Go to the Recipe: Ultra-Crispy Latkes
I’m curious if one of the Microplane graters, like the ribbon cheese grater, would be able to give a result close to the mandoline/knife?
Why soak grated potatoes in water to remove starch only to add potato starch later in the recipe?
The recipe is fantastic Tim! Out of curiosity, if I were making vegan latkes, how might you make this recipe with a replacement for the eggs?
I was just thinking the same thing... but they describe it as a batter... surely you could just wring out your potatoes and add egg white and baking powder and get similar results...
Most recipes I've seen use matzah meal along with occasional use of potato starch. Is there any reason matzah meal isn't used?
Keen observations!
Soaking is mostly a strategy to improve aesthetics here. It cuts down on browning by inhibiting polyphenol oxidase. Without a soak, over the time elapsed from cutting to mixing to frying, I was getting pretty brown, sometimes gummy, not-so-pretty cross sections. Based on my testing with potato pavé, I knew that soaking gave me a reliably beautiful cross-section, and a fluffier/less gummy texture all else equal.
I also tested various methods, including the ones you both describe: soaking, not soaking, straining out the pressed water and re-integrating the native potato starch. Unfortunately, none of these methods were up to my standard in terms of consistency: The latkes weren't as crispy as I wanted, or there was some browning in the cross section, or the native starch yield after pressing from batch to batch wasn't consistent.
So I decided to eliminate as much of that uncertainty as possible: Press out the water/native starch, and add a measured amount of starch back to the mixture. In side-by-side tests, this method won out for me across all metrics: Crispier, no signs of enzymatic browning, and most importantly, more consistent results across repeated trials.
Is this method a pain in the butt and more time-intensive than just grating, mixing and frying? For sure. But hopefully the result justifies the effort.
Hope this clears things up!
Soaking is mostly a strategy to improve aesthetics here. It cuts down on browning by inhibiting polyphenol oxidase. Without a soak, over the time elapsed from cutting to mixing to frying, I was getting pretty brown, sometimes gummy, not-so-pretty cross sections. Based on my testing with potato pavé, I knew that soaking gave me a reliably beautiful cross section, and a fluffier/less gummy texture all else equal.
I also tested various methods, including the ones you both describe: soaking, not soaking, straining out the pressed water and re-integrating the native potato starch. Unfortunately, none of these methods were up to my standard in terms of consistency. The latkes weren't as crispy as I wanted, or there was some browning in the cross section, or the native starch yield after pressing from batch to batch wasn't consistent.
So I decided to eliminate as much of that uncertainty as possible: Press out the water/native starch, and add a measured amount of potato starch back to the mixture. In side-by-side tests, this method won out for me across all metrics: crispier, no signs of enzymatic browning, and most importantly, more consistent results across repeated trials.
Our goal here was to maximize crispy qualities and potato flavor, so we decided to omit matzo meal. I'll admit, matzo meal is often an essential component of latkes—contributing that slightly cracker-like flavor that many people enjoy. Matzo meal is tricky because while it is a form of gelatinized starch that contributes to crispiness, it is not pure starch, so all else equal, it doesn't produce as consistently a crispy result as pure potato starch.
So nostalgia- and tradition- wise, these latkes might not be right for some. But for those seeking to optimize crispiness and perfect textures, this was the strategy we settled on.
Hope this helps!
How would you approach this process for a dinner party, prioritizing flexibility without sacrificing quality? Could you use the ring mold method to form the latkes, freeze them raw, and then fry them from frozen? How do restaurants typically make latkes? Maybe it’s similar to french fries, where you par-fry, freeze, and then fry them again?
In my experience, the best way to batch these ahead of a dinner party would be the last option you're suggesting:
1. Par fry latkes at least 80% of the way on both sides
2. Blot and cool; reserve in airtight container in refrigerator (if up to 4 days in advance; otherwise freeze in ziplock bags)
3. Shallow fry or deep fry until golden and heated through. Alternatively, air fry or bake at 400+ until heated through and crispy (you may have to play around with this to nail the exact time and temp).
This is standard practice for many fried foods, especially potato-based items like hash browns, home fries, french fries, and even potato pavé. Restaurants typically don't have time to fry to order: It takes too long, and it's inefficient. So they pre-fry or "blanch" the items (in the biz, this is one form of what line cooks call "sandbagging"). Picking up the dish is simple from that point forward: Drop all of them (no need to go 3 at a time) in the deep fryer for a few minutes (versus the 60+ minutes it would take to fry up a bunch of latkes from raw), or crisp them up by any other means.
Last thought: Frying and cooling involves starch retrogradation, which is proven to increase crispiness in double-fried potato foods (think double fried french fries). So that's another argument for par-frying in your situation.
Good luck!
I tested into various grater styles, including the ribbon style as well as the smaller holes of an OXO grater (which are closest in size to the written mandoline technique). While all these methods work, the yield and texture takes a slight hit: I was getting lower yield, and a slightly gummier texture. Water loss was significant compared to larger grating or using a mandoline.
I suspect this is what's going on: When you grate too finely, you're rupturing the cells of the potato aggressively. I'd compare this to the difference between finely mincing garlic and grating garlic: There's a clear difference in texture. This degree of cell rupture results in greater moisture loss, so the mixture before frying ends up looking a bit lumpy and wilted, not the fluffy, distinct shreds that you get with larger grating or clean mandoline/knife work.
Hey Jack,
Chef of a Jewish synagogue here lol. I found the addition of citric acid as described on the modernist pantry video blog to be extremely helpful for providing zero browning while preparing for bigger events and parties. I did a 100 person Chanukah party last year made my mix, this was the base recipe. I preformed them all into the ring molds on a sheet tray until ready to crisp them up. The technique I used to get them all ready, crispy and awesome, was preheating a heavy sheet tray adding oil in a thick enough layer to cover the bottom of the pan, and add the potato mix in the ring molds while baking and "frying" at the same time. Once the shape held and the bottom was crispy and golden brown, we flipped them and removed the ring molds to finish the frying. hope this helps with your dinner party
8826g Russet Potatoes (ordered 25#)
778g Cup Shredded Onion
52g Cloves Garlic
13each Eggs
47g Salt
15.5g Citric Acid
Frying oil
Check out the two books by Katarina Cermelj. Especially if you are interested in X-Free baking. She describes in her "the elements of baking" book all about what eggs are made of. Water, Fat, and Protein, and how to expertly substitute lots of dietary restrictions. My assumptions according to her book, even thought there isn't anything non bakery items is that you add 20-30g of potato starch and some fat or moisture like yogurt or dairy free milks. To replace the eggs. I'm a chef and worked many events with dietary restrictions and finding her stuff made me WAY more confident, made me look like a total boss in baking (which I am not) and her explanations have helped me a ton. Hope this helps. Tim Chin....if you guys at Chefsteps are reading this first, Thank you for everything you do. I was so happy I got a tour of your kitchens when I was in Seattle. But also check out these books and if you could provide more content in the same realm of delicious foods with vegan or vegetarian substitutes. Like your mushroom Foie was super interesting. that would be cool! Sending Love and Respect From Florida!!!
