The Secret To Perfect Potato Wedges Is A Common Kitchen Tool

If you've ever brought home crispy fried potato wedges and wondered why you don't make them at home for yourself, you are not alone. They take significantly less time to cut than french fries and offer more of the fluffy goodness inside a crunchy shell. Still, if you want them to cook uniformly, they need to be cut to the same size, which can get tricky. Chef and owner of City Roots Hospitality, Guy Vaknin, says that requires using the right tools for the job.

Vaknin suggests skipping colorful gadgets and getting straight to business. " The most important advice I have is to use a very sharp professional chef's knife," he said. "This will allow you to cut straight down with clean edges." Yes, this also means you should be sharpening your kitchen knives regularly. If you aren't, there is no better time to start than the present.

However, folks who aren't seasoned chefs like Vaknin might prefer to use something less intimidating to carve their spuds. He said, "IF you struggle, you can always use a great mandoline to cut potato slices instead of wedges." But if you have your heart set on wedges and don't feel comfortable using a sharp knife, you might reach for an apple slicer (though Vaknin didn't specifically recommend this one). Cut a little bit off the end of the potato to stabilize your tuber on a cutting board, then press it down over your spud for eight uniform wedges in a matter of seconds. However, Vaknin's right that a sharp knife is ultimately better — after all, who is out there sharpening their apple slicer?

Once you have uniform wedges, it is time to fry them to crispy perfection, and Vaknin had some advice for how to best accomplish that. "A pro tip I always share is to soak potatoes in cold water first allowing all the excess starch to be removed," he said. "This will make your potatoes even more crisp."

That prepares the spuds for their extended bath in hot oil, but Vaknin says that when you actually start frying, once isn't enough. "I always fry twice," he said. "First fry is at 325 degrees 4-5 minutes. I pat the potatoes down then fry again for another 2-3 minutes at 375 degrees." This is similar to the technique used to make Korean fried chicken, which leaves you with extra crispy poultry that is far less likely to get soggy when doused with sauce.

Really, success starts at the grocery store. Before frying or even cutting your tubers, get the proper variety for making fried potato wedges. According to Vaknin, texture and size are important factors to consider. "Russet potatoes are the best potato for making wedges because they are low moisture and high starch," he said. "Because they are a larger potato, they make nice thick wedges." Although yellow spuds like Yukon Golds have a more buttery flavor than your run-of-the-mill russet, they also contain much more moisture and won't crisp up like you probably want with a good potato wedge.