1. Room Temperature

Latke batter should be room temperature; cold batter will lower the oil temperature, causing the latkes to absorb too much oil. (Exceptions: cheese latkes, which may fall apart if not very cold).

2. Not Too Wet

Latke batter should not be too wet - A very wet batter will produce steam. The result? Soggy, greasy latkes. If the batter has thrown off a lot of liquid, drop a measureful of batter into your hand, so you can gently squeeze out the excess moisture before slipping it into the hot oil.

3. High Smoke Point Oil

Use a high-smoke-point oil to make latkes. Try canola or peanut oil for your latkes, olive oil has a lower smoke point than canola, thus it requires greater vigilance in regulating the heat.

4. Hot Oil

Make sure the oil is hot enough before cooking latkes. To test the oil temperature, stand an untreated wooden chopstick in the oil. If little bubbles form around it, the oil is ready. Or flick a pinch of flour into the oil; if it sizzles, start frying.

5. Keep it Clean

When making latkes, keep it clean. Between batches, scoop out any burned fragments from the pan. Every two batches or so, it may be necessary to wipe out the pan to remove burnt oil or bits and add fresh oil.

6. Prepare Ahead and Store

Prepare ahead when making ltkes.  You can keep latkes for a few hours at room temperature, in a single layer on a rack, loosely covered with a kitchen towel. Refrigerating leaves latkes sodden and lifeless. But you can freeze them for longer storage. Arrange drained, cooled latkes on a cookie sheet and slide into the freezer until solidly frozen. Store in a strong, resealable plastic bag or airtight container. To serve, reheat the latkes on a rack set on a baking sheet in a preheated 400ºF oven until hot and crisp.

7. Grate Potatoes Properly

Grate Latkes – 2/3 of the potatoes should be shredded coarse, to make a crispy crust, and the rest grated rather fine, to ensure a little creamy layer within. All coarse would mean all crunch without an intense potato taste while completely fine makes latkes with too much mush beneath their thin crisp coat, causing them to absorb huge amounts of oil.

8. Flip Only Once

It’s best to flip the latkes only once, so that they don’t absorb too much oil. So, before turning, lift the latkes slightly with the spatula to make sure the underside is crisp and brown.