KILL IT CUT IT UP AND COOK IT: FRENCH FRY SMACK DOWN

Let's face it. I LOVE French Fries. I can eat 'em any way you cook them.

But I am on a quest for “The Best.” And I got to wondering.

“Which are better, homemade or store bought.”

So Penny and I thought she would grill up a couple of steaks while I played with the taters.

Off to the store I went. First thing I selected were four nice looking Russert Potatoes. At $3.99 I thought they were expensive. Then I saw the price of a good steak.

Next stop was the frozen food section. I never realized there we so many choices. I wanted a fair comparison, so I selected some Ore Ida Steak Fries with no seasoning. They were $3.38, so I the cost was about the same. No issue here.

Now it was time to head to the meat section. WOW !!! That stuff is expensive. But what the hell, I LOVE steak. Into the cart flew a couple of nice T-Bones.

I have always wanted to try the double fry recipe for fries, so why not now.

Here we go.

I am a deep fryer fan. Penny like to use a pot, but that idea scares me. I feel more comfortable using our deep fryer. And I don't have to worry about adjusting the temperature.

Let's get the taters cut up.

Cut them into steak fries and place in a bowl of water. Add a pinch of salt. Put the bowl in the cold box for at least an hour. More is better here, we are trying to remove some of the starch from the potatoes. I suggest letting it sit for a couple of hours.

The players

Now that your fries have sat in water for a while, heat up the deep fryer to 320 degrees.

Make sure you follow the directions that came with your deep fryer.

Remove the home made fries from the water. Pat them dry (I mean as dry as possible) Place them in the basket and lower into the hot oil.

Cook for 6 minutes, lifting and shaking the basket a couple of times. (Just like they do on Diners Drive In's and Dives.)

Lift the basket and drain the oil. Place the fries on a cooking sheet lined with paper towels and put into a warm oven.

Get your frozen fries and repeat the above. Six minutes, shake shake shake.

Now you can raise your oil temperature to 375 degrees. When ready place one set of fries into the basket and lower. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes. You'll know based on the color.

Repeat this for the other fries. (KEEP track of them, so you can properly compare.

When they were done, I used two separate bowls on the table.

The result !!!

HOME MADE

STORE BOUGHT

The store bought fries came out a little crisper than mine. And they looked a little nicer. But the home made fries had better taste. Penny said it was NO CONTEST. And I trust her. I felt the same way. In a 'pinch' there is nothing wrong with store bought. But I would NEVER serve them to company.