French fries, chips, French fries – the baked potato sticks have many names. But who actually invented them and how best to prepare them yourself?
Fries already indicate their origin in the sound of the name:As can be assumed, it comes from French, and is completely “pommes de terre frites” and means something like “fried potatoes”. But the origin of the potato sticks is not as clear as the origin of the name, as at least two countries – France and Belgium – claim the invention for themselves. The French argument:potato sticks were already baked under the bridges of Paris during the Revolution of 1789. At that time, they bore the name of the oldest bridge in Paris:Pommes Pont-Neuf. Belgium, on the other hand, has a document that is said to have been written in 1781 and speaks of a 100-year-old method of preparation of the potato sticks. Accordingly, the poorer population of that time could not fish in the frozen Meuse in winter, so they cut and baked fish-shaped potatoes. So who really first came up with the idea of cutting the large tubers into sticks and frying them can not be clearly proven. However, it is certain that fries are still very popular today and can easily be prepared at home.
It is not difficult to prepare delicious fries yourself. It is important to choose the potato variety. Crispy fries are best baked with floury potatoes.
To prepare chips, the potatoes are simply peeled, sliced and then fried or baked in the oven. The potato sticks become very crispy if they are washed several times in water before cooking, until no more starch comes out – recognizable by the clear washing water. Then dry the chips well with kitchen paper so that they do not splash later during baking. By the way, French fries sprinkled with some rice flour become particularly crispy. This is because the rice flour will draw out the last bit of moisture from the potato sticks. The delicious chips can also be easily prepared in the oven with olive oil. French fries should also be seasoned before baking in the oven, preferably in a large bowl in which the sliced potatoes, oil and spices are mixed. Prepared in the deep-fat fryer, it is advisable to refine the potato sticks only after cooking - otherwise they will lose the spices in the fat.
The most classic way to prepare chips is probably in the deep fryer. Even if the preparation of the potatoes contains the most fat, many vitamins remain in the potato sticks. The reason for this is the intense heat that stops the raw potato's enzymes, which are responsible for the loss of vitamins. Vitamin C, which is common in the large tuber, is stored up to temperatures of 190 degrees, but for chips, a maximum of 175 degrees is sufficient for frying. Low-calorie fries are made in a hot air fryer that uses up to two tablespoons of fat. Even in the oven, the homemade fries require little or no fat and, just like in the deep fat fryer, they retain their valuable vitamins thanks to the intense heat of 180 degrees convection or 200 degrees top and bottom heat.
