Fries: Fried or Baked?

[Airo]

Do you prefer your fries baked or fried? And why (for your answer)?

Also what are your favorite types of potatoes to make fries from?

I might try using my blue potatoes this week to make baked blue potato fries.

[LorenM]

Most definitely fried. My favorite are steak cut fries cooked until the outside is just crispy and starts to seperate from the creamy inside. The little space in between is perfect for some malt vinegar to hang out in. Total grubbage.

[valerie]

As other have said, baked at home, fried when out.

I have 2 ways of making them at home -- cut russets into long wedges, toss with a little oil and maybe some seasoning, but not always, and bake for about 30-45 minutes until they start to brown up on the outside a little. Add salt after they are cooked.

Or lately, I have been cutting russets into thin slices, tossing with a little oil, laying flat on a baking sheet, and baking for about 30 minutes, again, till they are a little brown. My kids love them this way...kind of like warm potato chips.

[Tonality666]

If you don't have duck fat, try tossing your sticks or wedges in melted butter before "oven frying."

[BiscuitBoy]

what kinda oil do you toss with?

[valerie]

Not sure if you were asking me, but if you were, just plain old olive oil.

[MonMauler]

Fried - that's why they call them fries!

Just Kidding.

I do prefer to fry my french fries, usually with peanut oil or duck fat - although I generally get good results with other types of fats/oils - and I usually use russet potatoes. The reason I prefer to fry them is that I find it easier to get that nice, crisp crunch on the exterior of the fry while leaving the inside still moist and tender.

That said, there are a number of dishes I prefer to bake fries with, especially when I'm trying to do something on the healthier side. When I make sweet potato fries, for example, they are almost always baked, often with some combination of cinnamon, sugar, salt, cayenne or other seasonings and spices.

I decide whether to bake or fry my potato sticks based on what works best with the meal overall, but I do usually bake the potatoes if I want to add seasonings and spices to the potato while it cooks. When I fry up some French fries they are generally very traditional - just some salt and pepper once they come out of hot oil, and very occasionally I'll add a little minced garlic.

[Airo]

I like to bake sweet potato fries, as well. For my seasoning blend I like to use cumin, chili powder, paprika, sea salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper and olive oil. They come out spicy and delicious.

I'd love to try making my own garlic fries. I've always enjoyed those when eating out.

[Jase]

Fried out. Baked at home for less mess and fuss. For the oven baked fries, I do an approximation of the two temp fry method. I'll start off at lower temp of 375 and finish off at 450. Good balance of crispyness on the outside and creaminess on the inside.

[Airo]

I will definitely try that strategy (two temp.). Thanks for the tip, because that's how I like my baked fries, crispy on the outside (with skin) and smooth, creamy on the inside (no mealiness).

[Jase]

I usually pull it out about 30 mins into it. Turn up the oven, shake things around so they don't stick and sits on counter for the 5-10 minutes to get to the higher temp. I just do simple steak fries with russets cut into long wedges. Enjoy!

[BiscuitBoy]

baked:usually frozen from the bag, they come out so-so....when cutting up potatoes by hand and baking they come out less than so-so. Much prefer to fry my fries...I can make them come out crisp and not dried and mealy in the center, sometimes extra golden brown (gbd) if I prefer...and for the few times I do them, (once a month maybe) I don't have an issue with the bump in fat and calories.

[HillJ]

When I'm making them, always baked, skin on, crinkle cut, good smokey salt. I like to cut the oil/grease where I can and the oven gives plenty of crisp to the potato without being dipped in a fry pot. My favorites baked would be sweet potatoes.

When enjoying french fries out, I like a thick cut (steak fry) as opposed to a McD's style fry. Fried in peanut oil, good salt (like a flaked sea salt) Idaho potato works for me.

[small h]

I like baked potatoes and fried potatoes. But baked fries is an oxymoron. We need a catchier name for oiled, baked potato sticks.

[escondido123]

I've always heard them called "Oven Fries." We've used russets and yukon gold, the russets seem to do a better job. If both deep fried and oven fried took the same amount of time and effort to make and had the same number of calories, I'd go for real French Fries every day of the week. Unfortunately, that is not true so I stick to oven fries medium thickness.

[Airo]

LOL! Yes, I thought the as I posted the thread. Kind of weird to call them fries. But I guess "oven fries" like Escondido mentioned makes more sense.

Baked potato stalks (weird)
Baked potato sticks (hmmm, still sounds weird, lol)
Baked potato wedges (problem is not all are wedge-shaped)