Hand-cut fries three ways: pommes allumettes, pommes pont-neuf and pommes noisette

Pommes noisette: peel large potatoes and keep them in cold water. Press the small melon baller into the flesh with the thumb and roll it to cut a ball; do not lever it. Reserve each ball in cold water.

Trim the loose bits off each ball, then change the water for a new bath of clean cold water.

Fries: square off large, long potatoes on four sides to give a stable shape.

Pommes allumettes: cut about half a centimetre thick into long thin fries; reserve straight away in water.

Pommes pont-neuf: cut about 1 centimetre thick for chunky fries; keep the trimmings for potato soup.

Rinse the fries until the water is clear, then lay them on paper or a clean kitchen towel and dry them as much as possible.

First bath: fry at 160C for 3 to 4 minutes for about 500 g (6 to 7 minutes for 800 g to 1 kg). Lift out, let the oil drip off and reserve; the fries can wait a long time at this stage.

Put the noisette balls in a saucepan of cold water over high heat; at the first boil turn off the heat and lift them out.

Final bath for everything in very hot oil (transcribed 'hundred and seventy five two hundred and eighty degrees Celsius') until nice and golden.

Arrange on a board and season with salt flakes.