"french fries" news and stories

There's a running joke in the Cary Grant-Doris Day film That Touch of Mink (1962), about how much mischief the folks from Upper Sandusky, Ohio, are willing to get up to. In a word, not much. Seems contemporary Sandusky residents are a lot more cranky and aggressive than in Doris's day.

At a Sandusky-area McDonald's, cops had to be called in when customer Robert Quillen got ticked off about what he claimed were less-than-fresh french fries, says a report from the Sandusky Register. Quillen refused to leave until he got better fries, and threw some choice words at the Mickey D's employee who disagreed with him but offered to refund his money. Nope, nothing doing: This dude wanted hot fries for his wife, who was waiting for him in the car.

Quillen claimed another employee went after him with a mop, but no charges were filed because, says the Register, there were conflicting reports. Mrs. Quillen, it seems, went fry-free that day.

Which reminds us of a classic MADtv moment, with comedienne Anjelah Johnson as sassy "King Burger" employee Bon Qui Qui, who believes the customer is always wrong. Check out this YouTube video.

For weeks we have been waiting to try Wendy's new Natural-Cut French Fries. After visiting numerous locations in search for these sea-salt wonders, we were told that Wendy's would not be serving them until all of the original fries had been cooked and sold. Yesteday (four weeks after the fries were announced) we were pleasantly surprised to finally see an ad for them in the window of our local Wendy's.

For Wendy's, what happens in Vegas will hopefully not stay in Vegas. The company is testing a new burger, named after its founder, the late Dave Thomas, in the gambling capital of the U.S., according to Nation's Restaurant News. What does Dave's Hot 'n' Juicy Cheeseburger have that Wendy's other cheeseburgers don't? It's "a thicker quarter-pound patty," reports NRM, and has "new ingredients, like crinkle-cut pickles on a buttered, toasted bun." Will it come to your town? Depends on if Wendy's gamble pays off.

The new spokesperson for the Dave burger is the original Wendy, Dave's daughter, Wendy Thomas, who's now all

Happy National French Fries Day!

Amazing that four such cheap, simple ingredients -- potatoes, oil, salt and pepper -- can work together so brilliantly to form such salty slivers of deliciousness, isn't it? But it seems the entire country is sold on them. In fact, the average American eats about 29 pounds of French fries per year -- purportedly four servings of French fries a week.

There are even entire restaurants devoted to the snack, like New York eatery Pommes Frites, which serves strictly Belgian fries, enlivened by dozens of accompanying sauces, from standards mustard and barbecue sauce to exotic concoctions like pomegranate teriyaki mayo.

Although we won't judge you for hopping over to McDonald's on your lunch break for some of these salty sticks -- au contraire, we'll be doing the same thing ourselves! -- we'd also like to suggest some inspiring varieties of homecooked fries to satiate the more adventurous tater cravings...

• Duck Fat French Fries (pictured above)
• Disco Fries
• Butternut Squash French Fries
• Egg and French Fries Hash
• Poutine
• Zesty Chili Cheese Fries
• Old Bay Grilled Steak Fries

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Could America's love affair with the French fry be hitting a rough patch? Inundated with press around obesity and nutrition, people seem to be getting the message -- and forgoing the fries. According to NPD Research Group, French fry consumption dropped by 10 percent last year, as restaurant patrons passed up the potatoes in favor of healthier fare, such as salads. The moment seems ripe for deep-fried alternatives.

Enter the T-Fal ActiFry, a European kitchen gadget that looks (as the Wired blogger Brad Moon pointed out) like the love child of a salad spinner and a deep fryer. Developed three years ago in France (bien sur!), the ActiFry requires merely one tablespoon of oil (make that oil "heart-healthy," as the nice lady in the ActiFry promo suggests) to fry up two pounds of fries. (Compare this to the two-liter bottle of oil you'd need for conventional deep-frying.) The machine spins the potatoes, dispersing the oil lightly and evenly, while using hot air as a heating element. And the ActiFry isn't just for potatoes -- the gadget comes with recipes for an array of deep-fried goodness. Surely this will revolutionize our relationship with deep-fried food! Less oil equals less fat! All hail! ...Right?