Every day can be Fry-day!

French fries for the Americans, chips for the British, and finger chips for us Indians. This dish is unanimously loved by all. French fries are basically potatoes that are cut in a batonnet (baton-like) shape and then deep fried. Served hot, either soft or crispy, it is often served as a snack or a side dish and not as a whole meal. well, I wouldn't mind eating fries as an entire meal.

Fries being finger food are served mostly in pubs, bars, fast food outlets, or diners. It can be eaten simply salted with the dip of your choice. Nowadays there are many toppings for fries like cheese sauce, jalapenos, chilies, barbecue sauce et al. Chips come in so many sizes and shapes, curly, shoestring, twisted potatoes, spiral. For people who are conscious about their health, there are sweet potato fries or baked/ oven fries, that use less or no oil at all. All I want to say is that when it comes to french fries the possibilities are endless!

Historians have traced the origin of fries to the late 1600s in Belgium. there is a local Belgian lore that the poor villagers there used to eat fried fish that they caught in the river. During the winters, the river would freeze over, leaving the villagers searching for food elsewhere. It was here that they dug out roots and tubers. Enter the potato. They sliced it up and fried it just like they did with the fish. During World War I, the American soldiers were fed this fried potato, which turned out to be a big hit among them. As the official language of the Belgian army was French, the name French fries stuck.

A majority of food buffs prefer their fries crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. One where you can feel the crunch while it dissolves in your mouth simultaneously. Such fries are a rare occurrence, much like Halley's Comet. Fortunately, Heston Blumenthal aka the Culinary Alchemist has a recipe that will make perfectly crispy and fluffy fries at home! This process is a long one, where the potatoes are cooked thrice. After cutting and washing the potatoes, they are parboiled in salt water. Once they cool down, they are then put in the refrigerator for about half an hour. After that's done the potatoes are then fried on a low flame till they turn into a shade of light golden color. They are again refrigerated for half an hour and then fried on a high flame till they are golden brown. Viola! The perfect fries that you craved for are ready.

In a much shorter/lazier version, just take them out of the freezer and fry!