For the best fried potatoes, choose high-starch varieties like Russets (Idaho) for classic crispy fries with fluffy centers, or versatile Yukon Golds for a creamy inside and good crisp. Other great options include Sebago (Australia), Kennebec, and Maris Piper (UK), focusing on floury types that yield crisp exteriors and soft insides.
For the best frying potatoes in Australia, opt for floury varieties like Russet Burbank, Sebago, or Golden Delight which are known for their crispiness and fluffy texture when fried.
For single ``best'' variety overall: Yukon Gold is the most versatile--good flavor, creamy texture, and reliable across many techniques. For purpose-specific ``best'': choose Russet for baking/fries, Yukon Gold for general use/mash, and waxy reds/fingerlings for salads and stews.
For the best roast potatoes in Australia, choose starchy, floury varieties like Sebago, Dutch Cream, or Coliban for crispy outsides and fluffy insides, with Royal Blue, Pontiac, and Maris Piper also being excellent choices for that classic roast finish. Focus on starchy potatoes over waxy ones for better crisping, and remember that technique (like parboiling and roughing up) is key.
In general, Idaho (russet) or Yukon gold are best for frying because of their high starch content. Red potatoes are best for boiling and mashing because of their high moisture and low starch content. Taste of Home has a great article What's the Best Potato for the Job.
Russets are rich in starch, which is crucial for achieving that coveted contrast between a crispy exterior and a fluffy interior. The starches, when fried, give the potato a perfectly crispy crust and remain tender and light on the inside. That is the perfect texture to enjoy in each bite.
In our homemade french fries recipe, we suggest soaking your potatoes for at least 15 minutes, but if you'd like to do this step ahead of time, they can soak overnight. Avoid excess water on the potatoes: make sure to pat them dry after removing them from the water bath otherwise you'll end up with limp fries.
Choosing the Right Potato Size and Variety
'Agria' is an all purpose floury Potato with a long oval shape, yellow flesh and cream skin. It's a tried and true Kiwi favourite, the quintessential potato in New Zealand. Suitable for wedges, chips, roasting and mashing. Agria were first developed in Luneburg, Germany in the 1980's.
Give them about 7 minutes to parboil, then let them steam dry for a few more minutes before putting in the oven to roast. Which type of potatoes are best for roasting? Maris Piper potatoes are our favourite for roasting to get that fluffy centre and crispy outer layer, but King Edwards also work well.
Choosing the best potato for frying is the first step to making crispy fries at home. Russet potatoes consistently come out on top thanks to their high starch content and low moisture, making them ideal for achieving that crispy exterior and soft, fluffy interior.
The Yukon Gold potato, though yellow fleshed, is a cross between a yellow and a white potato and is usually labeled as such. A “yellow” or “gold” potato is not a Yukon Gold potato, but all three potatoes have similar starch contents and flavors and can be used interchangeably in recipes.
Yukon Gold Potatoes (All-Purpose)
Yukon Golds are the ultimate multitaskers in the potato world. Slightly waxy but with enough starch for a smooth, buttery finish, they're perfect for roasting, mashing, or adding to stews. Their creamy, golden flesh brings a touch of richness to every dish.
Agria potatoes in Australia are a popular, high-starch, floury variety known for their yellow skin and flesh, making them excellent for roasting, mashing, baking, and especially for making chips (fries) and wedges due to their dry, fluffy texture and ability to hold color when cooked. They are a versatile maincrop potato, offering great yields and good resistance to bruising.
Desiree potatoes are versatile, firm-textured, red-skinned potatoes ideal for roasting, mashing, boiling, and making wedges or chips, thanks to their creamy yellow flesh that holds its shape but also mashes beautifully. They work well in salads, soups, stews, and casseroles, and even for making gnocchi, making them a great all-rounder for most cooking methods, though some sources suggest avoiding them specifically for potato salads where they might break down too easily.
Yep. The most common potatoes we use for McDonald's Fries include the Russet Burbank, Russet Ranger, Umatilla Russet and the Shepody—varieties known for producing a flavorful fry that's crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
They have a yellow flesh that is firm, yet smooth, with a mild and earthy flavour. Agria potatoes are considered a floury potato, which means they are low in water content and high in starch, giving them a dry, delicate texture. This makes them best suited for baking, mashing, frying, and roasting.
Their starchy qualities make russet potatoes great for baking and frying. They work best for recipes that want to achieve an initial crunch with a velvety interior like hash browns, potato wedges, and fresh-cut french fries!
The perfect potatoes for roasting, baking, boiling, and mashing. Our Albert Bartlett potatoes are fresh and full of flavour. Delight the family with the most amazing mashed potatoes or cook them in the oven for a roast to remember.
The difference lies in their starch content and structure. Waxy potatoes are amazing for boiling as they keep their shape, but floury potatoes fry up crisper. Use a floury (also called mealy) potato such as Russet or Shepody for your chips and you'll have better success.
Don't overcrowd the potato pieces
The first issue you might face is having the pieces become stuck together as they cook, making them more likely to fall apart when you try to separate them. Overcrowding also restricts airflow, so the potatoes aren't going to cook uniformly throughout or crisp evenly on the surface.
How to Make Your Potatoes Crispy
The main reasons to cut the potatoes and pre-soak in water are: To allow the excess starches and sugars to be removed from the outer surface of the fry strips AND to keep the potatoes from browning prematurely from exposure to air. Covering in water helps the potato from turning a dark color.
Ceren often sees kitchens make the same mistakes: “Using the incorrect oil, wrong frying temperatures, or not allowing the oil to heat properly all interfere with quality, as does infrequent skimming or overfilling frying baskets.” Ceren points out that the temperature is key: “When the oil temperature is too low, ...