Ask Dr. Potato

With 938 posts, chances are there's already an answer to your question. Please try searching below before submitting a question to Dr. Potato. Use multiple words to help narrow down the results. For example, search for "potatoes" and "group" if looking for an answer on cooking potatoes for large groups.

Back To Dr. Potato Home

Why Are My Fresh Cut Fries Turning Dark So Quickly?

I’m not doing anything different with my fresh cut fries but they are turning out dark and limp after sitting for just a few minutes. My sales person said they are transitioning from old crop to new crop. What does that mean?

Old crop finished up quickly this season, so the Russet Burbank variety potato is probably not on the shelves anymore with your produce house or full service food distributor. New crop russets, typically the Russet Norkotah variety is just starting to be harvested. In Idaho we only harvest once a year, from the middle of August to the middle of October at the latest. New crop may have excess starch and sugars, so need to be handled differently than last year’s potatoes which may have also lost some moisture in storage. The older potatoes fry up fast and extra crispy. Several tips from past posts are linked below to help your operation get thru the transition with as consistent an end product as possible.

https://idahopotato.com/dr-potato/french-fried-potatoes

https://idahopotato.com/dr-potato/i-heard-that-a-potato-freshly-harvested-in-the-fall-in-idaho-can-heal-itself-in-storage-is-that-true

https://idahopotato.com/dr-potato/back-to-school-basics-with-fresh-cut-fries

https://idahopotato.com/dr-potato/the-dark-side-or-the-light-years-of-potatoes-explained

https://idahopotato.com/dr-potato/are-all-idaho-potatoes-automatically-considered-a-russet-potato