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I'm going to make some sweet potato fries here shortly and I'm using a technique that I saw on television. I cut up my sweet potatoes into fries and I have been letting them soak in water. My intent is that some of the starch will dissolve into the water and help the fries crisp up better. Has anyone else tried this?

wootscootinboogie
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This is a common technique and should work well. It is important that you dry the fries thoroughly before adding them to the oil, otherwise it will boil out of the pan.

If you have the time, you can lay the fries on a rack and place in the fridge for a couple of hours, which dehydrates the surface nicely. If not, pat them dry with lots of kitchen paper.

ElendilTheTall
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  • Could you include some techniques on how you dry the fries? – Eric Hu Sep 18 '12 at 08:40
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    Edited to do just that – ElendilTheTall Sep 18 '12 at 08:48
  • after about maybe 45 minutes the water had changed that beta carotene orange of the sweet potatoes. i do think that this had an effect as the fries did crisp up decently well (but you can never get them like regular potatoes). perhaps next time i will use warm/tepid water and leave them in longer. – wootscootinboogie Sep 18 '12 at 12:01
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    You can also try dredging the fries in cornstarch before cooking, that'll really crisp them up. – ElendilTheTall Sep 18 '12 at 14:07
  • I ended up blanching them and then double-frying. They turned out decent enough, but I think next time I'm going to make a light tempura batter after blanching them. – wootscootinboogie Sep 18 '12 at 16:49