[ipieter]

As a Belgian, I was looking in horror at that recipe. Why would people put sugar on their fries?!

So I'm glad you like the Belgian fries. What I've always learned to be key is that we fry our cut potatoes twice: once at 140°C, wait for them to cool down, and once at 175-180°C. Then you add salt, that's it.

And the mayo: I don't think many people like it like that when they eat fries at home, but it's easy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[phonypc]

>Why would people put sugar on their fries?!

FWIW, they're brined in a solution containing sugar, it's not like there's sugar sprinkled on them. Very little of it makes it into the final product and in my experience brined fries aren't perceptibly sweet in an obvious way. It assists with browning and a crunchy exterior.

[klodolph]

Some years ago a different “MacDonalds french fries” recipe was posted, I think it did the rounds on HN, and it was much more like the recipe you describe: fried twice and cooled between, no sugar, add salt.

There are some other variations, like blanching the potatoes with vinegar, or freezing the potatoes overnight between frying. The idea is to make them crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

[vbsteven]

There is something very weird with mayo from a Belgian "frituur". I love it, I usually order mine with mayo on top, wrap them with paper and let it soak in on the drive home. Makes the fries delicous. And I order an extra packet of mayo on the side because they usually don't put enough on top.

But, in any other situation if mayo is involved I'm grossed out to the point of puking. Even when I just smell the mayo (from the same brand) someone is putting on their plate of vegetables or whatever.

[kuu]

do you remove them from oil when raising temperature? What kind of oil do you use?

[jimbauwens]

Yes, you remove them completely from the oil and let them rest a bit. Mostly the fries are baked in 'fat' rather than oil though. Besides this, the type of potato that is used is pretty important too, as its consistency will impact a great deal too. The potatoes we use at home are called 'bintjes', they are a bit 'flowery'.

[porknubbins]

Yes, when double frying you remove fries from the oil and allow moisture near the surface to evaporate so it becomes tacky. For oil any common oil works but saturated fats get fries crispier. Even oven roasted potatoes in ghee and can almost get a french fry crunch. Duck fat is next level. Obviously much slower than frying.