This Video Reveals the Trick to Making Crispy French Fries at Home

Making fries at home that taste as good as the ones you can order out is a real challenge — without a deep fryer, how are you supposed to make those crispy, crispy tater fingers? Celebrity chef Thomas Joseph tackled this chronic issue in a video for his Kitchen Conundrums series in 2015, hopefully solving the tragic problem of mediocre french fries once and for all.

Joseph suggests starting with russet potatoes. They're low in moisture and high in starch — making them great for frying up in oil.

After the potatoes are skinned and cut into even pieces, they have to be soaked in water to remove some of the starch from the outside of the potatoes. This takes awhile, so Joseph suggests starting early in the day or even soaking the cut potatoes overnight before you make your delicious fries.

Once the potatoes are done soaking, they have to be drained and dried with paper towels. Then you're ready for the first fry! That's right, the FIRST fry... because the real trick to crispy fries is frying twice. For the first fry, the potatoes should stay in the hot oil for about 3 minutes, or until the insides are soft and they are easy to cut.

After the fries have drained on a wire rack, they're ready for their second time in the oil. A second fry is the trick to getting the perfectly crispy outside and hot, soft inside that makes french fries so great.

To see the full process for making crispy fries, check out Thomas Joseph in action. Now fry, fry away!