As long as you can get potatoes and a whole lot of neutral oil, perfect homemade french fries are within your grasp.

How to Make Crispy French Fries

There’s no denying it: The fast food french fry is a masterpiece of lightness and crispiness. To try and improve on its exalted form would be to admit defeat—it can’t be done. But right now, it’s not so easy to fetch a batch by simply heading on down to your nearest drive-thru or takeout spot.

Luckily, it is possible to make great french fries at home. The key is to use the double-fry technique that takes the potato pieces through the oil twice: first through a pre-blanch, to help reinforce their surface crispiness, and then through a second run to make sure their insides get cooked fluffy. Also important: choosing the right type of potato, blotting off all excess moisture, and soaking overnight (more on all of those below).

As a bonus, when you make fries yourself, there’s a whole range of shapes and sizes and styles to explore. Plus, you can play with seasonings you’d never get at McDonald’s.

If you don’t want to whip out that deep fryer, there are wonderful ways to make healthier fries as well—and yes, of course, you can use an air fryer—but if you want the full-on fast food crisp, this is how to get there.

First, Plan Ahead

Be aware that you’ll need to soak your cut potatoes in cold water for at least a couple hours to help remove excess starch and prevent them sticking together. You can also cut them and leave them in the cold water in the fridge overnight, then proceed with drying and frying the next day.

What You Need to Make French Fries

Note: This is enough for about four servings, but you can decrease the amounts by half for a smaller batch.

Special Equipment

A chef’s knife or a french fry cutter

You can cut your potatoes into matchsticks with a good sharp chef’s knife, but if you have trouble getting the hang of it, there are specific tools designed for this job:

A frying vessel

Likewise, a real countertop deep fryer will definitely produce crisp fries, but you can also fry them in the deep Dutch oven you probably already own:

Baking sheets

You’ll need to use a baking sheet or two to drain your fries as they come out of the hot oil:

Tongs, or a spider strainer

Tongs will work to remove the fries from the oil, but a spider strainer can handle more at one time without damaging any:

A deep-fat thermometer

And a deep-fat thermometer is highly recommended so you know precisely when your oil is ready:

Steps to Making French Fries

1. Cut the potatoes into sticks about 3 to 4 inches long and 1/2 inch thick. As you work, put the cut potatoes in a large bowl of cold water to keep them from discoloring from contact with the air. When you’re finished, drain and rinse the potatoes, then cover with fresh cold water, a couple handfuls of ice cubes, and the lemon juice. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

2. Before you begin frying, line a large rimmed baking sheet with 2 layers of sheets cut from a clean brown paper bag, or paper towels. You’ll drain the fries on these. You’ll also need more towels to dry the potatoes before frying.

3. When you’re ready to fry, add the oil to a depth of 2 to 3 inches in a 6-quart Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium heat and heat the oil until a deep-fry thermometer reads 325°F. Meanwhile, drain the potatoes well, then spread on paper towels to dry (not the same paper towels you’ll use to drain them). Blot dry with additional towels; you want the potatoes to be as dry as possible so they actually get crisp.

4. Working in small batches, add the potatoes to the hot oil and fry, stirring occasionally with tongs or a spider, until tender and very lightly golden brown, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the fries using the spider or tongs. Drain on the lined baking sheet and let them cool for about 20 minutes. Repeat with the remaining fries, letting the oil come back to 325°F between batches.

5. Set up another draining station with fresh baking sheets and towels or paper bags in preparation for the second dip in the oil.

6. After all the fries have cooled for at least 20 minutes, raise the heat to medium-high and bring the oil to a temperature of 375°F. Working in small batches again, return the potatoes to the oil. Fry, stirring occasionally with the tongs or spider, until they’re evenly crisp and golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Using the spider or tongs, transfer the fries to the fresh sheets of brown paper bag, or paper towels, to drain briefly. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately, with or without ketchup.

Eat these with a juicy burger for a dose of pure Americana.

What Is the Best Type of Potato for French Fries?

Potatoes high in starch—like russets (aka, Idaho potatoes or baking potatoes)—are ideal for frying, since they contain less moisture and will cook up crisp outside and fluffy within. Avoid waxy potatoes. In a pinch, Yukon Golds (which are like a hybrid of waxy and starchy) may be used, but russets are still preferable.

For sweet potato fries, we recommend baking them, but if you do fry them, sweet potatoes do best with some type of batter or coating to help them crisp up.

Flavor Variations

More Ways to Cut French Fries

There are also several other fry shapes worth trying:

Curly Fries

Yes, you will need special equipment to get this springy, bouncy shape. But the investment is worth it for coils that are fun to eat and delightfully tender (bonus: you can finally make zoodles too). Get the Curly Fries recipe.

Shoestring Fries

These thin slivers are all about the crunch. Break out the julienne peeler or mandoline to achieve evenly-sized strands, and make sure to throw in a few herbs to boost the flavor. Get the Shoestring Fries recipe.

Steak Fries

If you’re a big fan of fluffy, spudsy goodness that you can sink your teeth into, steak fries are the way to go. All you need is a sharp knife to get these hefty wedges. Get the Steak Fries recipe.

Cottage Fries

A few shades thicker than chips, these simple fries simply involve slicing your potatoes into round medallions. You get a nice balance between chewy insides and crispy surface area with these flat shapes. Get the Cottage Fries recipe.

Home Fries

Home fries make oiled up potatoes acceptable to eat for breakfast. And as their name implies, these are the one kind you should be able to whip up while still in your pajamas. All it takes is a skillet and some seasoning. Get our Home Fries recipe. (Add mix-ins like leftover pastrami and peppers and you have a hash!)

Oven Fries

OK, so oven fries are not so much a style as they are a technique. But baked fries are great for when you want potatoes that cut down on the grease. Although you’re not going to get any deep-fried crispiness with these, they still pack plenty of spud flavor—cut them into matchsticks if you prefer, or go with wedges. Get our Oven Fries recipe.