Crispy potato pancakes: Expert tips for frying perfection

Potato pancakes seem simple: mix a few ingredients and fry, right? They don't always turn out crispy, thin, and, above all, not too greasy. What should you remember to make perfect pancakes? Several rules guarantee success, and one of them concerns the fat.

Potato pancakes have many fans. Everyone makes them a little differently, often relying on family recipes and serving them in various ways. Some people love the sweet version with cream and sugar, while others prefer the savory version. Regardless of how you serve them, they should always be well-fried and not dripping with fat.

One of the biggest culinary mistakes is making gummy and greasy pancakes. Often, the fault lies with improper frying. It's known that for the pancakes to be tasty, they must be fried in well-heated fat. Usually, we choose vegetable oil for this. However, many chefs claim it's much better to opt for lard. It handles heating well, and the pancakes don't absorb too much fat. They are then crunchier. What do you think? Do you fry pancakes in oil or lard?

• Choose the right potatoes. They should be starchy, preferably type B, with a high starch content. This way, they won't absorb too much fat, and the pancakes will be crispy. The older the potatoes, the better, as they contain the most starch. Young potatoes are delicious, but they're not suitable for pancakes.

Grating potatoes is essential. The pancakes will be soft and delicate using a fine grater, and most of the water will be removed from the mixture. Potatoes grated on larger holes guarantee crunchier pancakes, and you won't need flour for them. It's worth preparing a mixture of finely and coarsely grated potatoes.

Add starch. It's important to squeeze the grated potatoes well, best done using a fine sieve. In addition to water, a white substance, starch, will separate. Adding it to the pancake dough will make it crunchier.

A trick with dairy. Many recipes include thick cream as one of the ingredients, making the pancakes more creamy. The cream prevents the potatoes from darkening. Another dairy addition can be cottage cheese, which makes the pancakes much softer.

A few spices. The pancake dough needs to be seasoned with salt and pepper. If you like more distinct flavors, you can also use garlic.