How to make homemade fries: cutting, sizing, and cooking
The right potato, the right size, soaking and double-frying: the step-by-step method for golden homemade fries that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
By Mohamed El Manssouri Kebriti · Updated October 23, 2026
How to make successful homemade fries? You need starchy potatoes, sticks of the same size, a rinse to remove the starch, careful drying, and double-frying. A first bath at 140°C cooks the center, while a second at 180°C browns the surface. This separation gives fries that are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, without excess grease. The method is the same for a deep fryer or a saucepan; you can also make them in an air fryer or in the oven. To cut quickly and evenly, our models are gathered in the French fry cutter and spiralizer collection.
The essentials
- Starchy potatoes: Bintje, Agria, Manon.
- Same size for all fries, around 1 cm.
- Rinse, soak, dry to remove the starch.
- Double-frying: 140°C, rest, then 180°C.
Table of contents
- Which potatoes and what size to choose?
- What is the best way to make homemade fries?
- Why soak fries in water?
- How to make homemade fries crispy?
- How to make fries in an air fryer or in the oven?
- Errors to avoid
- For more
Which potatoes and what size to choose?
The choice of potato matters as much as the cooking. A starchy variety, rich in dry matter, absorbs less oil and becomes soft at heart.
- Bintje: the most used in France for fries.
- Agria: dark yellow flesh, versatile.
- Manon: regular shape, practical for fries of the same length.
For the size, aim for sticks with a cross-section of about 1 cm for a classic fry. Thinner, around 9 mm, they brown quickly in the fryer; thicker, around 1.3 cm, they stay soft in the oven. The most important thing is that they are all identical. Our guide how to choose a French fry cutter explains which grid gives which size.
What is the best way to make homemade fries?
The best way is double-frying. It consists of five steps, always in the same order.
The first three steps prepare the potato: cut evenly, soak, dry. They remove surface starch and water, the two enemies of crispiness.
The two baths do the rest. The first, at 140°C for about 6 minutes, cooks the inside without browning. The fries come out pale and soft.
The second, at 180°C for 2 to 3 minutes, is only used to brown and form the crust. We do it just before serving.
Between the two, about ten minutes of resting allows the steam to escape and the oil to come back up in temperature.
Plan for a vegetable oil that withstands heat, such as peanut or sunflower oil, and a thermometer if your fryer does not have a thermostat. Here are the details of each step.
1. Cut even fries
Peel the potatoes, cut off both ends so they stand straight, then cut them into sticks of the same cross-section. Fries of the same size cook at the same time: this is the first condition for a good batch. A lever French fry cutter makes a whole potato in one motion.
2. Rinse and soak
Rinse the fries with cold water, then let them soak in a large bowl of water for about 30 minutes. The water becomes cloudy: that is the starch leaving.
3. Dry carefully
Drain, then spread the fries in a clean towel and pat them dry. A wet fry makes the oil temperature drop and causes splattering.
4. First bath at 140°C
Submerge the fries in small quantities in the oil at 140°C for about 6 minutes. They should be cooked but still pale. Take them out and let them rest for about ten minutes.
5. Second bath at 180°C
Just before serving, submerge the fries in the oil at 180°C for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are golden. Drain them on absorbent paper and salt immediately: salt sticks better to a hot fry.
Why soak fries in water?
Soaking removes surface starch. Without it, fries stick together, brown too quickly, and stay soft.
A rinsed and soaked fry browns more evenly and keeps its crispiness longer. Soaking for about 30 minutes is enough; the main thing is to dry well afterwards, otherwise the water cancels out all the benefits.
Change the water once if it becomes very cloudy: you remove more starch, and the fries will stick less in the basket.
How to make homemade fries crispy?
Crispiness depends on a few details, in addition to double-frying.
- Very dry fries before each bath.
- A lightly loaded basket: too many fries at once make the temperature drop.
- Oil at the right temperature, checked with a thermometer.
- The second bath at the last moment, just before serving.
- Salt after cooking, never before: it draws out the water.
How to make fries in an air fryer or in the oven?
Without a deep fryer, homemade fries are still possible, with less oil. The preparation is the same: cut, soak, dry.
- In the air fryer: preheat to 180°C, mix the fries with a tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt, then count 15 minutes, shake the basket, and extend for about 15 minutes. The time varies depending on the appliance: follow its instructions.
- In the oven: spread the oiled fries in a single layer on a tray, without them touching, in a very hot oven, and turn them over halfway through cooking. Prefer slightly thick fries, which stay soft.
Errors to avoid
Most failed fries come from one of these errors.
- Fries of different sizes: thin ones burn, large ones stay raw.
- A firm-fleshed potato, which stays hard and absorbs cooking poorly.
- Wet fries submerged in oil.
- A single cooking at high temperature: the fry browns before being cooked through.
- Salting before cooking.
For more
Successful homemade fries mean a starchy potato, regular sticks, and two baths. A French fry cutter saves the most time and gives the regularity that makes the difference in cooking. Find our push, lever, or stand models in the French fry cutter and spiralizer collection.
- To choose the appliance, read how to choose a French fry cutter.
- For a complete dish, see our ideas for potato and ground meat oven dishes.
To discover all our other appliances, go to hachoir-cuisine.fr.