Crunchy, tasty tostones.

Because this specific batch was to substitute the crunchy crispiness of French fries, I squashed the plantains a bit thinner than what is common for tostones. I was going for a version that highlighted a bit more crunchiness, and I got it. Do what feels right for your taste though. I’d recommend squishing and frying a couple at different thicknesses to get a feel for how crispy they get.

I’m not sure why it didn’t dawn on me at the time, but I didn’t even think about cutting them into French fry shapes. I was just hooked on making tostones and really needed to see that through. They were great and I don’t regret not doing plantain-french-fries except maybe for the novelty factor.

I still think I may try to cut some into French fry lengths at some point to see how that works out. Click through for the recipe and to see how I made these.

Tostones
I normally go with one plantain per person to make sure everybody has enough. Not everyone eats that much though. As with any fried food, they are best the day they are made.
Ingredients
3 unripe plantains (firm and green)
2-3 cups of vegetable or canola oil

Directions
1. Cut off the ends of the plantains and cut the plantains into approximately one inch segments. Score the skin on each side and peel off the skin. The skin is like a tougher version of a banana peel.
2. Heat about two or three cups of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. (FYI, cast iron rocks.) Once nice and hot (a pinch of flour in it will sizzle and dissipate quickly), add the rounds of plantains. The oil should come up about half way up the plantains. Fry until lightly golden brown, flip, then fry the other side until it gets light golden brown too. Remove them from the oil and allow to cool slightly. (You can reduce the heat on the oil for now, you’ll need to bring it back to the same temperature again later.)
3. Smash them with the base of a plate or bowl. Just put each round on a cutting board and press down on them until they get flat. (You can do this in your hands too, but I find that a piece of parchment paper on either side and using a plate/bowl is great.)
4. Optional seasoning: Soak each flattened round in salt water for about a minute. The water should be salty like sea water. Pat them dry, then continue with the next step.
5. Re-add the tostones back to the hot oil and fry again for about five minutes, until crisp (flip them once). Once fried, drain them on a couple layers of paper towels. If you skipped step 4, sprinkle lightly with salt.

Oh man, this is making me want another piece.

I didn’t even grow up eating fried chicken. Yes, I did grow up in the south, but my parents (French and British) never prepared these southern “delicacies” for us. I don’t often get cravings for it and I don’t have a story about having a great recipe from down south that my mom used to make. What I do have though, is Alton Brown.

I’ve looked around for a few ways to make fried chicken at home and tried several variations, but, in all seriousness, I haven’t found a more satisfying version than Alton Brown’s. The man is from Georgia after all, so has to represent the south. His recipe doesn’t call for too many ingredients and is relatively simple to prepare. The most difficult part is cutting a whole chicken into it’s separate parts… and you can already buy them cut. Problem solved.

Go make Alton Brown's Mac & Cheese to go with this. Seriously. I did.

This chicken is amazing served cold too. I’ll sometimes make this for dinner, then find myself fishing in the fridge for another drumstick after a late night out. Fried chicken this good is impressive no matter how it’s served.

I do make one tiny change to his process though. You’ll have to click though to find out what though.

I’ll go ahead and link to his recipe again here. I’ll even point you to his video (watch it, it’s pretty informative). I don’t even mind if you leave this page to use his instructions (but you will miss out on my one addition–no biggie).

Southern Fried Chicken
Recipe adapted from Alton Brown.
Ingredients
1 broiler/fryer chicken, cut into 6 pieces (two breasts, two drumsticks, two thighs, wings can be discarded, or kept and fried after the rest)
at least 2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons kosher salt (if using table salt, reduce by about half)
2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Flour, for dredging
Vegetable shortening, for frying

Directions
1. Soak the chicken in buttermilk overnight (refrigerated, obviously). Around 24 hours is ideal.
2. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and drain in a large colander.
3. Combine salt, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Liberally season the chicken with this mixture. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess. Here is where I deviate from Alton Brown a bit. He recommends letting this rest for only 2-3 minutes. I let it rest for 10-15 minutes. I have found that the longer resting time encourages a crisper crust.
4. While the chicken in resting, in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over low heat, melt enough shortening to come about 1/8 inch up the side of the skillet. (Once the chicken is added, it should go about halfway up the sides of the chicken.)
5. When the shortening has liquified, raise the heat to medium to medium-high until it reaches 325 F. Be careful when taking temperature readings, If you rest your thermometer on the bottom of the skillet you’ll be taking the temperature of the skillet, not the shortening. I normally stir the shortening a bit with the probe thermometer to get a better reading. Once at 325F, monitor the heat closely. Bring the shortening almost to 340F and add the chicken. The smoke point of shortening isn’t much higher than 360F, so be careful–don’t let it get above 350F. Err of the side of 325 F if you aren’t comfortable with your temperature readings.

— There is a trick to adding the chicken:
- Place all chicken parts skin-side down.
- Breasts go at the top of the pan, along the outside edge, widest part at the top (pointing towards 12 o’clock with the thinner ends pointing to 3 and 9 o’clock).
- Drumsticks go at the bottom, meat side pointing towards you (6 o’clock), bone side pointing towards the right and left sides (3 and 9 o’clock).
- The thighs should fit nicely in the opening in the center.

5. Cook for about 10 to 12 minutes a side, until the chicken in golden brown. The second side tends to be a little darker because the shortening has more stuff floating around in it. Double check doneness by using a probe thermometer, the internal temp should be right around 180 degrees.
– MOST IMPORTANTLY: Check the temperature of the shortening every minute or so. The shortening can literally burn. It has never happened to me, but I check the temperature :)
6. Drain the chicken on a cooling rack set over a sheet pan. This allows excess grease to drain while preventing the chicken from getting soggy.

I know this seems like long instructions, but people tend to be hesitant when frying things. The recipe isn’t difficult. Just follow the instructions and use a probe thermometer to monitor the oil temp.

One last nugget of wisdom for you. Buy a splash screen when frying… Cleaning the splash screen is much easier than cleaning the counters and floors :)

Potato Chips

Apart from the shape, there is really only one difference between these and the french fries: Fry them once at the high temperature and not twice. Like most fried food, these are best fresh. I can’t really tell you how they are the next day as there are typically none left. 

Several months ago I posted about making potato chips in the microwave. You can quickly get your snack on with that method, but it doesn’t quite match the fresh-out-of-the-fryer taste. The microwave chips had some benifits: arguably a bit crunchier, harder to burn the chip (and yourself), and less mess. If you are looking to make chips for one or two, use your microwave. If you want chips for 5 or more, deep frying them is the way to go.

I might as well describe the process in detail for those who like specifics (me!), so click through…

I used the same set-up as for my French fries last week: three quarts oil in the pot, probe thermomenter sticking in, large slotted spoon to get things out of the oil.

Frying potato chips.

Ingredients

Idaho or Russet (or nearly any potato)
two to four quarts oil (peanut is preferred, but canola or even olive oil–not extra virgin–can be used)
salt (kosher, table, or popcorn salt) 

Recipe

1. Don’t bother peeling the potatoes, just scrub them and remove any of the more offensive looking parts. Using a mandolin on the thinnest setting, or a sharp chef’s knife, cut the potatoes into thin disks. Rinse the potato disks in cold water until the water is clear and let them soak them in a large bowl of ice water. The potatoes can be made to this point and held for about 12 hours.
2. Fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot with your oil, attach your fry thermometer or probe thermometer and heat over medium-high until 375F degrees. (I normally set my thermometer to 360F and start there.)
3. As the oil heats, dry the potatoes thoroughly with kitchen towels–water and hot oil don’t mix.
4. When the oil is hot, add a large hand full of the chips to the oil and fry until golden brown. Stir them a bit when you first drop them in so that they do not stick together.
5. Transfer to a clean, thick paper bag or paper towels. Return the oil to 360 degrees and repeat with remaining chips. Season the chips as they are removed from the oil to help the salt stick. Eat the crispy goodness.

Potato chips.

Burger and fries.

Fresh French fries are everything that frozen, fast food fries are not: crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside, and a true potato flavor. Contrary to what many people think, French fries are neither difficult nor particularly messy to make. A pot, oil, potatoes, and salt are all you really need. Once it is set up, large batches can quickly be made–which is a good thing, as these are fairly addicting. Not that the basic recipe needs any changing, but I borrowed a trick from Cooks Illustrated to get these extra crispy.

A big plate of fries.

Click through for the recipe and tips on frying.

Deep frying is not hard, but the one thing that greatly simplyfies and adds a huge degree of control to the process is to have a thermometer. I have some friends who can ‘just tell’ when the oil is ready, others who throw in a pinch of flour and know how that is supposed to react. I like to be more precise and to use a thermometer (see the wire probe in the picture below). I don’t have a dedicated frying thermometer, my oven probe thermometer on a wire works perfectly. It has a temperature alarm to let me know when I reach the proper temperature and it displays a constant read of the temperature of the oil.

I use a standard ‘twice-fried’ method for cooking French fries. The first fry is at a lower temperature (around 320F) to cook the inside gently. The second fry takes place at a higher temperature (around 375F) to crisp the outside. Frying them allows for a contrast in texture: a crunchy crisp exterior and a light fluffy interior.

Frying fries.

Ingredients
(serves 4)

3 pounds russet or Idaho potatoes (about 4-6 potatoes)
4 tablespoons cornstarch
3 quarts peanut oil
salt (table salt, kosher salt or popcorn salt all work fine)

Recipe

1. Don’t bother peeling the potatoes, just scrub them and remove any of the more offensive looking parts. Cut the potatoes into about quarter inch disks, then cut those disks into about quarter inch strips (the typical French fry shape). If you have a mandolin, it makes this process go much faster (mind your fingers though–I know from experience!). Rinse the cut potatoes in cold water until the water is clear. Soak them in a large bowl of ice water. The potatoes can be made to this point and held for about 12 hours.
2. Spread the potatoes pieces onto kitchen towels and dry them thoroughly. Dust the potatoes with cornstarch and toss until evenly coated. Let the potatoes rest for about 20 minutes, a white coating should form on them. (Separate the potatoes a bit so they are not all piled.)
3. While the potatoes are resting, fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot with peanut oil, attach your fry thermometer or probe thermometer and heat over medium-high until 325F degrees. (I normally set my thermometer to go over at 275F to give me plenty of warning and make sure the temperature doesn’t shoot past 325F.)
4. Add about a third of the potatoes, a handful at a time, to the hot oil. Increase heat to high to compensate for the drop in temperature. Fry, stirring to prevent the fries from sticking. Remove the fries when they start turning from white to blond, 4 to 5 minutes. They should be soft and fairly limp at this point.
5. Transfer fries to a thick paper bag or paper towels on top of the rack. (The paper will hold the oil without letting the fries get soggy.) Return oil to 325 degrees and repeat with remaining potatoes in one or two more batches.
6. Increase heat under the oil to high and heat until the oil is 375 degrees. Add the first batch of fries back to the oil and fry until golden brown and puffed, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to another (clean) thick paper bag or paper towels. Return oil to 375 degrees and repeat with remaining fries. Season fries with salt and serve immediately.

Other suggestions for fry seasonings: Fresh black pepper, Old Bay Seasoning, cayenne pepper, garlic salt, malt vinegar.