Love french fries? Who doesn’t? Here’s a way to make them at home where you can enjoy them and not feel like your arteries are clogging with each bite like you would feel if you ate them in a restaurant!
This post submitted to Pennywise Platter, Fight Back Friday, No Whine Wednesday and What’s Cookin Wednesday.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
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{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh! Oh! It's only 9am and I am wanting some french fries!
My alternative, since for right now I have no beef tallow, is to oven bake my fries. Brushed with a bit of olive oil and salt, they are mmm…mmm… good!
But…they are not fried, which is what I am truly craving:(
Great video Sarah! I'd just like your thoughts on something. My grandmother used to save her bacon grease and my granddad would fry up sliced potatoes for breakfast several times a week using that grease. When my husband and I go camping I often take my store of bacon grease along and that is our camping "treat" that we add to our breakfast. We fry our sliced potatoes in cast iron pans over a fairly moderate heat and they are absolutely heaven. I'm just wondering what you think about using the bacon grease for this as I realize it is very different from tallow.
Can the tallow be saved and used again for fries, or anything else?
Hi Margaret – yes the tallow can be saved and used for something else. That 1/2 inch or so of tallow you saw in the pan that I used – most of that would be used up making 3-4 small batches of fries (1 large organic potato) to give you some idea. You would not have a lot left over.
Hi Cyn – the way you make them is wonderful too! Yes, I know what you mean. There is just SOMETHING about the crunchiness of the french fry though!
Hi Lisa, bacon grease is FABULOUS! Great idea!! I use mine for cooking up eggs – potatoes are a great way to go too! YUM
Sarah- do you think that lard would work as well? Since it is more easily aquired, I use it for some frying. I usually make my fries in the oven, also, but would love some crispy fries from time to time
One of the things I have been doing (also no beef tallow here) is using either coconut oil, or some good naturally-raised pork lard (I get the fat back from a farmer and render the lard myself). I use organic sweet potatoes, peel and cube them, then mix them with melted coconut oil, sea salt, cayenne pepper and some fresh rosemary. I then bake them on a cookie sheet with sides at 450 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees for another 10 minutes or so.
They are heavenly and I am very addicted to them!
Oh those look so good! I got some tallow from the grass fed beef I recently got from a local farm and I haven't done anything with it yet except put it in the freezer
If I recall correctly, I need to render it somehow to make it useable for frying, is that right? I know I've read it somewhere, do you have directions on your blog for that? or a video?? that would be awesome!
Thanks,
Tammy
Hi Tammy, do you mean you have the chunks of tallow right from the cow? If so, then yes, you need to render it which is pretty easy. Just cut up the tallow into pieces about the size of you hand and put in a baking pan and warm to about 250F. The tallow will melt and then you remove from the oven and sieve/pour the liquid tallow into glass mason jars for storage. The tissue leftover you discard. Freeze what you won't use in a month or two.
Do I need to do this with the fat I skim off my frozen chicken stock as well? Or can I just use it?
Great post!
We always use beef tallow for french fries, except when we use unhydrogenated real lard. It tastes and feels so good that we just cannot stand the factory oil fries anymore.
We get our tallow from US Wellness Meats.
Stanley
I have yet to get my hands on some beef tallow. This video making me want some now! Your french fries look delicious!
Thanks Coconut Mama. I have to say that once you taste homemade french fries made with beef tallow .. restaurant ones just aren't much appealing anymore! What a great way to teach your kids about how to enjoy quality food without the downside.
Sarah, thanks for the info. Yes, I meant the chunks of tallow right from the cow. I have a couple huge pieces in the freezer and was thinking it is something I should do pretty soon while I can still open the windows and let the house air out because it seems I remember reading that it kind of stinks up the house. LOL But I thought they did it on the stovetop? not sure but your way sounds pretty easy. It will be worth it to be able to enjoy some yummy healthy fries through the winter though
Thanks again!
Tammy
Hi Tammy, stovetop works too. I have just found it a bit easier in the oven in a big pan.
Hi! I am new to your site and when I saw this post, I knew I had to make them for my daughter's sleep over tonight! I only had rendered lard though…but they turned out GREAT! Thanks for the tips! Kelly
What a nice video making it not seem too overwhelming! My question – do you know about the practical differences, if any, in using kidney tallow vs. tallow skimmed from the broth when making beef broth? Every time I get a cow from our farmer, I make broth and get just tons of tallow from the broth, and use it for browning chuck roasts, etc. I do the same with my pork. But I don't know if there are any practical differences, other than the fact it's not great for a pie crust unless you're making beef pie! (The fat retains a meaty taste when it comes from the broth.)
Hi Lym,
The fat you are talking about from the beef stock is just beef fat, I think, not really tallow. And, yes, I have noticed quite a difference making french fries with beef fat versus the tallow. For some reason and I can't explain it, the fries never crisp up when I fry them in the beef fat. They get all soggy and fall apart. I don't know why this is but it doesn't happen with tallow which is that special fat between the kidneys.
I have a question about tallow – I rendered some a few months ago (from grass-fed beef from our Amish farmer) and put it in a quart jar and it's been sitting in the very back of my refrigerator. I just noticed what looks remarkably like MOLD growing in threads down the side of the jar and on the bottom. What do I do with this now? How long is freshly rendered beef tallow supposed to keep in the refrigerator? Can someone please email me? jlmoulton@deloitte.com I'm SO sad.
Janet, just scrape out the tallow that doesn't have mold on it and you can use that just fine (kind of like cutting mold away from cheese). It should last 6 months in the refrigerator easily.
is this the same oil you would use for frying other things??? We don’t eat fried food often but we do like fried chicken and breaded shrimp!!!
Hi Jackie, tallow is overall the best frying oil I have found by far.
You talk about not frying at a high temp. What would you consider too high?
Over 400F or so.
Hi Sarah,
I would like to know if eating one potato everyday is unhealthy due to it being a nightshade. I don’t react to nightshades at all, and potatoes are the only nightshades that I consume.
I’m getting ready to make my first batch of guilt free french fries to go with the ribeye steak recipe on page 332 of Nourishing Traditions!
I heard that duck fat is also great for! I watched a food network video once (they do have a few ideas I like) where they soak them in water overnight to break down the starches. Then they fry them to just a lightly oil state and take them out of the the fryer to sit in under a warmer for at least an hour before frying them to ‘finish’. The first fry up is only to blanch them- the second is when they’re actually cooked- but all that ‘prep’ gives them an airy inside and crisp outside. That was more about flavor than nutrition though. But as I watch this video I’m thinking the night soak and breaking down the starches may be an awesome thing?
Hi Sarah!
Can you substitute with ghee or is the lard a must?
Thanks!
Asta
Can you comment on the temperature of your frying. You advocate keeping the temp “low” but I thought that hot oil keeps the food from “absorbing” the oil and fat and is actually better for you. Now you have said the opposite so I’m confused….
Hi, Sarah! Your blog is spectacular!!! Thank you! When I make these in tallow, mine tend to get all stuck at the bottom and in your video this didn’t happen. My temp is at medium low (4). Maybe I am not puttiing enough oil and too many french fries. I will try that. If you can think of anything else, any input would be appreciated. Thank you!!
oooh!! i got it, i think the key is too not put too many in each batch. thanks!
Would you please supply the link to order the mail order list catalogue you show?
Thank you.