If you don't have a deep fryer at home, you might resort to using the oven to make delicious French fries.
Unfortunately, the result is often not as expected. However, it doesn't have to be this way!
Oven fries don't have the best reputation. The homemade fries often turn out too moist and limp, and even the well-known frozen variety often reaches its limits in the oven, despite promises to the contrary.
But what's important for good French fries? Most would agree that fries taste best when they are well-seasoned and crispy on the outside but still soft inside. What you don't want are greasy, limp fries that are anything but crispy.
However, there are some tricks to solve all these problems that homemade oven fries often suffer from, and it requires a special ingredient. According to Danish Pensionist.dk the ingredient is rice flour.
Here's how you do it:
Step 1: Choose the right thickness and type of potato for French fries. Depending on how crispy you want the fries to be in the end, it's important to cut the potatoes into as thin sticks as possible. The narrower the fries, the shorter the baking time, and the crispier the result will be. It's recommended to choose a firm type of potato for oven fries. These naturally have a slightly lower starch content than medium-cooking varieties and are therefore particularly well-suited for baking in the oven.
Step 2: After cutting the fries to the desired width, they should be thoroughly rinsed under running water in a sieve. This removes some of the starch, which would otherwise keep the fries soft later. Then, place the fries in a large bowl and cover them with very hot water until everything is submerged. The raw fries should now soak in it for about 10 to 15 minutes. This will further remove starch and make the fries crispier.
Step 3: Dry the potatoes thoroughly after the short water bath. Pour the potato sticks into a sieve and dry them thoroughly. This is easiest done with some kitchen paper or a clean dish towel. Now, oil and spices come into play. In addition to salt, a little paprika or thyme can be added to taste.
Step 4: Now it's time for the rice flour. Simply sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons over the still raw potato sticks. Rice flour prevents the fries from releasing too much moisture and also absorbs some of the potato starch. If you don't have or can't find rice flour, you can also use polenta as an alternative.
Step 5: Baking in the oven at high temperature. Now it's time to get down to business. Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F) with convection. These temperatures are necessary for the fries to cook and become crispy in a short time. When spreading the fries on the baking sheet, it's very important that the individual fries don't lie on top of each other and only touch each other a little. If there are too many, it's better to use another baking sheet. Now bake the potato sticks in the middle rack for about 30 minutes until they are golden. But keep an eye on the oven after 20 minutes, so they don't burn. If the fries get too dark, they can also be covered with a piece of baking paper.
