13 Different Fries Styles You Should Know About

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Despite their European moniker, french fries are an American delicacy. Believed to have been developed in Belgium and a favorite treat of United States President Thomas Jefferson, the starchy side dish has had a long history that spans the globe. Over time, french fries have evolved into practically every shape and size, and despite the fact that they are all essentially the same thing, many fans will swear by one style of french fry being far better than the others.

Perhaps there is one restaurant or a fast food chain that has the best fries making them your go-to spud staple. Or, maybe it just comes down to the specific cut of potato that yields the best results. No matter where you stand on the french fry spectrum, there is no denying that there is a wide world of styles, each with different shapes, textures, and even flavor profiles. If it is your mission to try every kind of french fry there is, be sure to read up on just some of the styles you should know about.

If you prefer your french fries to come with as much of that soft, pillowy interior as possible, be on the lookout for restaurants that serve steak fries. Imagine a thick, robust cut of your favorite steak. That is essentially the idea behind the design of steak fries — a larger surface area, and a thicker cut of potato. Because of the larger surface area, steak fries tend to be on the softer side all around than skinnier fries like shoestring or curly fries. Not everyone loves steak french fries, however, so if you are looking for a nice crunch, you will not find that here.

There are a number of ways to fancy up your steak fries if you are making them at home. Because of the larger surface area, you can really pile on the seasonings to totally transform your side dish. Parmesan steak fries, for example, come with a nice kick of flavor, and baking some of the parmesan cheese onto the potato will add some of that crunch you might be missing.

The vast majority of french fries will come in some sort of long, rectangular shape, which makes them a somewhat homogeneous category of snack. But when it comes to challenging that notion and redefining what a french fry could look like, look no further than the waffle fry. Chick-fil-A waffle fries waffle fries are a fast food fave and have played an integral role in the success of the chain. This style is unique in that the waffle-like shape is great for sauces, as the small pockets hold any sort of dipping sauce or ketchup well (via The Crimson White).

Waffle fries are a bit trickier to make from scratch at home since you will need a tool specifically designed to cut your potatoes into a waffle shape. So, these may just be an elusive style that you will only find in restaurants or the freezer section. But they are a nice way to break up the monotonous structure of the everyday fry, providing a large bite of deep-fried potato with a generous amount of dipping sauce.

Ten years ago, not many people would have given truffles the time of day, despite their well-established history of being rare, pricey fungi. More recently, however, truffle flavor has spiked in popularity. Nowadays it is becoming more and more common to find truffle fries on the menu at your favorite local restaurant and even at some national chains. 

Truffle fries are more often than not a skinnier style of fry, like a shoestring cut, and are tossed in or sprinkled with rich, truffle-infused oil. They are commonly topped with parmesan and herbs and will usually be accompanied by some sort of aioli for dipping instead of ketchup. Basically, these are your basic fries fancied up big time. But if you have grown bored with standard fries over time, switch things up and give truffle fries a try. The elevated flavor profile may help you fall in love with the side dish all over again.

French fries can be defined by their shape, like shoestring versus waffle fries. They can also be categorized by their type — think regular versus sweet potato. Some styles of french fries, however, are defined by what comes served on top of them. Case in point, if your french fries are topped with brown gravy and cheese curds, they aren't just french fries, they are a dish called poutine.

Often thought of as the national food of our neighbors to the north, poutine was invented in Quebec as a Canadian delicacy. The dish has grown and evolved over the years to include all sorts of different toppings. Still, the gravy and cheese curds are the signature components of any good poutine. Another quintessential characteristic of poutine is the mess. The sloppier, the better, and its name actually hails from a Quebecian slang term that translates to 'mess.' While french fries and gravy are rather simple ingredients to make yourself, cheese curds are not the easiest food to recreate at home. As they are the key ingredient to perfect poutine, you might want to look for pre-made cheese curds at your local supermarket or specialty store. 

Spanish-style restaurants often include a tapas menu or a selection of small bites. If you spot patatas bravas on the menu, you're in for a tasty, savory dish of diced and fried potatoes with a Spanish twist. Proper patatas bravas can come in a wide variety of shapes and flavors, including dishes that more closely resemble french fries. For an authentic Spanish dipping sauce, you can serve them with salsa brava, which is a mixture of tomato sauce, vinegar, and some kind of spicy heat. They are also delightful with a creamy aioli sauce or paprika-infused mayonnaise. 

Patatas bravas are a relatively new creation when compared to the centuries-long history of french fries. Born out of Madrid in the 1950s, it is a surprisingly simple dish to make at home, and the best part is, you can add your own spin to it since no two patatas bravas are exactly alike. Toss in your favorite seasoning or mix together your dipping sauce of choice, and you will have an instant hit with your friends and family.

If you were to imagine a shoestring french fry being wrapped in a curling wand, it would result in the basic shape and structure of curly fries. These coil-shaped fries are a favorite amongst fans, and not just for the shape. There seems to be a distinguishable flavor to curly fries that other styles don't seem to emulate. This is largely due to the fact that most of the curly fries you find at fast food chains and even many restaurants come from similar recipes. Many manufacturers coat them with a comparable combination of flour and seasonings like paprika and garlic. So, we suppose if you have tried one curly fry, you have tried them all.

If you want to make curly fries at home, your life will be made much easier if you have a spiralizer. If you don't, you can use a knife to carefully cut spirals into the classic twisty shape as you rotate the spud. The key is to use as long of a potato as possible to yield the longest, curliest fry possible.