Straight-Cut Fries

This is the fry shape everything else is trying to improve. Straight-cut fries don’t need ridges, curls or latticework: crispy outside, fluffy inside, salt, done. Their strength is balance. They can be thin without becoming shoestrings and thick without wandering into steak-fry territory. That also makes them the league’s ultimate test of whether simplicity can beat specialization. Curly fries have more personality. Waffle fries have more texture. But when you picture a plate of fries, there’s a good chance this is the shape in your head. Does the classic still win?