Easy Pan Fried Potatoes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do I have to boil potatoes before frying? ›

It takes about 20 minutes for the potatoes to be tender (which is about the same amount of time it would take for the water to come up to a boil and for the potatoes to cook in it, therefore there's no need to incorporate boiling into the process).

The secret to crispy pan-fried potatoes:

It's simple: Pan-fry with cooking oil(s), not butter. As much as we love butter, it burns too quickly over high heat, which is necessary for optimal crispiness. While olive oil does taste great with potatoes, it also has a lower smoking point.

First, get the starch off! Rinsing or soaking the potatoes for an hour (or, even better, overnight) will remove some of the starch from the surface and prevent the sugars from browning before the potatoes are cooked.

Let the oil get really hot before adding potatoes. It won't smoke but it will ripple in the pan. Don't overcrowd the skillet. You can put a cover on the skillet to help them cook for the first bit but take it off for the last part of cooking or your potatoes will be soggy.

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes. Cold water is used because hot water would react with the starch activating it, making it harder to separate from the potatoes.

Place them in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Allow them to soak, 2 to 3 hours. (You can also stick them in the fridge and let them soak overnight.) When you're ready to make the fries, drain off the water and lay the potatoes on 2 baking sheets lined with paper towels.

Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Cook potatoes in hot oil until golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.

Long accepted as a standard deep frying oil because of its neutrality, high smoke point, and ready availability (on the bottom oil shelf of most grocery stores), peanut oil is the choice of home fryers as well as chains such as Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

And the clear winners are Idaho or russet potatoes.

These potatoes are dense and have less moisture, which is key to avoiding soggy fries. You can also use Yukon gold potatoes, which are an all-purpose potato that can be used for frying. You should avoid waxy potatoes like red-skinned, new, or fingerling potatoes.

Pouring cool or room temp oil over the potatoes is a sure fire way to end up with soggy spuds.

What is the best potato choice for pan frying? ›

Russet, Idaho, Yukon gold and Kennebec potatoes are great choices for these cottage fries. They all have a good amount of starch which helps the potatoes swell up when they cook. That creates a lighter, fluffier texture. Red potatoes and fingerlings won't give you that same fluffy texture because they have less starch.

Cooking with fat not only provides a ton of flavor, but it also acts as a lubricant and helps your food release from the pan instead of simply burning onto it. If your food sticks, there is a chance that you simply didn't use enough oil.

Put the butter in a pan (I use a stick free, the butter is for taste) and melt. Add potatoes, and turn over every few minutes until brown. Not all need to be brown, but make sure they are cooked through. Usually takes about 15 minutes.

By rinsing off the excess starch, you can achieve a better balance and control over the browning process, resulting in evenly cooked and beautifully golden fries. Another advantage of rinsing the potatoes is that the cold water makes the potato cells firmer, leading to crispier fries when fried.

Once the pan is hot, drain the potatoes and pat them dry. Place the potatoes into the frying pan. Once the potatoes are in the pan add the salt, seasoning salt, and pepper to the potatoes. Toss everything so that all of the potatoes are coated.

Learn more about all the different types of potatoes. We'll say it again because we know it's hard to believe but you seriously don't need to boil these spuds. Slicing them thin will allow them to cook through in the same amount of time that they need to get brown and crispy on the outside.

And even if recipes don't call for it, sometimes the recipe is quick and tastier if you boil the potatoes first, anyway. Start with cold water and salt (so the potato gains flavor as it cooks). And whatever size or type of potato you're boiling, you'll want everything to be of a similar size so they cook evenly.

Parboiling potatoes is the best way to get a crunchy exterior when roasting. Putting them in the fridge won't do any harm, and you can prep them in advance and hold them to the next day with no problem.

When French‐fry strips are blanched in water or oil or a combination of the two, and allowed to set for a minimum of 30 minutes before finish frying, the advantages for blanching include: More uniform color. Reduction of fat absorption when the surface layer of starch has a chance to gelatinize. Improved texture.