If I lightly coat fries in flour before I cook them, will they come out crunchier?

Question

Any other suggestions?

Thanks! I'll try them in the oven.

Answer 1

Are you cooking them in oil deep-fry style, or cooking them in the oven? If you're deep frying them, I think you'd have to have something on there to help the flour stick (like egg or something) but I cook my fries in the oven lightly coated in oil and seasoning salt plus Italian seasoning, they're crunchy and delicious

Answer 2

Use 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup of SELF RISING CORNMEAL MIX. Use this with anything you fry such as fries, pickles, cauliflower, etc..... It really makes them crunchier. You can also add any kind of seasoning to this such as cajun, mexican, taco, or any other thing you have a taste for at the time. Try it!

Answer 3

For a fat free fry try coating them with the seasoned flour while still moist from cutting, then dip them in a seasoned egg white that is slightly beaten. Place them on a sheet pan greased with a nonfat spray. Bake at 400 degrees. Turn them over when browning.

Answer 4

I saved this from the TIAS collector's newsletter a few years ago... written by a chef in Australia:

QUOTE:

A recent reader requested some info on fish & chips
With fish & chips, it all comes down to oil, frying time, oil temperature & type of potato, so while there is a few fantastic recipes, I have a good few hints to help.

Frighteningly, it seems I have a lot of advice on fried foods (there must be a clue here somewhere...)

1. Cheat. Store bought frozen chips fry up wonderfully and can save hours. The foodies and Chef's would be cringing here, but we are trying to recreate the chip shop. If you deep fry them they are just as good as the real thing and is what they use in modern times. They are however very unhealthy, especially the thin French fries cut, better to get the country style thick cut chip or wedge as it absorbs less fat. Baked fish & wedges are healthier (although not for the low carb followers), but they rarely taste as good. Floury potatoes are the best ones, and the classical method is to peel & cut them, wash them in cold/ice water then pat dry and double fry by cooking in lower temperature oil - 150C then frying at a hotter level at 170 - 180. This is tedious and best eaten straight away, but it’s worth trying once just to see how it used to be done. It is also easier to cook for one person, as you need pretty keen timing for a whole family.

2. Oil is very important - Surprisingly the best I have eaten were at Fremantle harbour and they did use olive oil. Although a lot of chip shops use lard or shortening (yes, you definitely should ask what they use). Like the doughnuts, the oil they use they change only on a weekly cycle so when you use you oil straight out of the can, it will taste rather lifeless - especially the chips. If you start from scratch, buy the tastiest potatoes you can find. Saving the oil and filtering it through cheese cloth or your coffee filter keeps the oil clean and can be reused up. Strong oils will taint the foods as well so use a lighter olive, canola or peanut oil. The fish and chip shop smell is actually from the oil, (same with coffee) that’s how you can instinctively tell a good shop from a bad one.

3. The temperature is usually 170C -180C for fish & chips. Always test the oil with a few starter chips and avoid overloading the fryer as it will cool the oil down and the chips will go soggy. The commercial fryers are large and hold a lot of heat, so they can tip large amounts in but we can't at home. Keep salt away from the oil they deteriorate each other ­ this is hypothetically why you can never reheat chips from last night.

4. Try to avoid deep frying freshly crumbed food, you tend to get loose particles that taint the oil and burn. The commercial ones have been double coated (egg, crumb, egg, crumb) and/or have special additives to prevent it. Alternatively you may find it wrapped in collagen film that nearly disappears when cooked, except leaving a faint savoury taste. Pan-fry the crumbed fish; deep fry the battered is a moderate rule of thumb. Try to select nice and even fillets as they cook more evenly. Examine the grain of the fish, if it looks coarse and dry, it will likely end up the same. Fresh fish should be lovely and firm and if you endeavour to buy through a reputable supplier they can give the best advice. Frozen fish can be OK, but sometimes you get a bad one. Traditionally, it would have been Flake or Sole, but they can advise you according to the season.

5. Seasoning is important, you might notice they salt them straight away and they use a very fine salt. This can be sourced from commercial food supply stores or some supermarkets. Coarse salt does not tend to stay on and your chips won't be as evenly seasoned. This is another reason why you should limit this treat to no more than once a week. Quite often the vinegar is supplied in a spray mist bottle as this prevents the chips getting soaked - another little trick.

6. The fish coating - Batter or crumbed is very important as exposed fish flesh (especially the thin part of the fillet) will burn, or worse, be dry and rubbery. In many Asian & Australian restaurants, they use neat cornflour only - it goes wonderfully crisp and golden but tastes pretty plain - this is why there is always a sauce. Others recommend just a self raising flour coating as it has a slightly salty taste and a very good result it produces too, except it often can taste floury - so its not something I often use except in the batter. So for the home cook, avoiding some of these may work well. Tempura is not a batter often used for the Friday night special fish & chips. Tempura is more a special occasion where you can drag the fondue set out again (they are back in fashion) and have another go.

7. If making your own batter, use beer or soda water! It makes it so much lighter and the beer gives it the pub/country hotel quality many would like to recreate. A few very successful batters involved buttermilk, some use egg whites whipped and the yolks added for the colour. Not many use yeast batters as it gives the wrong taste & texture, however quite a few shops do ferment them slightly for two days in batches. Feel free to add dry spices and seasoning to make the batter more interesting if it appeals.

8. Fresh lemon / lime juice or the malt vinegar and tartare sauce is classical but anything is good - if you enjoy it, its worth it!

9. Note the consistency of the batters in the chip shops ­ it’s a bit like pouring cream - too thick and your batter will be very heavy, too thin and it could burn the fish. A nice even coating is best. If you have watched the chip shops, they usually dip it in the batter, allow it to run off then when the drips stop, they put it in the oil. This is a trick worth using.

10. Wrapping in newspaper is not essential, but enjoying them in the sun is.

Answer 5

If you flour your potatoes before you fry them you can just let them sit for a bit with the flour on them before frying and they become a little pasty because of the moisture of the potato and then the flour will stay on when you cook them. I do that with fish sometimes too.

Answer 6

Go to Walmart and buy the Orida Extra Crispy Crinkle Fries. They are crunchy and delicious. They have several other varieties too in the Extra Crispy versions, all good.

Answer 7

Only one way to find out - try it and see. You could also cut them thinner - shoestring potatoes usually fry up crispier than thicker ones. You might liven em up by preparing a dry powder blend of salt, pepper, a pinch of cayenne and a pinch of ground cumin, and right when you take your fries out of the hot oil, dust 'em with that prepared powder blend.

Answer 8

IF YOU ALREADY PLAN ON COATING THEM, TRY A CHICKEN FRY OR SHRIMP FRY. YOU CAN FIND EITHER ONE IN THE BREAD CRUMB/FLOUR SECTION OF THE GROCERY STORE. THE INITIAL PROCESS CAN BE A LITTLE MESSY, BUT THEY COME OUT CRUNCHY LIKE YOU'RE LOOKING FOR. MIGHT I ALSO RECOMMEND FRYING THEM, BY THEMSELVES, IN BACON GREASE... IT'S LIKE THE FATTEST THING YOU CAN DO TO A FRENCH FRY, JUST SHORT OF COVERING THEM IN NACHO CHEESE, BUT THEY'RE DELICIOUS. JUST FYI...

Answer 9

no.you have to Blanche your fries in hot oil first for a minute or so depending on much you are cooking do it in batches. let the fries cool then frie to a golden brown.and don't crowd the pan or fryer.

Answer 10

Never heard of that. If you slice them thin and deep fry them they will come out crunchy.