All I can suggest about the French Fries is to use good, large Idaho spuds, keep them under water after peeling and slicing, and rinse them three times in fresh cold water to wash away some of the starch.
Now all the ones I made were blanched, at a modest heat setting, for two or three minutes. This pre-cooked them, and drove off some water. It also coated them with the vegetable oil or shortening to reduce oxidation.
When it came time to fry them, the oil was HOT! and there was a large reservoir of it. This would indicate that keeping the Fries to oil ratio low is important to keeping the temperature at its proper heat setting.
They were cooked for a limited amount of time. It may be best to use a timer. Then pull them from the hot oil, let it drain off a bit, and spread them on a surface to drain further and receive their generous dose of salt.
Gather them into serving portions and serve HOT!
Obviously some of this is up to the cook, but the basic principle is: reduce the starch level, prevent oxidation, and cook quickly at high heat for the last phase. And don't be afraid to use salt, unless you're afraid to use salt.
Thanks, Bob!