Fries: straight vs. crinkle-cut

This weekend I had some wonderful Halibut -n- chips in Bremerton. The only downside was that the fries were of the crinkle-cut variety. I've always thought the wavy cut makes for a weird texture. The insides taste more mealy. Does anyone share this opinion?

Also - why do they do this? Is it for novelty? Does the increased surface area make them fry faster?

-Yumbo

I've had fries both loved and hated in all varieties, and I've come to the conclusion that it's all about frying technique and proper oil temperature and not the shape of the fries.

I agree with Jennifer. I've both loved and hated fries in any and all configurations. I do enjoy the waffle fries at Chik Fil-a. They are always properly prepared.

It's all about whether the potatoes are cut and fried fresh or frozen. There's no comparison in terms of texture and taste and it seems that the crinkle cuts are usually frozen and decidedly inferior.

I like thin cut fries, fried crispy and brown ! I do not care for thick and mealy fries !

Whatever shape, I like them well-done and a bit on the salty side. I love IN N OUT burgers, but their thin cut fries start getting cold almost faster than you can get them from the drive-thru window.
Some of the 'Season-Fries' served by many fast food places are so buried in the seasoning it is hard to tell what the original veggie is/was.
I am watching the progress of Yummie and Jen with all the interest I can muster two days after the Derby !!! I am ready to toss on a slice of Cheese when you hit the magic 100!

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Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen

Whatever shape, I like them well-done and a bit on the salty side. I love IN N OUT burgers, but their thin cut fries start getting cold almost faster than you can get them from the drive-thru window.
Some of the 'Season-Fries' served by many fast food places are so buried in the seasoning it is hard to tell what the original veggie is/was.
I am watching the progress of Yummie and Jen with all the interest I can muster two days after the Derby !!! I am ready to toss on a slice of Cheese when you hit the magic 100!

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Here is the problem with IN N OUT and their fresh cut fries.. they are a fast food joint, and apparently only have time for the first cooking..fresh potatoes have to be fried twice. Even ordering them "well done" doesn't always help. I really enjoy Jack in the Box's curly fries myself

I'll have to defer to Yumbo here.. I'll dub him first in this race

It all depends on what you are having the fries WITH - although personally I prefer thick crinkle cut fries like they have at Nathan's....when done properly Nathans fries are the GREATEST!


'9 posts and zooming on up!'

Steak and Shake's little tiny fries are really good, but Kewpee Lunch's crinkle cut seem to complement their burgers. Just keep those disgusting, flavored curly fries away from my eathole. They were such a novelty at one time, but now the thought of them makes me ill...kind of like the smell of Southern Comfort.

I sort of wonder if some of the potatoes that you buy are processed potatoes? The mealy thing seems to me like they are somehow cooked and put back together. Real fries take a long time to cook. I hve noticed most fast food places can cook them in minutes. I have never been able to do that with mine.

I like to slice my potatoes and let them soak in water for several hours. I can decrease my cooking time by microwaving first and then frying, but that sems to take something out of them.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

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Originally posted by Sundancer7

I sort of wonder if some of the potatoes that you buy are processed potatoes? The mealy thing seems to me like they are somehow cooked and put back together. Real fries take a long time to cook. I hve noticed most fast food places can cook them in minutes. I have never been able to do that with mine.

I like to slice my potatoes and let them soak in water for several hours. I can decrease my cooking time by microwaving first and then frying, but that sems to take something out of them.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

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Here's the absolute best method I've found..soaking in water first like you do is excellent, then after drying them well, blanch them in 325 degree oil til just floppy, let drain, then crisp them up in 375 degree oil til golden brown and perfect.

When I was little (under 8) about the only place my folks took me to was Nathan's because I could make all the noise I want and no one cared. I would only eat crinkle cut fries until I was about ten. I remember the first non crinkle fries I ate was at a chain called Wetson's. They had a franchise at Empire Blvd. and Flatbush Ave. in Brooklyn. I ate the fries and liked them. Ever since then I will eat any fries.

I found a restaurant in Houston (with the help of the Sterns' book) that has six varieties of fries. They even have fries in gravy. I can't remember the name of the restaurant.

I think that Nathan's is the best. I even like their fries better than their franks.

Dearfolk,
My preference is for the fat, crinkle-cut fries. The Grill in Athens, Georgia has some mighty good ones, especially when served with feta dressing. Yumsville!
Pavlovianly Salivating Madly, Ort. Carlton, three blocks from The Grill as I peck.
P. S. 99 posts and all is well!

. I remember the first non crinkle fries I ate was at a chain called Wetson's. They had a franchise at Empire Blvd. and Flatbush Ave. in Brooklyn. I ate the fries and liked them. Ever since then I will eat any fries.

What exactly was Wetson's like? They never came up our way,all we had in the 60's was Carrol's

I think that Nathan's is the best. I even like their fries better than their franks.

I've always thought that too! I am always surprised how good the local Nathans-in-the-mall is! There is a DEFINITE difference in the Nathans in the the malls [and,of course at CI!],and the Nathans that you find at the service areas,and at those horrible 'combination' places in Manhattan- I BELIEVE the mall Nathans are under direct control by Nathans Famous,inc, and the 'service area/Mahattan' stores are under the management of the infamous Riesce [sp?]Comapny

I'm fond of what are mostly called steak-cut fries: thin on one axis and broad on the other, for an improved surface-to-mass ratio.

As I stated in another thread, I wish we would have had the Crinkle Cut fry option in the recent Favorite French Fry vote.
I love Crinkle Cuts although I prefer them not to be not too thick and not too thin, just medium with a crispy outside and soft inside. (not too hard to please, am I?)
They reason for the wavy cut is to provide more surface area to the hot oil to crisp.

While my favorite fries are handcut straight (Like at In-n-Out), there is something to be said for crinkle cuts and their potential for crunch. Harry's in Colchester, CT double fries their standard frozen crinkle cuts -- the second fry really pulls out the moisture and gives great crunch and taste. If you're driving on Rt. 2 towards the Casinos or beachs, it's worth a stop.

Hoooweee! I just love potatoes. And I LOVE french fries. I love them shoestring and crinkle cut. I love steak fries, fresh cut fries, skin-on fries, boardwalk fries, and even the hoity-toity frites. Ever been to Houston's? (a chain, I know!) But their fries are about as thin as you can get...more like a matchstick fry...and always perfectly done. I love them.

The way I see it, crinkle cuts hold the ketchup better (especially the ketchup out of a plastic squeeze bottle...natch). Shoestrings are for dunking in the ketchup, not putting on top. But in all honesty, I am a purist. Just the potatoes and the salt, and I am good to go. No condiments, no vinegar.

Yum!
Meowzart

I like 'em all shapes and sizes, though I've had more bad crinkle-cut experiences than I'd like. Had some great waffle-cuts (Buffalo Joes in Evanston, IL)...I think that variety only works if they're super-fresh, which they always are at BJs. On the whole I've probably had more good thickish seasoned well-done fries than anything else. Oh, and this may be sacrilege to many of you, but I prefer them with MAYO. Learned that in Germany. Mmmm.

But the absolute best fries I've had are probably the olive-oil fried, thyme/oregano/rosemary seasoned steak fries at Cross-Rhodes, a wonderful small-menu Greek restaurant in Evanston, IL that just has a few basics (spanakopita, moussaka, gyros, and some AMAZING 1/2 # super-fresh burgers) besides those amazing fries. And this is the first time I've mentioned them, despite living around the corner (literally) for 9 years! Oh well, sometimes the obvious escapes you.

Also love sweet potato fries. But mayo is the key!

Avalon Drug Store in Houston, TX is the one with six varieties of Fries. Even Fries in Gravy. Avalon was written up in a prior edition of Road Food. Good burgers too.

Wetson's: For me, the great irony is about their demise, they were purchased by Nathan's and converted some of the Wetson's to Nathan's and others were closed. No more straight cut fries at the place where I had my first straight cut. Taken over by the place where I had my first crinkle cut.

Wetson's was kind of like McDonalds in the sixties. There were few McDonalds in the city. The fries were greasy at Wetson and so were the burgers. But so was McD and everyone else back in the good old Greasy Sixties. In fact, in many ways Wetson's was a McD knockoff. McDonalds has straight edge fries too.

Peppertree: The place you talked about that served six kinds of fries sort of remind me of the Waffle House doing six kinds of has browns. Real Great idea.

I really like fries with gravy even better than ketchup

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Yes on the sweet potato fries.....yummmmmm........but I'll leave the mayo off!

I like mayo -- or even better, aioli -- on fries, if they're Belgian style. There's a place called Frites in Greenwich Village that serves nothing but Belgian frites with something like 80 different sauces. No trip to New York City is complete for my wife and I without a stop at Frites followed by a stop at the milkshake-and-grilled-cheese place around the corner on St. Mark's Place.

I love fries, or as I grew up in Toronto calling them, chips...with mayo, with malt vinegar, and/or gravy...but...NO ketchup, please.

And that's only if the fries/chips in question are the thick "English style," chips, made from fresh potatoes. Ketchup does not work with those. Save it for replicachips, like McDonald's.
If said fries/chips are the skinny French style we call "frites," then we limit the toppings to the vinegar, and maybe the mayo.

And, if we're feeling really low-down Canadian, and ready to salute our French cousins, we love a Poutine--that would be yer thick chips with tons o' gravy [or what's called Swiss Chalet sauce here, or St-Hubert sauce--those are broiled chicken chains that make a good greasy chicken sauce with mysterious seasonings...]and cheese curds on top.
Yup, a poutine is disgusting. But quite good.

Having worked as an R & D chef in the food industry, not specifically potatoes but having connections with them......here's the skinny on the spuds: The krinkle cut ones are kind of shredded and re-formed then coated. The shoestrings are just cut and coated. All French fries (bought for foodservice and frozen) now have coatings on them that induce crunch, heat, or taste. Billion dollar companies like Ore-Ida and Simplot, for example (the potato end) and NewlyWeds Foods (the crunch/coating/keep the heat in end) vie for our dollars when we buy French fries. Remember when the curly fries first came out? That was a HUGE score for NewlyWeds Foods because they invented the coating that kept them hot longer and still tasty and crispy. For me, I love the French fries in Belgium, fresh potatoes with the skin on, twice dipped in the hot oil and served up with your choice of dipping sauce; the best for me being Sauce Americaine (like a tartar sauce with tomato paste and Tabasco.....yummy!!!!). And they actually TASTE like potatoes! Go figure!

I don't know what it is about McDonald's fries, but when they are fresh-out-of-the-fryer, with a complement of salt,
boy, they are just plain good french fries.

I heard that Crinkle Cut Fries are Healthier because they absorb less oil due to their texture ! Is that true ??? Has anyone else heard this also ??? Let Me Know

I prefer shoestrings, straight cut, or steak fries to the crinkle variety. I've found most of the crinkle cut to have that mealy texture. And, I usually just eat fries with good old ketchup or malt vinegar! Wilson's Pool Hall here in Versailles has killer fries and onion rings. McD's used to be good, but after that beef tallow debacle they're a mere shadow of their former self.
My mother used to buy those Ore Ida crinkle cut fries and bake them in the oven and they never turned out very good. They were edible, but mealy.

Andrea

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Originally posted by Jayla

I heard that Crinkle Cut Fries are Healthier because they absorb less oil due to their texture ! Is that true ??? Has anyone else heard this also ??? Let Me Know

No, they actually absorb more oil due to the increased surface area of their shape. If you are trying to eat healthier fries, stick to the thickest cut ones you can find if eating out or making them at home.

I went to an Irish pub last week and had thick cut fries with malted vinegar, I am a changed man. Also, I like my (thin cut) fries with warm BBQ sauce, nothing worse then dipping your fries into ice box cold sauce.

One other item of note is that I am not a big fan of cheese fries but in college (Western Illinois) we used to go to a local bar for hamburger ponies (could make a pony out of any meat but at that time this was my posion of choice). In a nutshell it was a plate covered in waffle cut fries, then burger then it was all smothered in a terrific cheese sauce. Not certain what was in that sauce but man was it good.

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Originally posted by MissKitty

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Originally posted by Jayla

I heard that Crinkle Cut Fries are Healthier because they absorb less oil due to their texture ! Is that true ??? Has anyone else heard this also ??? Let Me Know

No, they actually absorb more oil due to the increased surface area of their shape. If you are trying to eat healthier fries, stick to the thickest cut ones you can find if eating out or making them at home.

HUH ? THEN HOW COME THE FRIES AT WHITE CASTLE (WICH ARE CRINKLE CUT FRENCH FRIES BY THE WAY) ONLY HAVE 6g OF FAT AND 115 CALORIES ??? I'M CONFUSED

quote:

Originally posted by Jayla

I heard that Crinkle Cut Fries are Healthier because they absorb less oil due to their texture ! Is that true ??? Has anyone else heard this also ??? Let Me Know

I suspect they'd absorb MORE oil because they have more surface area than regular fries...

To answer the original question, as long as they aren't fried with a coating on them, straight, crinkle cut, fat, skinny, doesn't matter to me.

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Originally posted by dctourist

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Originally posted by Jayla

I heard that Crinkle Cut Fries are Healthier because they absorb less oil due to their texture ! Is that true ??? Has anyone else heard this also ??? Let Me Know

I suspect they'd absorb MORE oil because they have more surface area than regular fries...

But then how come White Castle's (wich sells Crinkle Cut Fries) website says that their Small order of Fries has 115 Calories and 6g of Fat...and McDonald's Small Fries (wich are about the same size as the small from White Castle) but they have like 210 Calories and 11g of Fat ??? This is Kinda confusing

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Originally posted by Jayla

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Originally posted by dctourist

quote:

Originally posted by Jayla

I heard that Crinkle Cut Fries are Healthier because they absorb less oil due to their texture ! Is that true ??? Has anyone else heard this also ??? Let Me Know

I suspect they'd absorb MORE oil because they have more surface area than regular fries...

But then how come White Castle's (wich sells Crinkle Cut Fries) website says that their Small order of Fries has 115 Calories and 6g of Fat...and McDonald's Small Fries (wich are about the same size as the small from White Castle) but they have like 210 Calories and 11g of Fat ??? This is Kinda confusing

Hmmmm. I think "Jayla" may be a "player".

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Originally posted by Adjudicator

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Originally posted by Jayla

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Originally posted by dctourist

quote:

Originally posted by Jayla

I heard that Crinkle Cut Fries are Healthier because they absorb less oil due to their texture ! Is that true ??? Has anyone else heard this also ??? Let Me Know

I suspect they'd absorb MORE oil because they have more surface area than regular fries...

But then how come White Castle's (wich sells Crinkle Cut Fries) website says that their Small order of Fries has 115 Calories and 6g of Fat...and McDonald's Small Fries (wich are about the same size as the small from White Castle) but they have like 210 Calories and 11g of Fat ??? This is Kinda confusing

Hmmmm. I think "Jayla" may be a "player".

HuH ? What do ya' mean by "player" ?

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Originally posted by Jayla

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Originally posted by dctourist

quote:

Originally posted by Jayla

I heard that Crinkle Cut Fries are Healthier because they absorb less oil due to their texture ! Is that true ??? Has anyone else heard this also ??? Let Me Know

I suspect they'd absorb MORE oil because they have more surface area than regular fries...

But then how come White Castle's (wich sells Crinkle Cut Fries) website says that their Small order of Fries has 115 Calories and 6g of Fat...and McDonald's Small Fries (wich are about the same size as the small from White Castle) but they have like 210 Calories and 11g of Fat ??? This is Kinda confusing

I have no clue. There are no White Castles where I live, I don't go into McDonalds and I don't really go around meticulously comparing food values of different fast food items. My advice was based on general food rules ( which also applies to roast potatoes etc ie a potato cut into 2 big chunks absorbs less oil than if it were cut into several smaller chunks ). I would suggest you contact both the companies direct to get further information. But to my mind, if youre going to worry overmuch about the fat content of stuff, stay away from fast food full stop

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Originally posted by MissKitty

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Originally posted by Jayla

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Originally posted by dctourist

quote:

Originally posted by Jayla

I heard that Crinkle Cut Fries are Healthier because they absorb less oil due to their texture ! Is that true ??? Has anyone else heard this also ??? Let Me Know

I suspect they'd absorb MORE oil because they have more surface area than regular fries...

But then how come White Castle's (wich sells Crinkle Cut Fries) website says that their Small order of Fries has 115 Calories and 6g of Fat...and McDonald's Small Fries (wich are about the same size as the small from White Castle) but they have like 210 Calories and 11g of Fat ??? This is Kinda confusing

I have no clue. There are no White Castles where I live, I don't go into McDonalds and I don't really go around meticulously comparing food values of different fast food items. My advice was based on general food rules ( which also applies to roast potatoes etc ie a potato cut into 2 big chunks absorbs less oil than if it were cut into several smaller chunks ). I would suggest you contact both the companies direct to get further information. But to my mind, if youre going to worry overmuch about the fat content of stuff, stay away from fast food full stop

No, I'm not that worried about the fat content of the food...it's just that I don't like being deceived and I don't think anyone really likes being lied to ya know? So I was just wondereing why that info was conflicting with the info on their site but Oh well I guess we'll never know...

No, no one likes being lied to but hey, we're talking about multinational fast food corporations here, it comes with the territory :)

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Originally posted by scbuzz

I like thin cut fries, fried crispy and brown ! I do not care for thick and mealy fries !

me, too! but i like the mushy fries or batter-dipped fries.

Does anyone have an opinion about the "crispy" versions of french fries that are showing up in some restaurants these days? The texture seems wrong and the flavor is, well, disppointing.

Lori L.
Mountain Top, PA