<P> In the two - stage or two - bath method, the first bath, sometimes called blanching, is in hot fat (around 160 ° C / 320 ° F) to cook them through . This may be done in advance . Then they are more briefly fried in very hot fat (190 ° C / 375 ° F) to crisp the exterior . They are then placed in a colander or on a cloth to drain, salted, and served . The exact times of the two baths depend on the size of the potatoes . For example, for 2--3mm strips, the first bath takes about 3 minutes, and the second bath takes only seconds . </P> <P> Most French fries are produced from frozen potatoes which have been blanched or at least air - dried industrially . The usual fat for making French fries is vegetable oil . In the past, beef suet was recommended as superior, with vegetable shortening as an alternative . In fact, McDonald's used a mixture of 93% beef tallow and 7% cottonseed oil until 1990, when they switched to vegetable oil with beef flavoring . </P> <P> Thomas Jefferson had "potatoes served in the French manner" at a White House dinner in 1802 . The expression "French fried potatoes" first occurred in print in English in the 1856 work Cookery for Maids of All Work by E. Warren: "French Fried Potatoes .--Cut new potatoes in thin slices, put them in boiling fat, and a little salt; fry both sides of a light golden brown colour; drain ." It is apparent that this account refers to thin, shallow - fried slices of potato--it is not clear where or when the now familiar deep - fried batons or fingers of potato were first prepared . In the early 20th century, the term "French fried" was being used in the sense of "deep - fried" for foods like onion rings or chicken . It is unlikely that "French fried" refers to frenching in the sense of julienning, which is not attested until after French fried potatoes . Previously, frenching referred only to trimming meat off the shanks of chops . </P> <P> Some claim that fries originated in Belgium; there is an ongoing dispute between the French and Belgians about where they were invented, with both countries claiming ownership . From the Belgian standpoint the popularity of the term "French fries" is explained as a "French gastronomic hegemony" into which the cuisine of Belgium was assimilated because of a lack of understanding coupled with a shared language and geographic proximity between the two countries . </P>

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