One of the most important steps in the cooking process is knowing how to properly grind food. Indeed, in cooking, there are no trifles, 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 particular dish, the crushed pieces must have a certain shape. Let's say that you need rectangular sticks like straws to work. 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 meals at home. The banal force of habit is at work. As you know, no fast food establishment is complete without the famous French fries. Moreover, it is not at all difficult to do it. The main thing is to give the main product the appropriate shape. Here the question arises: "How to cut the potatoes into strips?" To do this, you can use the simplest method. Of the tools you need only a sharp knife and a cutting board.

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

• The tubers must be peeled, washed and dried thoroughly with a paper towel.
• To make the straws long, the potato must be positioned on the board so that the knife blade goes 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 that, the prepared potatoes can be sent in small portions to boiling oil.

The secret of the correct form

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

The fact is that before grinding the tuber it is necessary:

• Cut off the lateral longitudinal edge first.
• Rotate the potato 90 degrees on the axis and separate the same part on the other side. Two flat sidewalls are obtained.
• Place the product on one of them and divide into even pieces parallel to the second cut. Set aside the remaining rounded part.
• Divide the resulting blanks into strips of equal thickness.

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

Preparation for frying

Fries are just one way to fry potatoes. But most housewives rarely use it at home, mainly due to the high consumption of oil. It is much more economical to fry potatoes in a pan. Moreover, 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 the previous options. For work, you need a cleaned and washed product. It must be dried beforehand in order to avoid unwanted splashes from contact of moisture with boiling fat.

The processing of prepared potatoes takes place in three stages:

• The first step is to cut off both tops of the tuber. This makes it look like a small barrel.
• It should be placed on one of the bases (wider) and, holding with the other hand, carefully cut with a knife into identical plates.
• Without taking it off the board, turn the product 90 degrees and do the same.

It turns out a neat straw, the size of which depends on the chosen 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.

Technique to help

Every hostess 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 there is absolutely no time to do neat slicing. What should be done in such a situation? How to quickly cut potatoes into strips? For such a case, the house should always have special household appliances. Today it is not difficult to buy it in a store. You will need a regular vegetable shredder with a stripping attachment. 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 you must first pour the semi-finished product onto a napkin to remove excess moisture. The product should not be heaped. It must be spread out in a thin layer and blotted several times while the oil is warming up in the pan.

Combined option

Each dish has its own special way of cutting the original ingredients. For example, it cannot be argued that potato strips can only be made with a sharp knife. There are many other options, and each one is good in its own way. Suppose you want to cook a pie of potatoes 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 chefs 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 shredder for work.
• Then each plate must be chopped with a Korean carrot grater. Small straws are obtained with a thickness of no more than 2 millimeters. Plus, they'll all be the same size.

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

Illustrative example

Recently, designers have developed many unique devices that greatly simplify the work in the kitchen. For example, not so 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 him, it is easy to figure out how to cut potatoes into strips. The photo will help to understand this issue in more detail.

The principle of operation of the device is extremely simple:

• The peeled tuber must be placed on a cutting board.
• Install a potato cutter on top of it.
• Holding on to the sides with both hands, apply firm pressure to the device.

The result is workpieces of the same size and cross-section. By setting the potato in an upright position, you can get large strips in a matter of seconds with minimal physical effort. In the instructions, the principle of operation of the device is shown using photographs that clearly demonstrate the simplicity of its operation.

Perfectly even slices of fries, sauce and soft drink are frequent attributes of fast food advertising brochures. And if the last two components of the banner are few people admire, then potatoes are the peak of culinary excellence. How to cut potatoes into strips at home? It couldn't be easier! Let's hone our skills together.

How to create potato masterpieces quickly and easily?

Slices of raw vegetables are easier and faster to cut using a special device - a square vegetable cutter. Fortunately, there are plenty of such devices today. They come in the form of a removable attachment on a plate or jar, are part of a handheld harvester, and are also presented with a special four-sided grater with a pointed edge.

Using such devices is quite simple:

• Use a knife to cut off the bottom so that the tubers can be placed upright on the table.

• On top, set the vegetable cutter with a sharp edge on the flesh of the vegetable.

• Admire the result.

Perhaps the only drawback of this method is that it is impossible to adjust the thickness and length of the blocks. And the length of the straw depends only on the pressure of the hand. So if the physical strength is not enough, the vegetable cutter method does not suit you. But don't be discouraged, there are other options.

Sleight of hand - no vegetable cutters

Although potatoes are mostly round, they can be easily cut into neat thin strips using a sharpened kitchen knife. True, this method is quite laborious, and the process itself will take a lot of time. But the finished result is worth it. Let's try?

So, we perform the following actions:

• Wash and peel the potatoes as you have done before.
• Trim the ends of the tubers so that they are flat on all sides.

• Remember to remove the parts from the base as well. As a result, you should get a perfectly flat rectangle.

• Now cut the pulp into thin slices. Each slice should be no thicker than 4 millimeters.

• Lay the slices flat on a cutting board and cut across into thin strips.

• Perfectly even and thin straws are ready. It can be seasoned and baked in the oven.

Such thin slices are suitable for preparing salads, however, for this it is better to pre-boil potatoes, as well as as an Indian garnish with hot spices. But frying such a straw is unlikely to work. Thin strips will quickly boil over, and as a result, instead of fried potatoes, there will be vegetable porridge in the pan. Although this is a matter of taste.

Cutting potatoes like at McDonald's

Fragrant and crispy French fries with garlic sauce ... Just the thought of it awakens your appetite. Of course, you can not bother yourself too much and just buy ready-made frozen potatoes in the supermarket. But who knows what kind of tubers they are, how long are they stored there and what are they made of?

It is much healthier and tastier when you cook fries at home. In addition, the technique is very simple:

• Traditionally, we wash and peel potato tubers. It is desirable that each of them be of almost equal length and oblong shape.

• We cut each potato in half. Then we divide the resulting parts in half in the longitudinal direction again.
• We cut each strip into 4 parts.

• While we are cutting a new batch, put the finished potatoes in a bowl of water. So there will be less starch, and the potatoes themselves will not have time to turn black.

Now you can look for a suitable recipe for making fries in the oven, multicooker, microwave, or just in a frying pan. By the way, it will be very tasty if potatoes are rolled in olive oil with spices and crushed garlic before frying.

"Country style potatoes"

Don't like fries? Then, perhaps, you will like the country-style spicy potatoes. This unpretentious dish is served today even in the most fashionable restaurants.

To prepare such potatoes, you will need to find in the store and buy tubers as young as possible. Choose those vegetables, the skin of which you think is the thinnest, evenest and without burrs. By the way, there should be no green spots on the root crop. Often they are direct witnesses to the content of pesticides and other inedible chemicals.

In general, when the purchase and selection process is complete, your steps should be as follows:

• Using a soft brush or an ordinary clean, preferably a new kitchen sponge, thoroughly wash the potatoes from dust and dirt.
• Without peeling off the peel, cut the tubers into halves.

• Now the resulting pieces must be cut in half again.

• Resize each quarter to the size you want. Usually, only one transverse incision is sufficient.

• These are the potato slices that should be the result.

• But the work doesn't end there. Place the potato wedges in a flat-bottomed bowl and cover with cold water.

• Let the straw sit for 5-7 minutes. This will help rid the potatoes of excess and unnecessary starch.
• Then transfer the slices to a paper towel.

• After all the water has been drained and absorbed into the napkin, the potato strips are ready for further use.

Remember, any of the above options take practice. It is unlikely that you will be able to create perfectly smooth blocks the first time. Usually, novice cooks have to spend a lot of free time and mountains of spoiled vegetables to achieve ideal results. We can only wish you continued success!

For today, another simple recipe - we are preparing a delicious second dish (or an appetizer, as you like) - pie potatoes. If you have never tried such a dish, I can say that these are a kind of homemade potato chips.

Pai potatoes are crispy, tasty, effective and very easy to prepare. It can be served as an original appetizer or main course with fresh vegetables, sauces, a side dish for meat dishes, or used as an ingredient in salads (for example, Capercaillie's Nest).

Salted (or flavored with seasonings) potato pie in a ready-made form. Even after a day, these thinnest potato sticks retain their crunchy properties. In any case, no matter how you serve it, this simple potato recipe will surprise you with its originality, not beaten and delicious crunch. Quite a worthy replacement for everyone's favorite French fries!

Ingredients:

Cooking a dish step by step:

For cooking potatoes, I advise you to choose medium-sized even root vegetables, preferably without eyes, so that the stripes are long and of the same size. We clean the potatoes and wash them in cold water.

Then we choose one of two grinding methods. You can take a sharp knife and cut the tubers into very thin long strips. But it is much more convenient to use a Korean carrot grater. Then three potatoes in one direction so that long strips are obtained.

Now you need to rinse it thoroughly to remove the starch, otherwise nothing will work. We wash the potato straws in cold water 2-3 times until it is transparent.

Then you need to remove excess moisture, for which we throw the straw into a colander or sieve. Now the potatoes will not darken.

At the end of the preparation, lay out paper towels in several layers and distribute the potato straws over the top with an even layer. The less moisture there is in the potatoes, the faster and better the potato pie will cook.

We take a stewpan or any other dish, not wide and deep enough. Pour refined vegetable oil into it (I have sunflower oil) and heat it over medium heat until a slight smoke appears. You can check the readiness of the oil by simply throwing a couple of potato strips into it. If the oil starts to sizzle and boil immediately, then you can cook in it. You need to lay potatoes in portions, otherwise it will not be able to cook normally. I did it in 5 steps. Throw some of the potatoes into boiling oil and fry over medium heat for 3 minutes. At first, the potatoes will become very soft, literally it will seem that they are creeping into porridge. At the same time, the oil boils and bubbles very actively. But this is one of the stages of making a potato pie. Then you will see how the boil begins to subside (although we did not reduce the fire), and the potato straws become dense and elastic. Finally, the potatoes will begin to acquire a delicious blush. Attention, the most crucial moment! It is when the straw begins to redden that it will be ready in a matter of seconds, so do not leave the stove. With a slotted spoon, take out the finished portion of the potato pie and put it on a paper towel. We cook the rest of the potatoes in the same way.

In total, from a pound of (not peeled) root crops, a decent amount of potatoes was obtained. Now it can be salted, but I, to be honest. I didn't even salt it - and it's so delicious.

Potato pie has long ceased to be an exotic dish for Russians. This dish is often served in cafes and restaurants. However, not everyone knows that you can easily cook these mouth-watering potatoes at home. If everything is done correctly, guests and household members will certainly appreciate the culinary efforts of the hostess.

Pai potatoes are potatoes, peeled and cut into thin slices, fried in a large amount of vegetable oil.

Some nutritional experts consider this dish to be extremely unhealthy for the stomach.

However, in reality this is not the case. These delicious fried potatoes only become harmful if you fry several servings in the same oil. This is usually done in food service centers - bistros, cafes and restaurants, to save oil. But no self-respecting housewife would, of course, do that. But it should be borne in mind that, like all potato dishes, “pie” is high in calories, therefore, in case of diabetes and obesity, it is better to forget about this meal.

Potato pie - American cuisine recipe

Experts say that one of the most common American recipes in the world is the recipe for “potato pie,” or simply fries. It is according to this recipe that the dish is prepared in most cafes and bistros. At home, any hostess will also cope with this task.

In order to surprise guests with real American potatoes, you must:

• Take a pound of potatoes, wash the tubers thoroughly and peel them. Wash the peeled tubers again and finely chop the potatoes. You can use a special grater for cooking carrots in Korean for this;
• Put the resulting "shavings" in a plastic bowl, add water and leave for twenty minutes, so that all the starch goes into the water;
• Throw in a colander and dry the potato chips on both sides so that the excess water evaporates completely;
• Fry in boiling oil, stirring constantly, until a pleasant golden brown color. Finished potatoes can be obtained using a slotted spoon. Serve hot.

Pai is good both as an independent dish and as a side dish. It can also be added to various salads. It is better to eat potatoes as soon as possible, as their taste may deteriorate when stored in the refrigerator.

Potatoes with pink peels are not suitable for preparing a delicious dish, since these varieties contain a high concentration of starch. Also, when choosing between young and old potatoes, it is better to give preference to the old one, for the same reason.

Salad with potato strips and chicken

Potato strips go well with chicken.

Fans of separate nutrition may argue that you cannot combine carbohydrates with proteins, but a salad with potatoes and poultry is an ideal option for a hearty dinner.

Here's how to do it:

• Mix ready-made potatoes with boiled chicken breast cut into strips;
• Add pickled onions;
• Send hard-boiled minced eggs to the salad bowl;
• Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste;
• Stir all ingredients until smooth;
• Garnish with cilantro or parsley.

Such a salad will turn out to be especially tasty and less high in calories if you fill it not with store-bought, but with homemade mayonnaise.

Korean carrot snack

Fried potato chips go well with Korean carrots. Thanks to the neutral taste of potatoes, the carrot loses its extra pungency, so both adults and children will be happy to eat such a dish.

For cooking you need:

• Cut into pieces and fry the chicken breast or turkey until golden brown;
• Put the meat in a salad bowl;
• Grease with mayonnaise on top;
• Layer a layer of ready-made Korean carrots and grease with mayonnaise again;
• As an additional layer, you can add "Korean" beets and (or) cabbage to the carrots, this layer is also coated with sauce;
• Fried potatoes are stacked nicely at the top.

If you put a couple of quail eggs in the center of the finished salad, the dish will look like a swallow's nest. This decor option is suitable for any festive feast.

Lean salad with potato pie

You can make potato pie for a healthy and tasty lean salad.

You often feel hungry during Lent, so such a hearty dish will come in handy, especially in winter.

For cooking you need:

• Cut the red onion into rings or half rings;
• Cut pickled cucumbers into small cubes and mix them with onions;
• Take a little sauerkraut, squeeze it out to glass excess water, and add to these ingredients;
• Mix all ingredients with chilled potato chips;
• Season with a mixture of mustard and olive oil.

Stir the salad very carefully to maintain the beautiful shape of the potato. You can season the dish with lean mayonnaise. Those who do not like mustard can use only oil, preferably olive oil or a mixture of olive and sunflower oils. To add an oriental flavor, soy sauce is suitable.

Cooking an appetizer with mushrooms

Potatoes with mushrooms are a classic combination of Russian cuisine. By adding the gifts of the forest, you can give the American dish a Russian national flavor.

For cooking you need:

• Saute onions and carrots until golden brown;
• Add chopped champignons or porcini mushrooms, simmer in a little water;
• Dissolve processed cheese in boiling water, pour the resulting mixture into vegetables, boil for fifteen minutes over low heat;
• Season with salt and pepper to taste, boil for another five to seven minutes;
• Gently pour potato chips on top.

Thanks to the processed cheese, this dish tastes somewhat like French julienne, but, unlike julienne, it does not contain meat. Therefore, it is a great dinner option for those who do not eat meat products.

Smoked chicken breast salad recipe

Pai salad is prepared not only with boiled, but also with smoked poultry meat. But it should be borne in mind that smoked meat is much higher in calories than boiled meat, and also contains more fat.

For cooking you need:

• Chop the smoked breast and pickled cucumbers into thin strips;
• Cut the onion into half rings, pour over with boiling water and put it in a colander, then it will not be bitter;
• Put the poultry and onion in a deep bowl, coat with mayonnaise. It is better to apply mayonnaise in the form of a mesh so that the salad does not turn out to be too greasy;
• The next layer is to place pickled cucumbers on a mayonnaise grid, this layer is also smeared with sauce;
• Potatoes are carefully laid out on top and sprinkled with finely chopped cilantro (parsley, basil). It is better not to use dill, it does not go well with meat and poultry.

To make the dish more appetizing and slightly crispy, you can add croutons to it. They are put in a salad strictly before serving the finished dish on the table. If you put them on right away, they will become soaked and lose their crunchy properties.

Prepare delicious and crispy potatoes at home. A properly prepared dish will certainly help out the hostess in those cases when there is no time to prepare delicious dishes, and the guests are already on the doorstep.