Uploaded July 2023 | Updated September 2026, 9 hours ago
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Tostones, also called patacones, are one of my favorite snacks from the equatorial region of the Americas. Thick slices of plantain are fried once to par-cook them before they are smashed, shocked in cold salty water for a time, and then blotted and fried once more to crispy/fluffy perfection. In different regions, the people prefer to make these with plantains at different levels of ripeness. For instance, in Puerto Rico it is traditional to use green plantains for this. I prefer the sweetness of moderately-ripe plantains, so we are using “yellow” ones in the video.
The twice-frying process is quite similar to that of making French fries. The main difference lies in shocking the freshly-smashed proto-patacones in salty water, which encourages them to soak up a little salt as they cool, meaning that even if they don’t receive a second seasoning after their last frying they will still have good flavor. Don’t throw dripping wet tostones into the hot oil; blot them somewhat dry with a paper towel (or something similar) first. This will help to prevent dangerous splattering of the hot oil.
Each time the pieces are fried, they need roughly 3 minutes per side at ~350F. It is possible that the first iteration might go a little longer, something like 5 min per side, especially if the pieces go in as the pan is just getting hot enough for the oil to bubble. If you’re using cast-iron for frying, as we did, then just wait until the pieces are ready to release on their own, the first time around. During the second frying, the pieces should not stick to the pan at all.
Makes enough for 2-3 people, roughly 12 tostones.
Equipment:
• skillet for shallow frying
• draining/cooling rack suitable for oily things
• bowl of salty ice water
• optional: skillet spatter-guard
Ingredients:
2 ea plantains any ripeness may be used, but with different results
1 cup vegetable oil possibly less; just enough to have a 1/4” before adding pieces
2 cup ice water
2 Tbsp salt dissolved in the ice water
Procedure:
1. Set up the frying pan with oil and let it start to warm up.
2. Peel the plantains and remove any fraying strings still attached to the meat.
3. Slice plantains on a bias, about 1” thick.
4. Place slices into hot oil and allow to cook until golden brown on each side. Allow the pan to indicate when the slices are done by allowing them to release naturally. Keep the temperature under control; it should not be necessary to have the burner even as high as 50% power.
5. Remove cooked slices from the pan and allow them to drain briefly, then while they are still hot, smash them with the bottom of a saucer (or use the special tool for it, if you have one). Just spread them out; it is better if they do not shatter into multiple pieces.
6. Place smashed slices into the ice water and them them shock for half an hour.
7. Once the soaking is done, bring the oil back up to frying temperature while blotting the smashed slices dry-ish, so they won’t go into the pan dripping.
8. Fry each smashed slice for about 3 min on each side, until they are once again golden brown and look delicious. Optionally apply salt and/or other seasoning to the hot tostones as they emerge.
9. Eat “immediately” but don’t burn yourself.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
Check our our Patreon! patreon.com/loveyourfood
Need a kitchen thermometer? Check out ChefsTemp! Use code LoveYourFood for 15% off a meat thermometer! shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=1003201&m=111859&u=3322095&afftrack=
Tostones, also called patacones, are one of my favorite snacks from the equatorial region of the Americas. Thick slices of plantain are fried once to par-cook them before they are smashed, shocked in cold salty water for a time, and then blotted and fried once more to crispy/fluffy perfection. In different regions, the people prefer to make these with plantains at different levels of ripeness. For instance, in Puerto Rico it is traditional to use green plantains for this. I prefer the sweetness of moderately-ripe plantains, so we are using “yellow” ones in the video.
The twice-frying process is quite similar to that of making French fries. The main difference lies in shocking the freshly-smashed proto-patacones in salty water, which encourages them to soak up a little salt as they cool, meaning that even if they don’t receive a second seasoning after their last frying they will still have good flavor. Don’t throw dripping wet tostones into the hot oil; blot them somewhat dry with a paper towel (or something similar) first. This will help to prevent dangerous splattering of the hot oil.
Each time the pieces are fried, they need roughly 3 minutes per side at ~350F. It is possible that the first iteration might go a little longer, something like 5 min per side, especially if the pieces go in as the pan is just getting hot enough for the oil to bubble. If you’re using cast-iron for frying, as we did, then just wait until the pieces are ready to release on their own, the first time around. During the second frying, the pieces should not stick to the pan at all.
Makes enough for 2-3 people, roughly 12 tostones.
Equipment:
• skillet for shallow frying
• draining/cooling rack suitable for oily things
• bowl of salty ice water
• optional: skillet spatter-guard
Ingredients:
2 ea plantains any ripeness may be used, but with different results
1 cup vegetable oil possibly less; just enough to have a 1/4” before adding pieces
2 cup ice water
2 Tbsp salt dissolved in the ice water
Procedure:
1. Set up the frying pan with oil and let it start to warm up.
2. Peel the plantains and remove any fraying strings still attached to the meat.
3. Slice plantains on a bias, about 1” thick.
4. Place slices into hot oil and allow to cook until golden brown on each side. Allow the pan to indicate when the slices are done by allowing them to release naturally. Keep the temperature under control; it should not be necessary to have the burner even as high as 50% power.
5. Remove cooked slices from the pan and allow them to drain briefly, then while they are still hot, smash them with the bottom of a saucer (or use the special tool for it, if you have one). Just spread them out; it is better if they do not shatter into multiple pieces.
6. Place smashed slices into the ice water and them them shock for half an hour.
7. Once the soaking is done, bring the oil back up to frying temperature while blotting the smashed slices dry-ish, so they won’t go into the pan dripping.
8. Fry each smashed slice for about 3 min on each side, until they are once again golden brown and look delicious. Optionally apply salt and/or other seasoning to the hot tostones as they emerge.
9. Eat “immediately” but don’t burn yourself.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
