French fries, once the snack of fast food restaurants, are now on every sort of menu. Chefs are sprinkling them with sea salt, grated cheeses such as Gruyère, aromatics like olive or truffle oil -- and sometimes all of those at once. They're so good you wonder if you should skip the appetizers entirely and tuck into a big stack.

The best are cut by hand and fried twice in fresh, clean oil. For crispy, golden brown fries, you only need starchy potatoes, peanut oil and a heavy, deep pan large enough to hold the oil with space left for bubbling, and a clip-style frying thermometer or a thermostatically controlled deep fat fryer. Then drain, using tongs or a slotted skimmer, toss with plenty of salt, and pass the napkins. They're better than anything you'd be presented at a restaurant.

• The best potatoes for French fries are Idaho russets. Their low water content prevents sogginess.

• You can leave the skin on. Trim the length of each potato, making a flat base to keep them from rolling. Square off the ends. Then slice into ¼-inch slices. Stack a few slices at a time and slice lengthwise into ¼-inch wide strips. If they are cut too thick the centers won't cook properly. Soak in cold water for a few hours or as long as 8 hours to remove the starch so they are less likely to stick together. Pat them dry before frying to reduce splatters.

• Use clean, properly hot oil. If oil is not hot enough the potatoes will turn soggy. Too hot and the surfaces will brown before the centers are cooked.

• Cooking them twice at different temperatures is the secret to fries that never feel, taste or look greasy. The first frying -- sometimes called blanching -- should be at about 325 degrees. The second frying, at 375 degrees or higher, crisps and browns the outside only, leaving the inside soft.

• Don't crowd the fryer. Too many fries cause the temperature of the oil to drop, making the fries soggy. Fry in batches if necessary.

Carole Kotkin is manager of the Ocean Reef Club cooking school and co-author of Mmmmiami: Tempting Tropical Tastes for Home Cooks Everywhere.

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