The ideal fried potato is one that has a crispy crust and a tender “filling”.
It is very easy to prepare such a side dish. It is enough to use the method called "3-3-3".
Yulia Arkhipova, an expert in the field of cooking for the online publication Belnovosti, a chef and fourth-class baker, spoke about this approach to preparing a popular dish.
The essence of the "3-3-3" method
The name is associated with the need to follow important rules that mention the number 3:
- a preliminary three-second test must be carried out;
- Before frying, sliced raw potatoes should be divided into three parts ;
- The first stage of frying should last three minutes .
Now let's look at each rule in more detail. First, the cook must find out whether the selected potatoes are suitable for frying.
To do this, you need to perform a simple test. Cut a potato in half and rub the resulting halves against each other for three seconds.
Assess the result. If the vegetable pieces are stuck, then the product contains a lot of starch. Such potatoes are not suitable for frying: it is better to bake them or make mashed potatoes.
But if the potato halves do not stick together at all or stick weakly to each other, then the starchiness is low or medium: the vegetable is suitable for heat treatment in a frying pan.
Cut the potatoes into strips or slices, and then divide the resulting mass into three parts.
First, put only one part on the heated frying pan. After exactly three minutes, turn this mass over and pour in the second part of the potatoes. And when another minute has passed, put the third part of the chopped vegetable to fry.
Other important rules for cooking fried potatoes
When frying potatoes, try not to cover the pan with a lid.
And don't add salt too early. Do it at the final stage of cooking.
Compliance with all the above rules is a guarantee of crispy and at the same time tender fried potatoes.
Expert: Julia Arkhipova
