FOOD NEWS
The Secret To Ultra-Crispy Homemade French Fries Is Sugar
BY STEPHANIE FRIEDMAN
When trying to achieve the perfect texture for french fries (soft on the inside, crispy on the outside), one of the best ingredients to turn to is somewhat unexpected: sugar.
Just as a salty brine can be used to draw moisture out of chicken skin before frying, sugar has the ability to bind with water molecules, extracting liquid in a similar manner.
When you fry your spuds, the sugar will react with the amino acids (creating what's called the Maillard reaction), which results in a nice, crunchy, golden-brown coating.
To make your sugar brine, dissolve a couple tablespoons of sugar in enough water to submerge your potato strips. Soak them for a good long time in the fridge — ideally overnight.
Drain your potatoes and pat them with a paper towel before deep-frying them. You can also season your raw fries with sugar for up to half an hour before frying them.