Make That Pickle Fries, What’s the Rule
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it at least four times: we live in the golden age of pickled foods. Some are good and some are bad, but few can come close to the perfection of Golden Flake Pickle Potato Chips (i.e. pre-purchased by Utz).
I don’t know what Utz changed about this once flawless chip or why they changed it, but whatever it is, the result is a chip that’s softer and less acidic. Growing up, the combination of acid and razor-thin chips that Golden Flake Dills gave me tore my mouth open, and the underpants at Utz took that away from me. So when making this pickled fries, my goal was to create something as savory and mouth-puckering as these impossible memory potato chips, and honestly, I think I succeeded. (I also have a few mods if you like less aggressive pickled foods.)
To gently marinate fry, soak them in brine.
If you want the french fries to have a slight pickle flavor, you can soak the frozen fries in brine and leave it there – the process is very similar to when Ellie cooked the fries in the freezer with salt and vinegar : let the frozen fries soak in brine. acid solution for 15 minutes, then bake or air fry until crispy.
Much depends on the saline solution you choose. I made my first batch with 5 ounces of fries and 1/4 cup of Trader Joe’s Kosher Cucumber Dill Pickle and the flavor was so subtle I might not have noticed if I hadn’t put the fries in the brine myself. . I then tasted the homemade brine, courtesy of Amanda’s pickled green cherry tomatoes, and immediately felt the brine’s more pronounced taste.
Finally, I took the weaker TJ brine and boiled it down to make a concentrate. I added a whole cup of brine to a small saucepan and simmered until it reduced to 1/4 cup. I marinated another 5 ounces of frozen french fries in super marinated concentrate for 15 minutes and then air fried these puppies. The result is a brine with a sour and salty base and hints of pickled seasonings such as dill, mustard and garlic.
Finish with some form of powdered vinegar
Soaking french fries in brine gives the fries their savory flavor, but cooking takes away the vinegary flavor. To compensate for this loss of acid, add powdered vinegar to your fries.
You can order pure powdered vinegar online, but you can also find it in marinade-flavored seasoning mixes like this one from Trader Joe’s or this one available on Amazon , which is meant for popcorn but works equally well on chips. You can even make your own vinegar powder by following the instructions in the first article I wrote for Lifehacker almost eight years ago. (Ignore the fact that I’m married, this is outdated information.) Any of these powders will work, and all of them can be added to taste immediately after the fries are cooked. (If you are using pure vinegar powder, you can add a few pinches of dried dill, onion powder, and/or onion powder, but this is not necessary.)
Combine a concentrated brine soak with a powdered finish and you have fries that have been pickled to hell.
Very pickled french fries in the freezer
Ingredients:
- 10 ounces frozen french fries
- 2 cups of your favorite pickle
- 1 pinch monosodium glutamate
- Powdered vinegar or brine seasoning mix to taste
- Optional: A few pinches of garlic powder, onion powder, or dried dill if you’re using pure vinegar powder.
Add brine to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let it boil until it reduces in volume to 1/2 cup. Add monosodium glutamate and let cool for five minutes.
Place the french fries in a shallow bowl that will fit in one layer. Stir to coat and let soak for 15 minutes, tossing up every five minutes or so. Remove the potatoes from the brine, drain off the excess, and cook in an oven or deep fryer heated to 400℉ until they are crispy and golden, with deep brown spots around the edges. (About 10 minutes for deep fryer, 20 minutes for oven.)
Sprinkle with vinegar powder or pickle seasoning to taste, adding additional seasonings as needed. Serve hot.