The Ultimate Crispy Latke Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my latkes not crispy? ›

Your Latkes Aren't Crisp Enough

You might also be crowding your latkes when you cook them — you want to use a large pan and make sure your latkes don't touch when they're cooking (otherwise they'll steam instead of crisping up). Additionally, your oil might not be hot enough.

Fry in an oil with a high smoke point

Vegetable oil or canola oil is usually best, because of its high smoking point. Latkes were traditionally made with schmaltz, or chicken fat, so if you have access to it, you should certainly add it in, because it does contribute to the flavor.

When your latkes are perfectly golden and ready to take out of the pan, move them to a 200°F oven. This step will keep the latkes crisp while frying the rest of your batch.

I will have to travel with them for two hours and latkes are only good as soon as you fry them. What can I do to keep the potato batter from turning brown? A: When shredding the potatoes be sure to add some acidity (such as a teaspoon of white wine vinegar or concentrated lemon juice to the water.

A: This sure sounds a lot like potatoes that have been stored too long, in too cold of an environment before cooking. When potatoes are held below 41°F for too long a period, the starches convert to sugar and it changes the cooking chemistry.

If roasted potatoes lack their crunchy sheen, overcrowding is usually the culprit. Just as overcrowding bacon or mushrooms in a saucepan causes disappointingly mushy results, placing potatoes too close to each other on a baking sheet will prevent them from crisping while they roast.

Russet potatoes: Russet potatoes, or baking potatoes, are high in starch and have a dry, mealy texture. This type of potato is best for latkes because the dryness of the potato is partially responsible for that desirable, crispy texture. Yellow onion: Yellow onion adds a savory flavor to the latkes.

Although it would make sense to just reuse said vegetable oil for tomorrow morning's tofu scramble, or even another round of latkes at night — you may want to think twice before doing so. Reusing cooking oil can be dangerous to your health, potentially contributing to fatal diseases such as cancer.

Corn Oil: Best All-Purpose Oil for Frying

Corn oil is a kind of vegetable oil—and it has a high smoke point like most other vegetable oils (around 450 degrees). It's good for deep-frying or shallow-frying in a skillet.

After allowing the latkes to drain on the wire cooling rack, place them on an ungreased, unlined cookie sheet. When ready to reheat, place in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes (7 if using a convection oven) until heated through just prior to serving. A convection oven setting will produce a more crispy result.

What is the difference between potato latkes and potato pancakes? ›

Potato pancakes have a creamy, almost mashed-potato-like center, with a thin, golden, crisp exterior. Latkes, on the other hand, should have a deeply browned crust, with wispy, lacy edges. Latkes also aren't hash browns.

Or, you can grate the potatoes hours ahead and store them submerged in water in the refrigerator. Drain them well and make the batter up to two hours ahead.

Get the Tips

To go from flat lacey hockey pucks to fluffy cakes incorporate air by processing potatoes in a food processor or blender instead of grating them. Processing them with an onion introduces enzymes that keep the potato puree from turning gray.

You can deep-fry latkes, but most recipes call for shallow-frying them in a skillet. One recipe I love instructs to “heat ¼ cup oil in a 12-inch skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking.” Simple!

Pre-Mix: Prep latke batter and keep in a sealable container in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

Slicing them thin allows them to cook through in the same amount of time that they need to get brown and crispy on the outside. The secret to crispy pan-fried potatoes: It's simple: Pan-fry with cooking oil(s), not butter.

Even if the temperature is hot enough, overloading the pan with potatoes will quickly reduce the heat and leave subsequent batches hopelessly soggy. Along with heat, the moisture content of your raw potatoes is another important crunch factor to consider.

If they are still not crispy you might have skipped a step or you might not have let them cool down sufficiently. Make sure to cool them in a single even layer and also make sure that the oil has the right temperature. Or maybe you've used the wrong potatoes to make them.