Illinois French-Fry Lovers Pick a Classic Cut — and You Might Too

French fries aren’t an acquired taste. Most everyone has to stop themselves from eating too many. While all fries are wonderful, in Illinois we tend to lean towards a particular style. One that may surprise, but makes sense in the end.There are many different ways to cut potatoes for frying. Wedges, straight, curly, shoestring, cottage (yes, that’s a thing). So, what way do Illinois French fry eaters prefer? Here are the contenders.

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Curly fries – One of the latecomers to fry cuts. I’m old enough to remember when this was new fangled, and the paprika seasoning was next level. What we learned though was that you had to be a little more precise when enjoying them so that one of those potato pig tails didn’t whip ketchup (or any other sauce) onto your clothes.

Waffle fries – Another style that has grown more popular over the 21^st century. Chick Fil-A has made these a common choice. The gridded potato allows for extra surface for sauce, and provides a one fry per bite opportunity as opposed to the bouquet grab and dunk. There is something about that that seems more healthy…(??) like they are trying to help you with portion control somehow.

Steak Fries – The classy daddy of fries. Extra width means multiple bites per fry, making you feel oddly dainty. These potato planks can easily surf through the sea of sauce on your plate and skip right into your mouth. Winning.

Shoestring – A Skein of wispy fries. You have to get messy with these as they get all twisted up and connected like that "Barrel of Monkeys" game. Batter matters too with these fries. A light batter makes them work. A heavy batter means more clumping in the fryer. It’s easy to get these wrong, in the kitchen and from the plate to your mouth.

Thin Cut - These are your classic fast-food fries that you can’t get enough of. The ones that get eaten before your sandwich on the way home from the drive through. We’re all guilty of having no will power when it comes to these classics. Just the right length and width allows for a beautiful bundling between your fingers.

Wedges – Rustic and manly, I’ve seen people tackle these with a fork. While that seems counter to the whole French fry concept, depending upon the location (meaning – is there a table cloth?) I get it. These will fill you up quickly, and the sauce to potato ratio can get out of hand with these. Be aware.

Cottage Fries – Sometimes called home fries they are a special treat. These big potato coins are the full-figured neighbor to the waffle fry. More symmetrical than their more angular cousins, the temptation is to place them on your tongue one at time. There’s a time and place for these, I’m just not sure I’ve been there.

Crinkle Cut – Here is your Illinois French Fry Champion, the fry preferred by the Land of Lincoln. While the crinkle may seem overly ordinary in the crowded French fry world, it is that very familiarity that wins. Crinkle cuts are un-pretentious, the jagged edge holds the sauce well, these are the fries of “mom-and-pop” restaurants everywhere. The blue collar, people’s French fry appeals in the same way that tavern pizza quietly became the in state choice for pizza as opposed to deep dish.

French fries are wonderful. Illinois eats crinkle cuts buy he pound, and that's just fine. Now the question has to move to sauce. Are there enough young millennials and Gen-Z to make ranch sauce top ketchup yet? Stay tuned.