paulb98•1mo agoProlific Poster

Picked up a tip from a line cook in New Orleans last month

I was down in the French Quarter for a family thing and stopped at a po' boy spot. The line cook saw me eyeing their fry setup and told me they blanch their fries in vinegar water before the first fry. I tried it back at my kitchen last week and the texture difference is wild. The fries come out way crispier on the outside and stay fluffy longer under a heat lamp. Has anyone else messed around with vinegar in their blanching water? I am curious if it works for other veg too.

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jason1mo ago

Started messing with this after my buddy @paul117 brought it up a while back. Forgot to rinse the vinegar off one time too and yeah, it gives the fries this weird sour zing that kills the whole batch. Actually tried it with regular russet potatoes for wedges and that worked fine, but beets came out tasting like pickles so I wouldn't recommend that.

paul1171mo agoTop Commenter

Oh man, that line cook knew what he was talking about. I tried that vinegar trick a few years back after reading about it online and it really does change the fry game. One time I forgot to rinse the potatoes enough after blanching and got some sour tasting fries that nobody wanted to eat. So watch out for that part. I've thrown a splash of vinegar into the water for roasting carrots and parsnips too and that worked out alright. The acidity seems to keep them from going mushy. Just don't try it with sweet potatoes unless you want a weird flavor combo.