French Fry Cutter

A kitchen utensil used to cut uniform shapes for French fries from raw potatoes. There are a variety of different types of cutters available that manually control the width and depth of the cut, but typically not the length. To use the cutter, first a potato is peeled, then possibly squared on four sides and finally trimmed to a length of 3 to 4 inches depending on the type of cutter to be used. If the cutter is a simple hand cutter consisting of a grid of stainless wires or blades, it is placed on the top of the potato and pressed downward cutting through the potato and separating it into square lengths of fries. This type of cutter requires strength to accomplish the downward action of the cutter. An alternative type of cutter available is built similar to a manual cutting press. It has a handle-operated bin that holds the potato in place as it is manually pressed through a chamber containing the grid of blades or wires that perform the cutting action. Some potato cutters or French fry cutters may be referred to as potato chippers.