The Reason Five Guys' Fries Have The Perfect Texture

Crispy, salty, fluffy ... what's not to love about the humble french fry? Reader's Digest's October review of GrubHub data revealed that french fries are among the nation's top five favorite foods. The outlet notes that, on average, each American consumes a staggering 48 pounds of these perfect potato parcels every year. 

Given the widespread availability of potatoes and the relatively easy process of cooking a french fry, they have become nearly ubiquitous at fast-food establishments. And despite a laundry list of competitors, Five Guys arguably has some of the absolute best fries on the market.

YouTube Food Reviewer Daym Drops could hardly contain his glee while eating Five Guys' fries. The YouTuber praises the fries' "crispity crunch," and his sheer joy sparks an impromptu rendition of the children's ditty "Skidamarink A Dink A Dink." And if you're wondering how Five Guys achieves the perfect texture that inspired Daym Drops to burst into song, there's a relatively simple explanation.

An August 2021 TikTok released by user @maezthegreat, a self-identified cook at Five Guys, reveals what is in all likelihood the most important step in ensuring their fries' perfect texture (via Today). Apparently, Five Guys' fries are double-fried. 

The thinly sliced potatoes spend about two minutes in their initial oil bath before being removed and transferred to a second batch of oil, where the frying process is completed. According to NPR, double-frying creates "a drier, crisper fry." When the Five Guys fries have completed their second round in the deep fryer, the excess oil is removed by shaking the fry basket exactly 15 times, according to a 2011 report from NBC News.

Between choosing the perfect potatoes and fine-tuning the frying process down to an exact science, Five Guys has demonstrated a serious level of commitment to putting out world-class french fries. However, be sure to bring your appetite. As Chad Murrell — one of the founder's sons and the "five guys" the restaurant is named for — told Food Republic in 2016, Five Guys' fry bags are intentionally overfilled. "We always give an extra scoop. I say load 'em up and make sure they get their money's worth," Murrell said to the outlet.

When you step into a Five Guys restaurant, one of the first things that strikes your eye is the stack of red and white checkered potato bags that litter the floor. These sacks are usually filled with Idaho Burbank potatoes, but during the winter months, when said potatoes lose their firmness, they're filled with Washington's Norkotah potato. According to Kitchen Appliance HQ, Burbank potatoes' density and starch content make for a well-textured fry.

After the potatoes are sliced, they still aren't quite ready for the deep fryer. First, they are subjected to an intense agitation process, which serves to strip them of excess starch and sugar, per Business Insider. Then, they're placed in a cold water bath, where they remain until they are needed for frying. 

The New York Times explains that soaking is an important step in ensuring a texturally sound fry, as it serves to (again) rid the potatoes of extra starch. "You need to blanch the fries to rinse the starch off of them or else the the outside will burn up before the inside cooks," Chad Murrell, one of the Five Guy's founder's sons, said to Food Republic in 2016.

Chad Murrell, one of the Five Guy's founder's sons, told Food Republic in 2016 that the franchise exclusively uses peanut oil in its fryers. He explained that while hydrogenated oils may result in a crispier final product, the nonhydrogenated peanut oil gives Five Guys fries a softer, more buttery mouthfeel. Murrell also suggested that Five Guys makes fresh fries at a near-constant pace to keep up with demand. As such, the fries don't have much time to sit around before being scarfed down by the sackful, which could help explain why their texture is so perfect.

"You can cook your own burger in the backyard, but you can't make fries like ours unless you buy the best ingredients and practice our methods," Murrell told Food Republic. "It's a lot harder than just buying fresh potatoes. We call our fry cooks mad scientists."

Given how much effort Five Guys puts into making its fries, it's no wonder the potatoes are widely considered the pinnacle of fast-food fries. A 2019 survey of more than 3,000 consumers revealed that among people who had eaten at Five Guys within the last six months, 44% said that the chain had the best fries, per Business Insider.