These Salt and Vinegar Freezer Fries Have All the Flavor and No Moisture
French fries are my favorite form of cooked potatoes, even frozen ones from the grocery store. They reach their peak when freshly cooked, hot, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. This is why dousing my homemade fries with vinegar is such an internal struggle: keep it simple and simple? Or spice them up after the fact, which tastes good but feels sad and wet. Turns out I’ve been doing the opposite all along. The best way to get that salty vinegar punch without having to endure soaked fries is to season the fries thoroughly before you bake them.
I’ve always loved the British and Canadian love for lip-puckered sodium fries. The potato chip variant is just as popular (maybe even more), but I think the thicker part of the fries balances out and distributes those strong flavors better. However, the idea of drizzling a watery substance over something fried and crunchy is a culinary oxymoron and makes me hesitate every time. The result is the same every time: french fries. Wet potatoes. I always regret it.
It occurred to me that flavorful french fries don’t have to be that way. Instead of using salt and vinegar as a seasoning, why not use them as a targeted ingredient like a marinade or rub? I confidently set about testing this Salt and Vinegar French Fries Recipe, but deep down I had tiny doubts. What if vinegar had to be weighed in water to be spicy? Perhaps the taste will “cook”. After all, you can use vinegar to wipe countertops and clean other surfaces without the lingering sour smell once it dries. The benefits I was hoping for were dry, crispy fries with no moisture and a noticeable salty vinegar flavor that stuck to each fry instead of settling to the bottom of the pan.
How to cook french fries before the season
I have a bag of small Ore-Ida fries, very crispy but otherwise unseasoned, a bottle of Heinz malt vinegar, and fine sea salt. I made three batches: one was thrown into the vinegar and salt solution for a minute or so, and then immediately laid out on a foil-lined baking sheet, a batch that was marinated in salt and vinegar for 15 minutes and laid out on a foil-lined baking sheet. a leaf (which I sprinkled with extra salt) and a test batch to make sure I’m not imagining a phantom taste of vinegar.
The results were phenomenal. I loved both sets of fries (all three actually). A quick batch of “toss and bake” had a nice touch of vinegar, and although the salt dissolved into the liquid during the pre-seasoning, it was well balanced and tasty. This style is perfect for people who like high-end frozen potatoes but don’t necessarily know they’re eating vinegar. The fries that soaked for 15 minutes were fantastic too. As I had hoped, the marinating allowed the vinegar flavor to penetrate deeper, and the final taste became distinctly vinegary. The extra pinch of salt just prior to baking Batch #2 definitely stuck to each fries and it was more like the brine attack I was looking for.
The fries in both batches were well crunchy – more so than the control batch. There was also a welcome side effect of the extra browning from the acid in the vinegar. A similar phenomenon occurs in the preparation of bagels and pretzels. According to the vegan physicist in this post , lye or baking soda added to boiling water (or vinegar in this case) will significantly induce a Maillard reaction , even with the relatively short baking time of these french fries.
The recipe for these salt and vinegar fries can be modified depending on whether you want it lightly seasoned or stronger. I’m guessing you could marinate them even longer to get a little more vinegar flavor, but after a certain point I’m not sure if they’ll absorb any more. Try it with hand-cut french fries and let me know how it turned out in the comments.
French fries in the freezer with salt and vinegar
Ingredients:
- 4 oz french fries
- 1 ½ tablespoons malt vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt (plus extra for sprinkling before baking)
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. The foil does not need to be lubricated.
In a large, wide-bottomed bowl (even a frying pan works), drizzle the French fries with vinegar and sprinkle with salt. Roll potatoes in salt and vinegar until evenly coated. For a stronger flavor, leave them in the solution for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done, use tongs or a fork to transfer the fries to a baking sheet, leaving any excess vinegar in the bowl. Sprinkle them with extra salt. For a lighter flavor, arrange the french fries in the pan immediately after briefly adding the salt and vinegar.
Bake 20 minutes. Carefully remove the foil or parchment from the French fries and enjoy immediately.