# Why hasn't anyone pitted fries made from potato flour? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 7, 2013, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257 "2013-03-07T02:49:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257/21 "2013-03-07T14:47:50Z")
> [@hrhomer](#): > > Pringles are different. They’re a specifically different animal than regular chips. Yeah, one buys Pringles because they want Pringles, not potato chips. I also don’t know what this “potato flour” fry is. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257/22 "2013-03-07T14:52:31Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > This isn’t about slamming McDonalds’ fries in particular, but rather about not seeing a correlation between whether they’re actually sliced potatoes, and whether they’re worth eating. The OP seems to be lamenting the fact that our nation’s youth doesn’t get to eat fries made with fresh potatoes, when perhaps the largest purveyor of fries in the nation makes them with fresh potatoes. McCain makes fries from fresh potatoes, I’d bet that Ore-Ida does too. I don’t even know what products he’s talking about that are made just from potato flour, is there a microwavable, cartoon face, or super extra crispy brand out there that is flour based? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257/23 "2013-03-07T14:58:28Z")
In-n-out’s fries are awful, as with any place which does them the same way (e.g. Penn Station.) w/o a 2-step fry process, you either get squishy & undercooked or crunchy & grease-soaked. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257/25 "2013-03-07T15:09:42Z")
reported ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257/26 "2013-03-07T15:12:38Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > You’re nuts. McDonald’s fry are the platonic idea for that skinless style of fry. My criterium for a great fry is one which does not require the addition of any condiment. It may be enhanced by a condiment, but should not _require_ it. McDonald’s fries are perfect in this regard: great textural balance between crisp outside and light, pillowy inside, just the right amount of salt, delicate potato flavor. They are perfect. > > Now, they are not my favorite. I prefer skin-on fries with a slightly mealier more potato-y interior. I’m not sure exactly how to describe them, but they have a stronger flavor to them. [Fries like this](http://www.roadfood.com/photos/3282.JPG) or [this](http://llnw.wbez.org/blog/insert-image/2010-November/2010-11-03/BMF_2336%20as%20Smart%20Object-1.jpg). But that doesn’t mean McDonald’s fries aren’t excellent for their style. Thank you for saving me the keystrokes. +1 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257/27 "2013-03-07T15:20:20Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I find a couple of vaguely conspiracy theoryish claims that McDonald’s \*really \*uses potato flour, wheat flour and all manner of things and molds their fries. Which makes me wonder…what do they use for the occasional “eye” and black spot? What french fry artiste is carefully airbrushing small chlorophyll-green smudges on the tip of one out of every 500 or so fries, and how do I train for his job? :rolleyes: > > **CalMeacham** , if you’re nostalgic for Frispos, try [Smiles](http://www.mccainpotatoes.com/Public/PotatoDetails.aspx?Id=52). Food service goodness now in your freezer aisle…and they’re gluten free! They’re a “sometimes food” in our house. 🙂 I’m not nostalgic for them – I hated 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257/28 "2013-03-07T15:26:38Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > I’m still amazed that anyone buys Pringles [tm] - fake chips. If people happily consume this crap, why would object to fake fries? I hear they are really popular with submariners because typical bags of chips are too big and bulky to stock in the canteen. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257/29 "2013-03-07T15:33:40Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > In-n-out’s fries are awful, as with any place which does them the same way (e.g. Penn Station.) w/o a 2-step fry process, you either get squishy & undercooked or crunchy & grease-soaked. Bingo. They’d get a better result by cutting them from fresh potatoes, and then cooking them in some way first, and letting them rest a half hour or more- frying is best, but you can nuke them, boil them, etc… before your final frying session to crisp them up. That’s how real “frites” are made; they’re cut, fried in low-temp oil, and left to sit for a while, and when you order them, the guy puts the pre-cooked, sort of nasty looking fries into the fryer, where they crisp up and become delicious. Then they go into that weird cone, and they give you that worthless little trident fork thing to try and eat them with, but I digress… As they are, they’re kind of weird, and not particularly good when compared to other fast food chains. ---
**Author:** ![KermitTheFrig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/47e85d/32.png) [@KermitTheFrig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KermitTheFrig)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257/30 "2013-03-07T16:29:05Z")
However Five Guys does it is right. Fresh cut, skin-on fries cooked in peanut oil. The bags of potatoes are right out front for all to see. I don’t think they double cook them, but they do remove them from the oil and shake them a few times during the frying, which might have a similar result. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257/31 "2013-03-07T16:37:14Z")
I liked McDonalds fries once upon a time, but they dip them in beef broth, so that means they’re off the menu for vegetarians like me. Bastards. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257/32 "2013-03-07T16:39:55Z")
Where can I find some of these abomination fries? I don’t know that I’ve ever had them. But by far the best are steak fries, especially if they have some crunch. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257/33 "2013-03-07T16:58:36Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > But by far the best are steak fries, especially if they have some crunch. Steak fries are the worst. Not fries even, just hunks of potato. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257/34 "2013-03-07T17:02:29Z")
So…33 posts and still no evidence or cites that ANYONE actually makes fries like the OP bitches about? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257/35 "2013-03-07T17:06:52Z")
Arby’s used to make fries by mashing potatoes and then piping the mix through an extruder. I think that’s how curly fries are made. I haven’t been there in ages so I don’t know if they still do it this way. I always thought the texture, while very different from sliced potato fries, was still just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257/36 "2013-03-07T17:23:34Z")
Curly fries are made from regular potatoes. 😛 Cite: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQrJJkKk2OQ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQrJJkKk2OQ) I do not know of any fast food establishments serving extruded french fries, and I haven’t ever seen any. There’s tater tots, of course, and their larger cousin hash browns. Seems like at least one drive thru establishment I’ve seen in the past few years offered “hash brown sticks” but I don’t think they could possibly ever be mistaken for french fries. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257/37 "2013-03-07T17:28:35Z")
Next you’ll be telling me that tortillas aren’t cut from real tortoises. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257/38 "2013-03-07T17:54:29Z")
When I was young I worked at a large public aquarium, which had a sea-themed casual dining restaurant/cafeteria. They served an item called "sea fries, " I think, which was dried potato powder reconstituted and molded into shapes of sea creatures (fish, sharkes, turtles, etc) and put in the fryer. That’s the closest thing I can think of to what the OP describes. But that was over 20 years ago and I’ve never known a restaurant or fast food place to serve something similar. ---
**Author:** ![HookerChemical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@HookerChemical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HookerChemical)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257/39 "2013-03-07T17:59:04Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Next you’ll be telling me that tortillas aren’t cut from real tortoises. Cheap ones are made from sea turtles. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257/40 "2013-03-07T18:11:04Z")
Man, there’s a username/post combo right there. ^^^ ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257/41 "2013-03-07T18:14:03Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > So…33 posts and still no evidence or cites that ANYONE actually makes fries like the OP bitches about? :dubious: But, but, but everybody _knows_ McDonald’s isn’t _real_ food. It’s not even real beef. I mean, c’mon, forget the fact that beef is a cheaper meat than any of the conspiracy theory alternatives (cats, dogs, horses, etc). You just know they’re increasing their costs to give us fake food. So far, this is on the level of the “Taco Bell doesn’t use 100% beef” BS we had recently. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-anyone-pitted-fries-made-from-potato-flour/652257.md?page=3)