The Right Tool for the Right Job

The fries I made yesterday were astounding. Crisp outside, sweet and tasty inside...there is nothing like a twice-fried fry. Really. Try it. It's a totally different animal than a regular fry.

People have been giving me all sorts of fry-slicing suggestions. As is so often the case, they're obviously skimming what I wrote. Some of them appear to think I have no fry-slicing technology at all. You poor silly fools.

Here's what I have: CLICK.

It works great, if you buy the other important part, which is a plastic thing that allows you to slice potatoes too big to go in the existing pusher deal.

But it's somewhat dangerous. You can slip and maim yourself.

I could just use a filleting glove when I slice potatoes. These things are made of Kevlar, and they have stainless wires inside them to keep knives from going through.

Anyway, reader Keith tried to send me a link to a cheaper tool, but the link didn't work. While I tried to figure out what he was linking to, I found THIS.

How about THAT? If good fries are worth forty bucks to you, that thing ought to make you very happy.

One problem: the spacing is too wide. A 3/8" fry is no good. You want 1/4" or less.

You have to love that big, clunky industrial frame. And you can screw the feet to a table. I think it would be better to screw it to another handle, so you could hold the cutter like a hedge trimmer.

It turns out Ron Popeil sells something similar, although it's not a Popeil product. Check out this Villa Ware gadget. It says it makes shoestring fries. Hmm...

Still, I'll bet the KitchenAid thing is better. Simpler, quicker, smaller, and easier to clean.