We all know it: there are fries and there are fries. The soft, bland kind you forget the moment you've eaten them, and the kind that cracks under your teeth, fluffy inside, golden just right. If you've ever wondered why some homemade fries stick in your memory, you've come to the right place. In Limoilou, fries are a serious matter, and the secret comes down to a few details we'll share with you straight.
No magic powder, no complicated trick — just good old potatoes, time and a little know-how. Here's what makes all the difference.
It all starts with the potato
A great homemade fry starts with a great potato. Floury varieties, high in starch, give a fluffy interior and an exterior that crisps up well. Too much water in the potato and the fry goes limp; not enough starch and it never browns the way it should.
The expert trick: after cutting the fries, rinse them in cold water to remove excess surface starch, then dry them thoroughly. A wet fry hitting hot oil splatters and cooks poorly. Drying is the step that most people skip at home, and it's often where everything goes wrong.
The real secret: double-frying
If there's one tip to take away, it's this one. The best fries go through the oil twice:
- First bath, at a lower temperature: the fry cooks through gently, without taking on any colour. You're essentially blanching it.
- The rest: take it out, let it cool. This pause lets the moisture escape.
- Second bath, hotter: this is where the fry colours, crisps and seals. It's that heat shock that creates the beautiful golden crust.
The result: a fry that's crispy outside, fluffy inside, and doesn't go limp on the plate. This process, mastered day after day, is what sets the snack bar fry apart from an ordinary frozen fry.
Timing — the detail that changes everything
A perfect fry is also a fry served at the right moment. Wait too long and it loses its crunch; served too soon and it hasn't had time to properly brown. At the snack bar, we cook continuously to serve fresh, hot fries with that little cloud of steam when you open the box. That's the simple luxury of a fry made right here.
A great fry never lies: if it's soft, somewhere a corner was cut. The crunch has to be earned.
From fry to poutine
Once you have the perfect fry, everything else follows naturally. It's that same fry that becomes the base of a real poutine: sturdy enough to stand up to the hot gravy, crispy enough not to turn to mush under the cheese curds. No great poutine without a great fry — it's as simple as that. You'll find all of this on our snack bar menu.
Hungry? We've got you covered.
Poutine, snack bar classics and prepared meals — dine in, take out or delivered in Limoilou and Québec City.
Why are my homemade fries soft?
Most often, it comes down to drying and temperature. Fries that aren't thoroughly dried, or that go into oil that isn't hot enough, will steam rather than crisp. Double-frying solves most of these problems.
Do fries travel well in delivery?
A well-cooked fry holds up considerably better than a limp one. To enjoy it at its best, eat it promptly after receipt. Check out our delivery page for details.
What's the best potato for fries?
A floury potato, high in starch, gives the best result: fluffy inside, crispy outside. This is the type that browns well and holds its shape.