Arby's Reveals Their Trick To The Perfect Curly Fry

Arby's may "have the meats" but they also have the curly fries, and perfect ones at that. When you eat at Arby's it's not like you really need a side of anything — one of the chain's popular Beef n' Cheddar sandwiches weighs in at 195 grams (according to their website), which is almost half a pound of meat, cheese, and bread. Despite the risk of feeling uncomfortably full, it's nearly impossible to resist adding on a side of those tasty curly fries to your order.

Arby's curly fries are so good that Thrillist voted them number one in their list ranking 19 of the best fast food French fries, saying that the coiled potatoes and their spicy seasoning flat-out steal the show from the rest of Arby's menu. The demand for ready access to Arby's delightful curly fries was apparently so great, they're now even available in the frozen section of your grocery store (via Fansided). It's about time we take a look behind the scenes at just what makes Arby's curly fries so perfect.

While it may seem like the hordes of hungry people hitting up Arby's drive-thru each day are there for their infamous roast beef sandwiches, we suspect most are actually lining up for those perfectly seasoned curly fries. According to an episode of the Food Network show Unwrapped, which takes an in-depth look at how some of our favorite foods are made, Arby's goes through more than 125 million pounds of potatoes every year in their French fry production facility (via YouTube). Unlike some other fast food chains, Arby's curly fries are born in a processing plant instead of being cut and cooked by hand in the restaurant — but with that kind of volume, can you blame them?

The ConAgra plant in southern Washington state, where Arby's curly fries start out, receives 40 to 50 semi-trailer truckloads of potatoes per day and each truckload weighs 30-35 tons. James Kirkham, a spokesman for ConAgra, explained that the pounds and pounds of potatoes are cleaned, sorted according to size, and then propelled at 60 miles per hour into a cutter where they meet their curly fate. Once the spuds have been spiralized, the real magic happens.

Fans of Arby's curly fries know the appeal is two-fold: a texture that manages to be both fluffy and crispy, and a deliciously zesty seasoning. A little careful prep work makes it all happen. First, the freshly-cut curly fries are blanched in hot water for 20 minutes to deactivate the enzymes. Science Direct explains this helps preserve the quality of the spuds during storage, but James Kirkham said it also helps develop that baked potato-like center we love so much. Once the blanched curly fries are dried, they move on to the chain's signature spice filled batter.

Let's be real, a plain French fry is just not good enough in today's world. It needs to be coated in a "waterfall of batter" in order to be great — and that's exactly what Arby's does. According to Unwrapped, Arby's curly fry batter is made from a mixture of water, garlic, onion, salt, and other spices. Once thoroughly coated, the seasoned fries are treated to a 30-second bath in 375 degree oil before they're frozen and shipped off to Arby's restaurants where they are fully-cooked to order. Now that you have insider knowledge on Arby's trick to the perfect curly fry, the only thing left to do is choose between Horsey sauce or cheddar cheese for dipping.