The 13th of July is celebrated as National French Fry Day in the U.S., a week before National Fried Chicken Day, showing how much we love fried food. French fries, or chips, has many lovers, and it is one of the most consumed fast food across the world that national geographic says an average American consumes around 29 pounds of french fries a year, which is equal to the weight of a 2-year-old child.
National French Fry Day History
The origins of French fries are not exact, but some claim that they are derived from Belgium. In the 17th century, Belgians used to fry fish in strips, and when ice thickness heightened enough, they couldn’t find fish and started to search for alternatives and invented French fries by frying potatoes in strips as they did with fish. American soldiers in Belgium during WW1 found and called it French fries because the spoken language of southern Belgium was French at that time.
Some say that the name French is not the origins but the “cooking style,” which means cutting foods in a shape that would be cooked evenly, such as julienne. And another claim about how French fries were brought to America says that Thomas Jefferson used to spend a lot of time in France, and when he returned to the USA, he required fries cooked in the French style in a white house dinner.
Celebrate National French Fry Day
Here we listed a couple of activities that you can follow on National French Fry Day:
- There are over 100 variations of fries, so trying different styles will be fun to celebrate this day.
- Ketchup is the most loved condiment on fries in the USA, but you can try new sauces such as vinegar or melted butter and sugar, which Vietnamese people love, or different seasonings.
- You can look for the restaurants that give free fries on National French Fry Day.
- You can wear funny t-shirts and shorts which make everyone laugh.
- You can attach a French fry holder to snack on the way for busy days when you don’t have time to stop for a meal.
- You can try a recipe with French fries and enjoy them with your family or friends.
How to Make the Perfect Fries?
We love French fries, especially ones in our favorite restaurant. Therefore, it’s important to consistently cook and serve the same crunchy fries to your customers. Here are some small key points for golden crunchy French fries.
1. Using the Right French Fries Equipment
Using the right commercial deep fryers will take the cooking process to another level. Designed for heavy use, they can keep the oil at the correct temperatures for hours, giving the same perfect results every time. A commercial deep fryer will take the first place in offering not only French fries but also onion rings and fish or cheese sticks. These fried goods have a place in everyone’s heart and can be served as fast food snacks or as a side to various dishes.
Considering the volume of the business and the size of the kitchen, you can choose from various styled and sized commercial deep fryers. Countertop fryers for smaller kitchens, full-size fryers with 2-6 tanks, ventless fryers, or gas/electric fryers to choose from. Another plus of deep fryers is that they clean the oil for reusing, saving money in the long term. (You can see detailed information about commercial deep fryers in our a step by step guide to buying a restaurant fryer article.)
2. Using Aged Oil
The opportunity that commercial fryers provide is reusing filtered oil. Commercial deep fryers keep the used oil clean and reusable by removing contaminants using fryer oil filtration supplies and keeping it safe with lids overnight. When it comes to the benefits of using aged oil, it is not only saving money, but aged oil is another point that provides the crunchiness of French fries. According to research, aged oil makes fries crispier than new oil. But when the oil becomes too old, it might give the fries a bad, smokey flavor. And do not forget to filter the used oil well to prevent burned food particles stick to fries.
3. Frying at the Right Temperatures
Frying is not just pouring fries into the hot oil. Achieving the perfect fries requires proper temperatures. The right temperatures will create the crust while stopping fries from absorbing too much fat. If the temperature is too low, the fries will absorb oil, ending in oily fries, or higher temperatures will end in burned outside with the not-cooked inside. Most restaurants fry at between 325-400°F for perfect results.
4. Drying or Freezing Fries
Some of the big fast-food chains use fresh potatoes for French fries, but most of them use frozen or dried fries. This is for achieving the same results every time since the potatoes are not the same every time of year.
Conclusion
National French Fry Day is another day to cheer up and have some fun while enjoying this delicious snack. The proper equipment will pave the way for you to offer the best fries and make your restaurant the best place to celebrate National French Fry Day.
