How To Freeze Your Own French Fries

French fries are oddly reserved for fancy steak houses and drive-thru windows, yet this beloved potato side could be homemade and stocked in the freezer for the next time a fry craving strikes. It only takes four steps to freeze, and then these fries can be baked (or fried if you’re a die-hard fry fan) and eaten in less than 30 minutes. Ketchup for dipping is optional, but highly recommended.

My local grocer actually has a whole dedicated potato section of the freezer aisle. With a case filled with hash browns, tater tots, curly fries, and frozen french fries galore, you might be wondering why anyone would bother with making their own frozen fries. Freezing your own french fries is cheaper and gives you control over the ingredients, and because you cut the fries yourself, they can be exactly the size you prefer. Truthfully, I keep a bag of frozen tater tots stashed in my freezer at all times too, but now I make and freeze my own fries regularly.

Simply slicing potatoes and roasting them takes at least 45 minutes from craving to consuming. Blanching and freezing potatoes ahead of time cuts down on cook and prep time, with blanching in particular producing that fluffy, creamy interior we know and love in fast-food fries.

Get the details: The Potato Secret Behind Great French Fries

Commercial french fries — both the kind from the grocery store and drive-thru — are quickly boiled before flash freezing. Many traditional french fry recipes call for the step too. This quick dip in boiling water partially cooks the potatoes and draws out some of the starch, rendering the fries tender and fluffy on the inside, while crisp on the outside once frozen and cooked.

The blanching water can also be seasoned with salt to enhance the fries. This little addition makes the resulting fries taste more like their frozen grocery store counterparts. Dunk the blanched fries into a bowl of iced water to prevent overcooking.

Most frozen foods are frozen with a blast chiller. As it sounds, this machine blows frigid air directly onto everything from peas to shrimp to rapidly freeze food. While blast chillers are becoming more readily available for restaurant use, the only way to replicate this kind of fast, even freezing at home is to spread foods out into an even layer on a baking sheet to freeze so that they don’t stick together.

Once frozen, move frozen fries to a zip-top freezer bag for longer storage. Frozen fries can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months. You can easily double or triple this recipe to really stock your freezer full and then simply take out and bake as many (or as few) fries as you need.

You can absolutely fry these frozen french fries — fill a large straight-sided skillet with about an inch of oil, bring the oil to 350°F, and fry for three to four minutes per side or until golden-brown — but honestly, I never bother. A hot oven will give you the same crunchy satisfaction. Because the fries are coated with oil before freezing, you can put these frozen fries right onto a baking sheet and right into the oven for roasting. Sprinkle with additional salt or your favorite spice blend and enjoy these anytime fries.