I don’t eat french fries very often. But when I do, I must admit that I have rather strong feelings about them.
The truth is, some french fries are just more enjoyable than others. My husband, on the other hand, is much more easy-going when it comes to fry preferences.
Allow me to visually demonstrate my personal feelings on fries:
Bottom line: I like them skinny and crunchy. Salty is good too, but as long as there is not too much “mushiness” to them, I can be flexible. My husband, however, is open to a wide variety of fry types. Wimpy ones, hearty ones, crunchy ones, mushy ones — he accepts them all.
I took my kids to TGIFriday’s a few weeks ago, on a night when my husband was out of town. I asked for fries as one of my sides, but what came out of the kitchen was something new, a kind of fry I hadn’t seen before. And to be honest, they were ridiculous.
It was as if someone had taken the most gigantic potatoes they could find, cut them in quarters and fried them up.
I am not joking or exaggerating when I say that one of them was the size of your standard banana.
Look: If I wanted a baked potato, I would have ordered a baked potato. But I did not. I ordered fries. And in my opinion, fries should have significantly less mushy potato in them than baked potatoes.
Fortunately, my kids held no such prejudice against these “hunk o’ potato” fries, so I split the so-called fries between them and stuck to my side salad.
But that got me thinking: apparently, my kids don’t have strong feelings about the size of french fries either. Am I the only one that has a strong preference for a particular type of fry? Is this one more sign that I’m more quirky than I like to admit?
I don’t really have a point to this post, except to share with you that in my world, the size of french fries is inversely proportional to my enjoyment of those fries.
And yes, I know that those skinny, crunchy ones are generally not as healthful as the more potato-y ones. Which brings me back to my first sentence. Given my enjoyment of the crunch, it’s probably best that I don’t eat fries very often.
So I’m curious: what about you? Do you like the skinny fries or the thick ones? Or do you think it’s insane that I even have an opinion about french fries? (It’s okay if you think I’m crazy; I can take it!)
Whatever comes from The Potato Patch at Kennywood. Skin & all.
But not Red Robin’s as those appear to be mashed potatoes from a mold. They are too uniform and soft in the middle.
McDonalds also has the worst fries. I love Wendy’s new fries, as the beat my previous favorite from Good Times.
I love Wendy’s and McDonald’s fries (but prefer Wendy’s former fries to the new ones) but REALLY love Fuddrucker’s and Zaxby’s. Not a fan of Burger King’s. I like them not crunchy exactly but not mushy and small to mediumish. I wouldn’t like that big hunk, either. What I most don’t like about fries (besides the calories and fat) is that most restaurants give way too much of a portion.
Barbara H.´s last post ..What’s On Your Nightstand: September
I guess I like the ones somewhere in the middle – not giant potatoes but not too skinny either – and seasoning is very important.
My opinion—–
Don’t like them too crunchy or thin
Don’t like them too hunky
Medium size/not too salty/only once or twice a month
I’d rather have a baked potato
Mom
Me I’m a not quite skinny but not thick cut. Crispy outside soft inside and they have to be baked not fried.
Mine is the inverse of yours!
I like all but the thin crunchy ones! The more potato the better! Maybe its because I LOVE mashed potatoes! oo and french fries dipped in ranch dressing.. delicious! I am now totally wanting some french fries!
Can’t believe I’m the first to post on this! I think your chart is brilliant! Thin, crispy, salty, with a slight “mush” quality in the middle. Think McDonald’s french fries when they used beef tallow to fry them (pre-1990). I’ll eat a steak fry, but it really should have a different name. I hope and pray that I never encounter the dreaded “hunk o’ potato” fry that you did! LOL!
I like the thin crispy cut seasoned fries.
I just have to say that this post is definitely going to show up in my dreams tonight! I tested allergic to potatoes about 18 months ago and haven’t had french fries or any other potato item since. I sorely miss them.
Trish´s last post ..What’s On Your Nightstand – September 2011
I’m totally with you, and your chart is exactly what one would like if I were to create such a thing. Thin and crispy all the way, baby!
If only I could live off of fries! I prefer them about finger thickness, crispy on the outside and mushy on the inside. I’ve actually started to make my own at home, baked in the oven since I don’t have a deep fryer, but they are pretty good and much better for my waistline. Outside in the world, I rate Wendy’s the best.
No, you’re not crazy. I prefer them to be medium and crunchy too. The mushy ones are gross and, like you mentioned, if I wanted a potato, I would have ordered one.
skinny fries for sure ~ and we usually ask for our fries a little more well done.
I also love Chick-fil-A’s waffle fries. yum.
As you said, I like all kinds of fries. But I have learned (over the past 18 years) to save the crunchy runt fries for you.
And yes, I do think you are crazy…. Crazy like a fox!
Fun post! I can take or leave fries, but when i want ‘em, I need ‘em thin, crispy and above all – salty!! I don’t have any use for those huge planks of starch either.
I have strong opinions on fries too, and even before I opened up this post, I totally knew where you were going with this.
I don’t like the thinnest ones best, but rather a medium thick one (Wendy’s old fries before they changed them were my favorite). However, I’m in total agreement that I have no place in my life for those giganto fries, and even regular steak fries aren’t really worth it.
I’m with you, thin and crispy! I do like the new Wendy’s fries, much much better than their old ones. I like Steak ‘N Shake fries too, really think and small, but I would like them a littler more done (but that’s typical for most fries). I’ll eat some steak fries but usually it isn’t a choice. For a hunk of potato like you had, I’d rather have it made up of little bits like Arby’s potato cake (total yum but very greasy). I like seasoned fries but not as much as regular.
It took me a long time to get used to Chick-fil-A’s waffle fries but I like them too.
Forgot, what about sweet potato fries? I had some at Red Robin a few weeks ago. I liked the crispy ones but came across a few that were too “sweet potatoey” for me!