French fries, pomme frites, potato sticks. Let's argue!

Is there a good way to get the moisture out of fresh shredded potatoes so they fry up well? I make some really good hash browns by shredding the potatoes and then putting them in a dish towel and wringing as much moisture as I can out of them prior to frying, but it takes a long time (lots of small batches of wringing) so I don't do it very often. I read somewhere that a salad spinner would work but like hell it does, they're still soggy coming out of the spinner no matter how fast I spin it for for how long.

Patrick said:

berkeley all you weirdos

I'll just assume you are referring to everyone but me, as my tastes and preferences are not at all weird or unusual.

signed- the guy who gets aroused at the sight of a clean zx2

Knurled. said:

The abonimation in a bag that 5 Guys claims is fries is long tater tots.

Ummmm, what?  They are hand cut from bags of potatoes sitting around, minutes before being dumped into boiling peanut oil. 
 

Duke said:

Ummmm, what?  They are hand cut from bags of potatoes sitting around, minutes before being dumped into boiling peanut oil. 
 

I always have to ask for them to get fried for 5 extra minutes at 5 Guys, though.

dculberson said:

Is there a good way to get the moisture out of fresh shredded potatoes so they fry up well? I make some really good hash browns by shredding the potatoes and then putting them in a dish towel and wringing as much moisture as I can out of them prior to frying, but it takes a long time (lots of small batches of wringing) so I don't do it very often. I read somewhere that a salad spinner would work but like hell it does, they're still soggy coming out of the spinner no matter how fast I spin it for for how long.

Mix a bit of salt in with the shredded potatoes and let them sit for 10 minutes. It'll draw moisture out. You should pat dry or spin after salting, then fry them.

Pre-salting eggplant before frying gets it crispy, too. 

Y

Local burger chain (Little Big Burger) makes ridiculous truffle fries and has their own ketchup with some chilies in it. Those are probably my favorite fast food fries. They even taste pretty good cold. 

I'll hit up the nearest McMenamins if I want tots. Their cajun ones are dope. 

In reply to dculberson :

When I make potato balls I dry the riced potatoes but spreading them out on a beach towel and covering them with another towel. It takes a while but works well.

Duke said:

Knurled. said:

The abonimation in a bag that 5 Guys claims is fries is long tater tots.

Ummmm, what?  They are hand cut from bags of potatoes sitting around, minutes before being dumped into boiling peanut oil. 
 

I've been to 5 Guys once. Pretty much everything about the experience convinced me to never go back. The greasy bag of soggy fries was at the top of the list of nasty though. They may have been some of the worst fries I've ever had.  

In reply to Toyman01 :

And breaded/seasoned.  Yuck.

If I am going to have fries, I want big thick planks, with no junk crusting them.  Bonus points if they still have peel on the ends.

In reply to Toyman01 and Knurled. :

Wow, your Five Guys must be very different from ours.

No one would ever mistake our Five Guys for haute cuisine, but for fast food, it's pretty good.  And the fries are definitely not breaded.

Duke said:

In reply to Toyman01 and Knurled. :

Wow, your Five Guys must be very different from ours.

No one would ever mistake our Five Guys for haute cuisine, but for fast food, it's pretty good.  And the fries are definitely not breaded.

I agree.  I get to Five Guys once a month or so.  I always enjoy it, and I'm the nutball that tends to vegetarianism, so their decked out burgers and greasy fries must be doing something right.  I agree the fries could go a half-minute longer, but I get along just fine with their Cajun seasoned ones.

And they are definitely actual potatoes, and definitely not breaded.

Duke said:

In reply to Toyman01 and Knurled. :

Wow, your Five Guys must be very different from ours.

No one would ever mistake our Five Guys for haute cuisine, but for fast food, it's pretty good.  And the fries are definitely not breaded.

 

I'm a firm believer that the manager makes or breaks a fast food joint. It's the reason Chick-fil-As are run so well. They require the owner to work a number of hours a week in the store. There are no decent fast food managers around here. They all suck.

5 Guys cajun fries are pretty spectacular. FIGHT ME.

Every time I've been to Five Guys (twice), the fries were extremely soggy. No thanks. 

dculberson said:

Is there a good way to get the moisture out of fresh shredded potatoes so they fry up well? .

Fry them 1/3 to 1/2 way through, pull them, dry, cool a bit and then dunk them again.  HOT clean oil.

What I like best about the 5 Guys fries experience is the sophisticated presentation.  Your generous portion of fries, when ready, will be meticulously dumped into a Dixie cup that is laughably small compared to the actual volume of fries you will receive.  The overflow, which easily eclipses the volume of fries in the cup, will land in a plain brown paper bag, which soaks up the excess oil and gives the bag an elegant and unmistakably greasy look.  It's a first class dining experience all the way.

914Driver said:

dculberson said:

Is there a good way to get the moisture out of fresh shredded potatoes so they fry up well? .

 

Fry them 1/3 to 1/2 way through, pull them, dry, cool a bit and then dunk them again.  HOT clean oil.

 

Or throw them in the oven for 10 minutes

I just made hash browns out of left over baked.  Flat griddle, oil, butter, bacon or sausage, onion, hot peppers; brown!

Egg over easy on top. 

Nothing about 5 guys is appetizing. The price is ridiculous, the burgers rally aren't that good, and those soggy, greasy, floppy potato sticks are some of the most disgusting things I've ever had the misfortune of trying. $15 for a burger fries and a drink, get the berkeley out of here. They fall somewhere between Olive Garden and barium sulfate for me.

Everything I've ever had at Five Guys is extremely fresh.  The vegetables are always crispy and cold, they don't drop your patties to cook until after you order, and the fries are delivered hot enough you have to wait to eat them.

Like I said, there's nothing gourmet about them, but they are an authentic lunch counter burger experience in the best tradition.  At least in the DE / PA / MD area they are.

Well, at least we can all agree on Five Guys!

Oh, and I'm okay with their pricing, as it tends to keep the riff-raff out.

Jordan Rimpela said:

5 Guys cajun fries are pretty spectacular. FIGHT ME.

Will join you..  These are awesome.  

Fueled by Caffeine said:

Jordan Rimpela said:

5 Guys cajun fries are pretty spectacular. FIGHT ME.

Will join you..  These are awesome.  

That makes me the Third Musketeer.  Now we just need 2 more.

In reply to Toyman01 :

Troof!  It takes 45 mins to go through a drive through in this area. Wtf?

Except chick fill a.

Duke said:

Everything I've ever had at Five Guys is extremely fresh.  The vegetables are always crispy and cold, they don't drop your patties to cook until after you order, and the fries are delivered hot enough you have to wait to eat them.

Like I said, there's nothing gourmet about them, but they are an authentic lunch counter burger experience in the best tradition.  At least in the DE / PA / MD area they are.

 

^This

Best fast food burger out there.

I hate the places that take the patty out of the drawer.