Students from a British university conducted a real study on the topic of cooking potatoes. They figured out how to quickly and correctly cut it into four parts, so that later there would be no problems with frying. It turned out that there is a more effective way than simply running a knife horizontally and vertically across a vegetable, as almost everyone in the world does.

Hospitality management students at the University of Essex have found a new way to cut potatoes before frying or baking. They did the actual research and used knowledge from a trigonometry course to come up with a curious but logical discovery: Cutting potatoes into the typical four pieces doesn't cook as well as cutting them into triangles, if the latter are produced in a special way. This, of course, is not an experiment from the “” series, but it is also a very useful activity.

You don't have to be a scientist yourself to understand their method. Everything becomes logical when looking at the drawings with marks - although it doesn’t hurt to know the basics of geometry. As an example, a potato 5 centimeters long and 11.5 centimeters wide was taken, which was first cut into four parts using the standard method - students claim that even British chefs use it.

Two movements with the knife, horizontally and vertically, and in the end we get four relatively equal pieces. Now the math comes into play: the total area of ​​the internal surfaces of the potato that will be fried is 26 π. Each piece in length and width will be half the size of a whole potato.

Let's remember this number and cut the potato again - also into four parts, but in this example the vegetable will be cut into triangles. They all come from the same part of the potato, and essentially the students suggest simply cutting the potato in half and then cutting each half diagonally at an angle close to 30 degrees.

The results should be clear from the previous picture, but the numbers say much more. With an alternative cutting method, the cook receives a new straight line - a diagonal. And it radically changes the size of the fried surface of the potatoes - now they are long and thin pieces. And the total area of ​​the internal surfaces of the potato is now 52.9 π.

The difference in the total areas of the surfaces to be fried (don't forget about the outer surface of the potato) is even greater - with the alternative method, 65 percent more parts of the potato will come into contact with the pan.

The students' research was inspired by a video recipe from the famous British chef and host of his own cooking show, Heston Blumenthal. In it, the cook, like many others, cut potatoes in the traditional way, but the students did not like his method. In a video response, they urge Heston to test their discovery in practice and review the recipe. And for the celebrity to be noticed by the students, they tagged him on social networks.

The editors of Medialeaks also conduct experiments with and on food from time to time. In the summer we wrote a life hack about... And before that, we studied the beneficial properties of orange peel - not like Gennady Malakhov, but those of its properties that...

One of the most important steps in the cooking process is learning how to properly chop food. After all, there are no trifles in cooking, and such an action requires a certain skill. Take potatoes, for example. In most cases, at the initial stage after cleaning, it needs to be cut. Depending on the specific dish, the chopped preparations must have a certain shape. Let's say that for work you need rectangular blocks like straws. What should be done in this case? How to cut potatoes into strips? It turns out that this can be done in different ways.

French fries

Nowadays, fast food has become so popular that many even try to cook their favorite dishes at home. The banal force of habit works. As you know, no fast food establishment is complete without the famous French fries. Moreover, doing it is not at all difficult. The main thing is to give the main product the appropriate shape. Here the question arises: “How to cut potatoes into strips?” To do this, you can use the simplest method. The only tools you need are a sharp knife and a cutting board.

To understand how to cut potatoes into strips, you must strictly follow these steps:

• The tubers must be peeled, washed and dried thoroughly with a paper towel.
• To make the straw long, the potato must be placed on the board so that the knife blade runs along it.
• The tubers should be carefully divided into even longitudinal rings.
• Each workpiece must be cut into strips no more than 5 millimeters thick.

After this, the prepared potatoes can be sent in small portions into boiling oil.

The secret of the correct form

When ordering French fries in a cafe, people are often surprised at how even the sides of the fried pieces turn out. After all, this vegetable has an oval shape, and when cutting, some of the preparations should be slightly rounded. Here the chefs have their own secret. They know exactly how to cut potatoes into strips so that each piece has the correct shape.

The fact is that before chopping the tuber you need to:

• First cut off the side longitudinal edge.
• Rotate the potato 90 degrees along the axis and separate the same part on the other side. You get two flat sidewalls.
• Place the product on one of them and divide into even pieces parallel to the second cut. Set the remaining rounded part aside.
• Divide the resulting blanks into strips of equal thickness.

As a result, there will be neat large straws with regular, even sides on the cutting board. And the cut pieces of potatoes remaining after processing can be used to prepare other dishes.

Preparing for frying

Fries are just one way to fry potatoes. But most housewives rarely use it at home, mainly due to the high oil consumption. It is much more economical to simply fry potatoes in a frying pan. At the same time, it can also be crushed in the form of straws. In this case, it is better to use smaller or medium-sized tubers. How to cut potatoes into strips for frying? The technology of this method is much simpler than previous options. To work, you will need a cleaned and washed product. It must be dried first to avoid unwanted splashes from contact of moisture with boiling fat.

Processing of prepared potatoes takes place in three stages:

• The first step is to cut off both tops of the tuber. So it becomes like a small barrel.
• You should place it on one of the bases (the wider one) and, holding it with your other hand, carefully cut it into equal plates with a knife.
• Without lifting it from the board, turn the product 90 degrees and do the same steps.

The result is a neat straw, the size of which depends on the selected thickness of the plates. The remaining ends can also be cut. True, they will be shorter than the others. But for frying it doesn't really matter.

Technology to help

Every housewife is familiar with the situation when, as they say, guests are already on the doorstep, and there is very little time left for cooking. For example, I would like to surprise them with thin fried potato strips, but I have absolutely no time to deal with careful slicing. What should you do in such a situation? How to quickly cut potatoes into strips? For such a case, there should always be special household appliances in the house. Today, purchasing it in a store is not difficult. You will need a regular vegetable shredder with an attachment for cutting into strips. With its help, in a matter of minutes you can turn any amount of potatoes into a mountain of thin, even pieces.

After that, all that remains is to fry them. If you are planning a side dish in the form of French fries, then the semi-finished product must first be poured onto a napkin to remove excess moisture. The product should not be piled up. It must be spread out in a thin layer and blotted several times while the oil is heating up in the frying pan.

Combined option

Each dish has its own special ways of cutting the original ingredients. For example, it cannot be said that potato straws can only be made with a sharp knife. There are many other options, and each of them is good in its own way. Let's assume that you need to prepare potato pie as a side dish. This is a very tasty product that looks very impressive on a plate. How to properly cut potatoes into strips for such a dish?

Experienced cooks in this case proceed as follows:

• First, each peeled tuber is cut into thin slices. You can do this with a knife or use any mechanical chopper.
• Then each plate must be chopped using a Korean carrot grater. The result is small straws no more than 2 millimeters thick. Plus, they will all be the same size.

After this, the prepared product can be further used for its intended purpose.

A good example

Recently, designers have developed many unique devices that greatly simplify work in the kitchen. For example, not long ago original potato cutters appeared on sale. A simple device invented by Chinese craftsmen. It is a plastic case, in the center of which steel knives are fixed in the form of a lattice. Looking at it, it’s easy to figure out how to cut potatoes into strips. The photo will help you understand this issue in more detail.

The operating principle of the device is extremely simple:

• The peeled tuber must be placed on a cutting board.
• Place a potato cutter on top of it.
• Holding both hands at your sides, press firmly on the device.

The result is blanks of the same size and cross-section. By placing the potato in a vertical position, you can get large straws in a matter of seconds with minimal physical effort. The instructions show the operating principle of the device using photographs that clearly demonstrate the simplicity of its operation.

1. Give preference to potatoes with a low starch content: the slices will retain their shape well when fried. Light, yellow and pink tubers are suitable.
2. Try to choose firm and smooth potatoes of the same variety and size. This will ensure the same level of doneness.
3. But it is better to put tubers with green skins aside or carefully trim them: green color indicates an increased content of solanine, which can spoil the taste of potatoes, or even lead to poisoning.
4. Before cooking, peeled potatoes need to be soaked to remove excess starch. Ideally, you need to soak overnight or at least a couple of hours, but 30–60 minutes will also work to your advantage. If you don't have time, still rinse the peeled and sliced ​​potatoes under cold water.
5. And don't forget to dry the slices with paper towels: frying wet potatoes is not a good idea.
6. The shape and size of the chopped potatoes can be any. The main thing is that all the pieces are the same. This will ensure they cook as evenly as possible.
7. The frying time directly depends on the thickness of the pieces: the thicker, the longer. If the slices vary in size, judge doneness by the thickest one.

How to fry potatoes in a frying pan

1. Choose a cast iron or steel frying pan with a thick bottom. This is the best option for frying potatoes.
2. It is healthier to fry potatoes in refined vegetable oil, but tastier - in lard or lard. Which option to choose is up to you.
3. To ensure that the potatoes are perfectly browned, they should be placed in well-heated oil. It is not recommended to fry in cold oil or add it during frying.
4. It is better to fry potatoes in one layer. Then it will be covered with a crispy crust.
5. You need to turn the potatoes several times. It is important to find a balance: do not turn too often (otherwise the pieces will not brown) or too rarely (otherwise the dish will simply burn).
6. And you always need to add salt at the end. Otherwise, the potatoes will release moisture, stick together, and instead of perfect golden pieces you will get something unappetizing.

How to cook French fries

1. Usually, for cooking, tubers are cut into even pieces 5–10 mm wide and thick.
2. You will need a lot of vegetable oil. A lot of. About four times more than when frying in a pan.
3. The absence of a deep fryer can easily be filled with a frying pan or saucepan with a thick bottom.
4. The temperature of the oil in which the potatoes can be dipped should be about 180 °C. If you don't have a kitchen thermometer, simply drop one slice into the pan; if it immediately sizzles and floats, the oil is ready to use.
5. If you plan to fry a lot of potatoes, don't do it all at once. It is better to divide the cubes into several small portions and cook one at a time.
6. Place the finished potatoes in a colander to drain excess oil and dry with paper towels.
7. It’s better to salt the fries and add spices right on the plate.

How to fry potatoes in a slow cooker

1. Potatoes are cooked in a multicooker in the “Baking” or “Frying” mode.
2. First you need to heat the oil well, and then add the prepared potatoes.
3. Cooking time is about 40–50 minutes.
4. After about half an hour, the potatoes need to be turned over, and towards the end - salted. It's simple!

Recipes

pixabay.com

Ingredients:

• 5 medium potatoes;
• 2–3 tablespoons of vegetable oil;
• 1 medium onion;
• 1 clove of garlic;
• a pinch of cumin;
• small sprig of rosemary;
• salt, pepper - to taste.

Preparation

Peel, cut, rinse and dry the potatoes. Heat oil in a frying pan and place the slices in it. When they are well browned, turn them over and add the onion, cut into half rings.

Continue cooking, stirring the potatoes occasionally until they are well browned on all sides. When the dish is almost ready, add chopped garlic, rosemary leaves, cumin, pepper and salt. Stir, wait a few minutes and remove the pan from the heat.

happykitchen.rocks

Ingredients:

• 6–7 medium yellow potatoes;
• 6 tablespoons of vegetable oil;
• 1 medium sized onion;
• 300 g fresh (or 30 g dried);
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 3 sprigs of thyme;
• 5 tablespoons chopped parsley;
• salt and pepper - to taste.

Preparation

Place the potatoes prepared for frying in a frying pan with 3 tablespoons of hot oil. Fry over high heat, stirring occasionally. When the potatoes are golden brown, cover the pan and cook for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and remove the dish from the heat.

Now you can start cooking the mushrooms.

Heat the remaining oil in another frying pan. Fry the onion in it until translucent. Add pre-peeled and washed mushrooms (if the mushrooms are very large, they can be chopped). Cook for about 7 minutes until all the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms are golden brown. Season with salt and pepper, add chopped garlic, chopped thyme and parsley.

Place the mushrooms in the pan with the potatoes, stir and cook for a few more minutes over medium heat.

1. If you use dried mushrooms, you need to soak them beforehand. It's best to do this the night before cooking.
2. Fresh mushrooms can be pre-cooked to ensure they are cooked.

whowhound.com

Ingredients:

• 6 medium yellow potatoes;
• 200–220 g bacon;
• ½ red onion;
• 2 tablespoons capers;
• 3 tablespoons of wine vinegar;
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard;
• 3 tablespoons olive oil;
• rapeseed oil for frying;
• salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste.

Preparation

Cut the potatoes into large cubes, put them in a saucepan, cover with water and cook over medium heat until tender.

While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the bacon. Cut it into large pieces and fry in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the bacon is cooked, remove it with a slotted spoon, drain the grease, and wipe the surface of the pan with a paper towel.

Pour quite a bit of rapeseed oil into the pan and heat it until it starts to smoke a little. Place the drained potatoes into the hot oil and shake the pan. Reduce heat and fry potatoes until light brown. Add salt and pepper.

After a few minutes, shake the pan again and add the diced onion. Continue cooking until the onion becomes translucent. Then put the pre-dried capers into the pan and pour in the vinegar.

When the vinegar has almost evaporated, add the olive oil, mustard and bacon. Season with salt and pepper again and stir. Serve the salad warm.

To the question: how to properly fry potatoes? given by the author Daria the best answer is: Fry the potatoes in a LARGE frying pan, turn once, then turn down the heat and cover with a lid. Then, filled with pride for your action, you feed potatoes to those around you 😉 and deserve some benefits for yourself for this))

Answer from User deleted[guru]
in a frying pan

Answer from Eurovision[guru]
I wrote the day before yesterday - read my answer on my page

Answer from Barefoot[newbie]
just take a potato, cut it into rounds or slices, throw it into a frying pan with meat, just fry the meat before the potato and then salt to taste and whatever you want

Answer from cane[guru]
Well, as my mother taught me
Firstly, to prevent it from falling apart, it does not need to be covered with a lid.
And you need to throw it on a hot frying pan.
And you shouldn’t stir too often either...
And the main thing is to add salt at the very end of frying. When it's almost ready.

Answer from crazy[guru]
I don’t know how to do it correctly, I do it this way: I fry the onions and garlic, add potatoes, salt and fry until done. you can add dill at the end

Answer from Natalya Savelyeva[active]
cut the peeled potatoes into strips, put them in a frying pan with oil, cover with a lid, the power of the stove depends on what kind of potatoes you like, if with a crust, then on high heat, soft, then on medium, do not forget to stir from time to time, 5-7 minutes before readiness add finely chopped onion, salt to taste, bon appetit

Answer from ALEKSA_[guru]
OPTION 1
Cut the peeled raw potatoes into slices, cubes, cubes, slices or circles, rinse in cold water so that they do not stick together during frying, and dry slightly to avoid splashing of fat. Heat a frying pan, grease with vegetable, ghee or butter, lay out the potatoes in a layer of no more than 5 cm and fry, stirring gently to maintain their shape, until golden brown. Then put the potatoes in the oven for 5 minutes and cook until done. Potatoes need to be salted after a barely noticeable crust has formed on its surface, so that less moisture is released from it during frying.
OPTION 2
Peeled potatoes are cut into cubes, slices or cubes, washed in cold water and dried. Fry in a frying pan hot with fat, stirring until a crust forms, and add salt. Lay the potatoes in a layer of no more than 4 cm. Bring them to readiness in the oven.

Answer from Maria[guru]
Start over high heat, turning to form a crust. Then reduce the heat to medium and stir occasionally until done. If you want the potatoes to be crispy, add salt at the end of frying and do not cover with a lid. If you like it crispy but soft, add salt as soon as the crust forms and cover with a lid.

Answer from MAG[active]
in a heated frying pan and don’t forget to stir!

Answer from Summer[guru]
In oil, in fat. Do not cut into thick slices and stir as often as possible.

Answer from Marina Kaftanova[newbie]
Take a frying pan, preferably cast iron. Pour in vegetable oil and heat. Cut the potatoes into strips and dry on a towel. Place in a frying pan and fry, stirring. At the end of frying, add salt to taste.

Answer from Sunrise[guru]
what does right mean? any doubts? write if yes, I was interested. In general, they fry like this: wash, peel, cut (for example, into strips) and place in a hot frying pan with oil. When it's browned on one side, add salt and stir. Stir again if necessary, but not too often, but not too rarely (otherwise it may burn). There is no need to cover with a lid. The fire is weak. Bon appetit

Answer from Natalia[guru]
fried potatoes in lard (meat-free dishes, side dishes)
Ingredients:
for 1 serving:
potatoes 4 pcs.
lard 50 gr.
onion 1 pc.
Instructions:
Cut the lard into small pieces, throw into the frying pan, then finely chopped onion. Lightly fry it all, then add the potatoes, pre-cut as for fries. Fry until done.
Bon appetit!

Not only the appearance, but also the taste of the dish depends on the shape of the potato cut: if the pieces are the same, then they are boiled or fried evenly. Homemade potato cutting is different from restaurant cutting. In restaurants, chefs do everything to make dishes look as impressive as possible, so they sacrifice savings in favor of beauty. Housewives try to clean and cut the tubers so that there is less waste. Restaurant cutting methods at home are used only in preparation for the holidays.

Preliminary preparation

Before cutting potatoes, the tubers need to be washed well. If you are going to peel the potatoes later, you can simply wash the skin with your hands so that the damage and eyes are clearly visible. But to prepare tubers in their skins (boiling in their uniforms, baking in a country style), they are washed especially carefully: rubbed with a brush under running water.

Even slightly damaged tubers are not suitable for boiling in their skins. If there are rhizoctonia black specks on the potato (they look like tiny lumps of dirt), they must be removed with a brush. There should be perfectly clean tubers of the correct shape, without damage. If such potatoes are boiled or stewed in the country style, they can be eaten with the peel: after brushing, the skin becomes thin, like tissue paper.

Potatoes that will be cooked without skins are cleaned after washing, eyes and damaged areas are cut out, and then they must be dipped in cold water so that the flesh does not darken. You should first cut all the peeled potatoes, then transfer them to a container for cooking. If you cut one potato at a time and transfer it to a hot frying pan or saucepan with boiling water, the pieces will cook unevenly.

Simple ways to cut potatoes

Simple methods of cutting potatoes include those that can be easily done using any knife, and without first “cleaving” the tuber: circles, slices, sticks, cubes, straws, slices, shavings.

Circles

Peeled and washed potatoes can be cut into circles 1–1.5 cm thick (Fig. 1). This cutting method is called paysanne. Pieces 1.5, sometimes 2 cm thick, are used for preparing “country” soups, stewing, and country-style baking. Mugs 0.7–1 cm thick are deep-fried.

Fig.1. Potatoes, sliced

To fry potatoes in the usual way, the tubers are cut into circles 2–3 mm thick, and for making chips – even thinner, about 1–2 mm. Usually small and medium-sized tubers are cut in this way: it is difficult to separate a neat thin circle from a large potato with an ordinary knife. Therefore, to prepare homemade chips, it is more convenient to chop potatoes using a shredder (Fig. 2).

When slicing in a restaurant, mugs of approximately the same diameter are selected from the middle of the tuber, and the rest are used for puree.

Fig.2. Universal shredder for vegetables

Slices

If the circles are cut into 2 or 4 parts, you will get slices (Fig. 3). The tuber is cut lengthwise into 2 parts. If it is large, then each half is also cut lengthwise into 2 parts. These pieces are cut crosswise. While one half of the tuber is being cut, the other half is immersed in water.

Fig.3. Slices

Slices 1–2 cm thick are suitable for making soups and baking. For frying, potatoes are cut into slices 2–3 mm thick. The rule for restaurant slicing is the same as for mugs: choose slices of the same size.

Slices

Medium, less often small, tubers are cut into slices. First, cut the potato into 4 parts (as for slices). To get slices, each quarter is cut in half (Fig. 4). This is an excellent cutting form for baking duck stuffed with apples, stewing with meat, and cooking country-style potatoes. The slices are also deep-fried.

Fig.4. Slices

The restaurant form of slicing differs from the home one only in that tubers of approximately the same size are chosen for holiday dishes.

Whetstones

Restaurant cuts:

1. Select tubers of approximately the same size, wash and peel them.
2. Cut a piece from each side of the tuber to form a rectangular parallelepiped.
3. Cut it into plates.
4. Stack the plates one on top of the other and cut them into bars.

When slicing at a restaurant, the slices should be identical (Fig. 5). The cross-section of the block is a square with a side of 6–7 mm. This cut is called batonnet. These sticks are deep fried.

Fig.5. Homemade potato slicing Rice. 6. Restaurant cutting of potatoes into wedges

When cutting at home, the tuber is not pre-trimmed, so some pieces have an irregular shape and differ from others in size.

For soups, shorter sticks are used, cut using the prentanière method: 3–4 cm long and 0.7–1 cm thick. The prentanière sticks are fried (in the usual way and deep-fried), and stewed.

There are slicers on sale that can be used to easily and quickly cut potatoes into cubes, even for a very large company.

Fig.7. Slicers for cutting potatoes into cubes

Straw

Straws are very thin sticks.

Types of straws:

• julienne – blocks 2 mm thick and 2.5 cm long;
• share - length 4–5 cm.

The straws are most often deep-fried and used to prepare Korean salads.

To cut the tuber into strips, you need a very sharp knife. It is much easier to chop potatoes on a grater for Korean salads or using a special device (Fig. 8).

Fig.8. Devices for cutting tubers into strips

Cubes

To get cubes, the tuber is cut into sticks, then a stack of sticks is cut across (Fig. 9).

Types of cubes:

• brunoise – edge 1–2 mm;
• jardiniere – 3–4 mm;
• Macedonian (macédonienne) – 5 mm;
• paisan - parallelepipeds with a base 1 × 1 cm and a height of 0.3–0.4 cm.

Raw tubers are cut into cubes for soups, boiled ones for salads.

Fig.9. Cubes

Shavings

Potato chips are long thin ribbons 1–2 cm wide. They can be cut with a regular knife, but there is also a special device that allows you to make very even and neat chips (Fig. 10). Potato strips are deep fried.

Rice. 10. Potato planer

Methods for “grinding” whole tubers

To make whole potatoes seem the same and look more beautiful in the finished dish, they are given different, sometimes intricate, shapes.

Barrels

To make a keg:

1. The top and bottom of the potato are cut off.
2. The sides of the tuber are “ground down”, forming a barrel (Fig. 11).

The barrels are stewed whole or the middle is removed, stuffed and baked. Barrel-shaped tubers are stable and can be placed compactly in a baking dish.

Garlic

To make garlic, the barrel is cut into slices. A little pulp is trimmed off the sharp edge of each slice (Fig. 12).

Fig. 12. Garlic

"Accordions"

Deep transverse cuts are made on the tubers at a distance of 3–4 mm from each other (Fig. 13). Pieces of lard or cheese are inserted into the slits and baked.

Fig. 13. Baked potato accordion

"Pears"

The tuber is “ground”, giving it the shape of a pear. Such potatoes are usually baked (Fig. 14).

Rice. 14. Potato “pears”

"Lapti"

Medium tubers are washed and cleaned. A transverse cut is made on the tuber. Using a knife and spoon, a “bast shoe” is formed (Fig. 15). Shallow transverse and longitudinal cuts are made on the “toe”. The bast shoes are stuffed, greased with butter and baked in the oven.

Rice. 15. Potato “bast shoes”

"Mushrooms"

A circular transverse incision is made on the tuber washed with a brush. One half of the potato is left in the peel (this is the “hat”), the second is trimmed, forming a “leg” (Fig. 16). The “mushrooms” are brushed with butter and spices and baked.

Rice. 16. Potato “mushrooms”

Shaped potato cutting

Curly cutting requires special tools.

Wavy chips

The peeled tuber is cut in the same way as into circles, using a special knife with a wavy blade (Fig. 17).

Rice. 17. Chip knife

Balloons

To make potato balls, you need a special spoon. It is stuck into the tuber and the stalk is rotated around its axis. The result is neat, identical balls the size of a hazelnut (Fig. 18). They are baked or deep-fried.

Rice. 18. Potato balls

Spirals

A metal skewer is inserted into the raw tuber. Then a device with a sharp blade is screwed onto it (Fig. 19). The knife cuts the potato so that you get one long ribbon 1 - 2 mm thick, twisted into a spiral.

Rice. 19. Potato spirals

The spirals are not removed from the skewers, but are immediately deep-fried (like chips). These “kebabs” look very impressive.

Slicing for cooking country-style potatoes

Students at the University of Essex found that when baked, the largest area of ​​​​pieces will be covered with a golden crust if:

1. Cut the tuber lengthwise.
2. Cut each half at an angle of 30° (Fig. 20).

Fig.20. Tuber slicing