Which Chips (or Fries) Are the Best?

[John R Davis]

Not listed. The ones from a decent fish and chip shop.

Also no idea what most of those words are!

Yup. Cooked in lard. With scraps

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

Chip stand fries.

I'm not sure what category those are, they don't seem to conform to any of your examples.

Covered in cheese curds and gravy.

Those fall under 'homestyle fries' I would think.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Cooked from frozen

Wut?

Much better cooked fresh. And a lot depends on the variety of potato you use.

 

[TiQuinn]

For me, it’s the original though I wouldn’t say no to a nice batch of sweet potato fries or curly fries. Steak fries are probably my least favorite due to their thickness - I find they can be mushy and more likely to be underseasoned.

 

[CleverNickName]

I can't believe there isn't a single vote for waffle fries. My niece and nephews would be appalled.

 

[Desdichado]

Steak fries a la Red Robin, with Red Robin seasoning liberally applied, and Tabasco or Cholula drenched all over them. Or Red Robin's beer cheese. Plus, they're bottomless.

 

[Desdichado]

I can't believe there isn't a single vote for waffle fries. My niece and nephews would be appalled.

My youngest son likes them best. But, to be fair, that's because he doesn't really like fries for their own sake, and waffle fries will hold the most barbecue sauce.

 

[TiQuinn]

I can't believe there isn't a single vote for waffle fries. My niece and nephews would be appalled.

I'm stunned that steak fries are getting that many votes.

 

[CleverNickName]

I'm stunned that steak fries are getting that many votes.

I've been told (in this thread) that American "steak fries" are pretty close to the chips served at many of the UK's "fish & chips" shops. So maybe it's cultural influence.

 

[Mannahnin]

They are all excellent when executed well, and can all be utterly butchered when executed poorly. There is none that I would prefer a below average example of over an above average example of any of the others. Since frying to correct crispiness and serving hot are far more important to whether I enjoy a fry than which of the several noble shapes it takes, I can not pass judgement on this matter.

Pretty much this.

I would have designated steak fries near the bottom, for example, but I had a serving at Kennedy's on Westland Row in Dublin which were like the platonic ideal of the form. Beautifully seasoned, and they had nailed a fry process which resulted in a perfect balance of fluffy interior and utterly crispy exterior.

In practice I do tend to find that more fanciful and larger designs like curly and waffle fries (and even crinkle-cut, to a letter extent) are more subject to failures of crispiness, so thinner variants tend to have a higher hit rate for me.