What happens during the cooking process that turns the humble potato into a tasty treat? Celebrity chef Jet Tila and food scientist Dr. Arielle Johnson break down the…

Published

7 years ago

June 6, 2019

CYBER TECH TV

There’s nothing quite like a perfect french fry. It’s that magic combination: crispy on the outside, pillowy on the inside, and just the right amount of seasoning.

What happens during the cooking process that turns the humble potato into a tasty treat? Celebrity chef Jet Tila and food scientist Dr. Arielle Johnson break down the recipe and science of french fries that you can make at home.

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Garlic Aioli
2–3 peeled garlic cloves minced
Salt and pepper, to taste, divided
2 egg yolks, separated
1 cup (240 ml) extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice

4 medium cloves garlic, finely minced
About 1⁄4 cup (10 g) total of chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme)
2 tbsp (6 g) minced chives
3 large russet or Kennebec potatoes (about 21⁄2 lb [1.1 kg])
Pan spray
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Kosher salt, to taste
—————————————
To make the aioli, place the garlic in a blender with a large pinch of kosher salt and ground pepper. Pulse 3 to 4 times to finely mince the garlic.

Add the egg yolks and run the blender for about 2 to 3 seconds until the yolks are whipped and creamy yellow in color. With the blender running on low, slowly pour in half of the olive oil in a tiny stream. Add the lemon juice. Gradually stream in the remaining olive oil and process until the mixture thickens and emulsifies. Transfer to a small bowl; add salt, pepper, and any other seasonings of choice. Cover and chill well.

Fill a medium-size bowl with cool tap water. In a large bowl, combine the garlic, herbs and chives.
Wash the potato skins well. We like to leave the peel on, but you don’t have to. Coat a knife with a bit of pan spray to keep it from sticking to the potato. Cut a 3⁄8-inch (1-cm) slice off one side of the potato. Place the potato on this flat side and cut the rest of the potato into 1⁄4-inch (6-mm) tiles. Stack the tiles and cut into 1⁄4-inch (6-mm) lengths. This French fry shape is called a batonnet in the French kitchen.

Immediately place the batonnets into the bowl with cool water. The excess potato starch will be rinsed away. After all the fries have been rinsed, line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels and transfer the fries to the tray. Use more towels to blot water from the top.

Set up a deep fryer with about 5 inches (12.5 cm) of oil and heat the oil to 325°F (170°C). An enamel-coated cast-iron fryer is a great choice for this, if available. Carefully use a spider to add the fries to the oil in small batches. This first fry helps create a thin crust on each fry and precooks the center. Fry for about 5 minutes. They’ll still look quite pale. Have a pan with a rack to allow to drain and cool. Let the oil temperature recover to 325°F (170°C) before dropping in the next batch.

When ready to eat, heat the oil to 365°F (185°C). Drop in the fries in small batches using a spider. When the fries turn golden brown, after about 4 minutes, use the spider to gather the fries, allow to drain for a moment, then toss in the bowl with the garlic mixture. Season with salt and serve immediately with the garlic aioli.
—
Producer/Video by: Jason Lederman

Cinematographers: Jason Lederman, Tom McNamara

Cameras:
Canon EOS C100 –
Canon EOS 5D Mark III –

Additional equipment:
Canon EF50mm Lens –
Canon Zoom Lens EF24-105mm –
Sachtler Ace XL Tripod System –
Sennheiser EW100ENG G3 Camera Wireless Mic Kit –
Litepanels Astra E 1×1 Daylight LED Panel –
Lowepro Magnum 650 AW Shoulder Bag –
The North Face Base Camp Duffel –

Jet Tila’s recipe:

Music: APM Music

Media: Pond5, Prelinger Archives, Pixabay

Special Thanks: Jet Tila, Dr. Arielle Johnson
—
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The Perfect French Fry, According to Science (ft. Jet Tila)

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23 Comments

Ryan Perry

June 6, 2019 at 6:48 pm

This is my favorite kind of science.

Reply
Norwall Music

June 6, 2019 at 7:13 pm

fantastic video fam

Reply
jlederman2

June 6, 2019 at 7:27 pm

10/10 would eat all of the fries!

Reply
Karl Stone

June 6, 2019 at 8:50 pm

I have two questions:
1. what type of potatoes do you recommend? (I use maris pipers for chips!)
2. do you leave the fries to cool between the first and second frying?

Reply
- Popular Science
  
  June 6, 2019 at 9:12 pm
  
  Hi Karl!
  1. Russet potatoes
  2. You’ll want to fry in small batches to make sure the fries cook all the way through. When the fries are done, you can transfer them to a sheet with a rack and allow them to drain/cool. When you’re ready to eat, heat the oil to 365.
  
  Reply
- Karl Stone
  
  June 6, 2019 at 9:26 pm
  
  @Popular Science That’s great. Thank you. I’ve been varying the parameters for a while now – and there are several. Type of potato, type of oil, the size the fry is cut, the temperature of the oil, how long, and how many times to cook them. Cooking good fries (chips in England) is not as simple as it seems. Thanks again.
  
  Reply
Diory N

June 7, 2019 at 12:00 am

But i want my fries only medium rare.

Reply
crowemojo

June 7, 2019 at 12:52 pm

A video about fries that boasts both science and perfection should at least discuss what oil to use (you will get a different result from using tallow vs peanut oil).

Reply
- Popular Science
  
  June 9, 2019 at 2:53 pm
  
  Recipe is in the video description ?
  
  Reply
- Popular Science
  
  June 9, 2019 at 2:53 pm
  
  Recipe is in the video description ????
  
  Reply
C J

June 7, 2019 at 1:12 pm

So science burn fries for crispy outside

Reply
Jesse Jacobs

June 7, 2019 at 3:40 pm

SCIENCE CAN NOT DEFINE PERFECTION

PERFECTION IS SUBJECTIVE AND CAN NOT BE DEFINED OBJECTIVELY

Reply
- Craig Smith
  
  June 9, 2019 at 2:12 pm
  
  @Jesse Jacobs You are this exercised over a description of a prepared potato? You must be a great deal of fun at parties. If these people call these fries ‘perfect,’ who are you to disagree with them? Have you described a perfect potato? Were you there? Come, these fries were perfect. I get it, you didn’t get any of them. Let it go. Perfect.
  
  Reply
- Jesse Jacobs
  
  June 9, 2019 at 6:13 pm
  
  @Craig Smith my issue is with people incorrectly claiming science does what it doesn’t do. I’m a fucking riot at parties
  
  Reply
- Craig Smith
  
  June 9, 2019 at 9:31 pm
  
  @Jesse Jacobs_my issue is with people incorrectly claiming science does what it doesn’t do_
  No, your ‘issue’ is that you don’t understand ‘science.’ ‘Science’ doesn’t exist. ‘Sciences’ do. the science of biology does, the science of chemistry does, the science of physics does. ‘Science’ is not a thing, it’s a method that we use to investigate and analyze the physical world. Here, the chefs in the video are using the ‘scientific method’ plus the engineering method of testing (there isn’t a great deal of difference between a science like, say, physics, and engineering) to produce what they have defined as the perfect fried potato. the ‘science’ is not part of your ‘problem,’ your ‘problem’ is that you are an immature little crank who’s going to shout about a distracting definition that has nothing to do with potatoes, which is what this video is about (you seem not to have noticed that). Grow up.
  _I’m a fucking riot at parties_
  I can believe that. You certainly are one here, for your adjective is precise.
  
  Reply
- Jesse Jacobs
  
  June 10, 2019 at 7:19 pm
  
  @Craig Smith lol now who’s dwelling
  
  Reply
- Craig Smith
  
  June 10, 2019 at 8:25 pm
  
  @Jesse Jacobs _lol now who’s dwelling_
  Not much of a reply. Nothing at all of a thought. Such a riot. >yawn<
  
  Reply
- Minecraft Nigga
  
  June 14, 2019 at 11:41 pm
  
  Who hurt you?
  
  Reply
- EnemyViolent Gaming
  
  June 19, 2019 at 6:02 am
  
  you’re a pedant
  
  Reply
Max Steel

June 11, 2019 at 11:44 pm

*”RUSSET” Potatoes are long, which is why fast food chains love them, but they’re ESPECIALLY prone to BLIGHT, which is why farmers DRENCH THEM IN HERBICIDES/PESTICIDES. If you want to eat potatoes, make french fries, use another potato there are thousands of species.*

Reply
Matthew Weitz

June 17, 2019 at 5:26 pm

Wow… spitting image of Alton Brown’s recipe

Reply
legionaireb

August 1, 2019 at 3:50 am

Here from Alton Brown’s Twitter.

Can you prepare the recipe up until after the first fry and then freeze the fries to be used at a later date, and if so, how would you alter the second fry to cook from frozen?

Reply
WTH!

August 5, 2019 at 8:12 am

The Perfect French Fry is no french fry
they all overweighted

Reply

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