Oil

Use a neutral vegetable oil, and plenty of it: You’ll need about 3 quarts/3 liters to fill a 7-quart/6.6-liter Dutch oven about halfway. If money is no object, the best oil for deep-frying is peanut oil, for its high smoke point and flavor. I find that peanut oil is not just a little better but considerably better, resulting in a crisper, cleaner fry. So, on those occasions when I want to pull out all the stops, I splurge on peanut oil, although it can be twice as expensive as vegetable oil.

Freshly cut fries, especially if they’ve come out of a water bath, can cause hot oil to bubble furiously. If you have too much oil in your pot, it can boil over as the water vaporizes and make a serious mess on your stove. So, dry your potatoes as well as possible. If you’re concerned, add damp fries slowly to avoid the mess.