My friends, I am here today to blow your ever-living, ever-loving mind. I have stumbled upon this method of making french fries on the stove that is complete and utter genius. It's pretty well-known that I am not a big fryer, as frying times and oil temperatures {and boiling hot oil spatters...ouch} basically baffle me. But this technique is so easy and almost impossible to mess up, and it yields fries that are perfectly fluffy and tender on the inside, while being crisp and crunchy on the outside. You ready for this? You dump your fries in cold oil. Nope, that's not a typo. COLD oil. Here, let me explain.
You know how they say the secret to really great fries is the fact that you have to fry them twice? You're supposed to fry them at a lower temperature first, to cook the actual potato, and then again, in really hot oil, to crisp them up. Well, I'm here to tell you that you can do that in one pan, with a single cooking process, by starting off with cold oil. The genius to this method is that as the oil slowly heats up, the potatoes cook all the way through. Then, by the time the oil is boiling hot and spattering, the inside of the potatoes is cooked, so they are ready to be crisped up. So easy! So good! Who needs fast food french fries, anyways?
I have always been a big fan of baked fries, and my mom makes some roasted fries like you wouldn't believe...but sometimes, you need a good, old fashioned french fry, and this is basically the best recipe ever. The only downside is that you are a bit limited by the size of your pan, and since these take a good 15-20 minutes to cook, making batch after batch isn't really ideal. But if you're willing to have multiple pans going at once... then totally go for it. These fries are worth it!
I, personally, cannot lay claim to this genius technique, but for the life of me I just cannot remember where I read about it! It might have been somewhere on Pinterest, but to be honest, I'm thinking it might have been in Bon Appetit or another cooking magazine, back in the pre-Pinterest day. Yes, children, my blog is actually older than Pinterest. I'm practically a senior citizen in blogging years. When I started, we had Facebook and we had Twitter. That was pretty much it. No Pinterest, or Instagram, or Google Plus, or any of the other {complicated and ridiculous} networking websites. "But I don't like change!" Yep, I definitely sound like an old lady.
- 2-3 potatoes
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Wash and peel your potatoes, and cut into french fries.
- Place the fries into a cast iron skillet, making sure that they are in a single layer and not overlapping, and pour just enough oil to almost cover them completely {it may or may not be the whole cup, just go with the visual}.
- Turn heat onto medium-low, and let the potatoes cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep them from sticking together. The fries are ready when they are golden brown and crisp on the outside.
- Remove the fries from the oil, and place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Toss with salt and pepper, or any other desired seasonings, and serve immediately.
ryan says
This made great fries. Thank you. I made them for fish and chips. Still had to double fry because I cooked them too early but they would have been perfect.
Susan says
Best French fries ever!!!!!
EL Mehdi says
consider yourself earned a new fan! these French Fries are so darn delicious <3
davely says
This is weird. I always found if oil was too low a temperature that the fries became more oil-soaked (as in did not form an immediate protective crust from quick frying)...
But it sounds interesting enough to try so I will do that and see for myself! Thanks!
RB says
Why do people rate recipes before making them? It's one of the dumbest things I've ever seen.
Mikey says
Lol agreed
Richard Johnson says
Medium low didn't seem to work for me. I have an electric stove and cooked on medium for about 15 minutes and then medium high for about 5 minutes to get the outside crispy. They were the best fries I have ever cooked. Crispy but not hard and the insides were soft and fluffy.
Ana Maria says
I tried this method tonight and I can't believe how great my fries came out. Even cold they were good. I will be making french fries more often.
Za. Rizik says
This is a wonderful recipe! It looks super easy and I know it tastes amazing!
Jane says
These are DANGEROUS! I will freely admit I'm not the best cook - probably because I hate cooking lol. I was desperate for something different for a side dish tonight and found this recipe - it was so easy even I didn't mess it up lol. I was a bit worried they would become soggy sitting in the oil that long but they were nice and crispy. Normally I rarely fry anything, mainly because my hips - among other body parts - don't need it and to be honest I hate the smell of oil that lingers in the house. This might be a bit too easy and good to make too often !
J. LaHue says
These made the best stove top fries!!! My kids, who are 5 and 7, LOVED these! They’ve never been crazy about fries I’ve made in the pan and the oven before. And your method has a lot less oil splatter too. I’m a fan!
Akayla says
Worked great! Will definitely keep this method in the repertoire...
Raflin says
That looks awesome but how how do I make more than one portion if they need to be cooked in cold oil?
Kristy says
Raflin you have to use multiple pans if you want to make a bigger batch.
Lexi says
This worked great, but question can you or have you tried sweet potatoes?
valentina says
Hi Lexi! Great question - I have not tried this with sweet potatoes. I am not sure if they would work the same way since they tend to get very mushy when cooked.
Catherine O’ Connor says
Yes, this really works! I don’t usually make fries because it’s such a pain, but this is easy and very very good.
Andrea says
This worked really well and my toddler, who doesn't like skillet fries or baked fries, loved them!
Mary Beth Elderton says
This is a game-changer! I tried this technique today. Easiest fries ever and perfectly cooked. Thank You!
Bea says
I tried it with my cast iron pan and peanut oil on an electric stove. They turned out ok, not oily like I expected. After 20 minutes, the fries were not brown so I started turning up my stove in 10 minute increments until at the end I was on medium. After about 40-45 minutes total, they were finally brown.
Patrick Gbur says
I have an electric skillet that you can adjust the temp on. What temperature should I use? 350F or 375F or? Recipe sounds wonderful.
valentina says
Hey! Honestly I have no idea - I have never used an electric skillet like that. I would say start on 350F as that is always a safe bet and you can increase the heat as needed. The oil and pan will also retain heat so you don't want it to be too hot and cause the potatoes to burn.
Brad Douglas says
Just made the french fries this evening. Just as everyone else has said, it was easy and delicious. Made a perfect accompaniment to the hamburger sliders.
Eve says
I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. The first time I made these they came out PERFECT. So crispy, yum. But the last 3 or 4 times they came out soggy. I have no idea what I am doing different. What could it be?
valentina says
Hi Eve! I am not sure honestly! These always work out for me. If the fries are coming out soggy, they may need to be cooked a bit longer? I would also make sure the fries are cut thin to medium sized so that they are not taking too long to cook. Hope that helps!
Melody says
Thank you for posting this recipe. This is the way my mom always made french fries. I was telling my husband how easy she always made it seem super easy, just cooking it up in a pan, with no preheating or pre-cooking. My husband and I have bought deep fryers and fry pots only to end up giving them away after a few uses due to the mess and stress they entail. But reminiscing this morning about my mom's fries inspired me to google pan fries and I found this genius recipe that also confirms my memories! We will be making a batch later today and I already know they will be delicious !
E says
Tried this method today, my fries came out slightly soggier than I'd have liked but overall I'm super pleased with how they turned out - especially since it's my first time deep frying anything. Thanks for sharing your recipe 🙂
Rochelle says
This is the only way I was taught to fry potatoes to make French fries. I’ve been doing this for 30 years plus and always turn out perfect..I’ve never preheated the oil.
Martina says
i just made these on a whim at 9 am lol -- they turned out amazing! very crunchy and soft inside, i totally recommend it
Bill says
If you put the fries in the pan first then add the oil the potatoes will soak up a lot of oil. You want to preheat the oil first before adding the potatoes.
Poorly written directions.
valentina says
Hi Bill, if you would actually read the full post and directions you will see that you intentionally place the potatoes in the cold oil to cook them thoroughly before frying them. I have never had any issues with the potatoes soaking up the oil, they come out perfectly light and crispy.
Erlene Johnson says
Can the skin be left on Russtes? And what type of pan is used?
valentina says
You can absolutely leave the skin on if that is your preference! And I usually use a cast iron skillet but any frying pan will work.
Jenifer says
Thanks for answering this question. I do not have a cast iron skillet...will be making this tonight.
Tony says
I was craving french fries but I can't afford to go out for fast food anymore because my budget is really stretched thin. I didn't have a deep fryer so I typed in stovetop french fries and this was the first hit on the search results. This recipe is really simple and worked so well. I can't taste really any difference from what I would have otherwise expected from fries at a restaurant. Thanks for the recipe. It's so easy, I'll remember this one and use it again and again!
valentina says
Thank you for your comment, Tony! I am glad you enjoyed them 🙂