Idaho Has The Best Loaded Fries In The Country

As the temperatures continue to get colder, some people might be inclined to enjoy a hot bowl of soup, perhaps a nice cup of hot cocoa... but for this guy writing this very article? It's all about loaded fries. I will take loaded fries on any day of the week that ends with "y."

I wouldn't say I'm necessarily a "food snob", but I am pretty particular about three different kinds of foods: steak, barbecue... and yep, you guessed it - french fries! I'm not quite sure what level of snob that actually makes me but what I do know is a good solid french fry. I would love to hear what your criteria are, but for me, there are three essential things to consider when determining if a french fry is top-notch:

• Crispiness
• Thickness
• Saltiness

Crispiness should be an obvious one for any fry-lover. Is there anything more satisfying than biting into a crispy fry that has a nice little crunch? Shoot, then you got that steam coming out of the white part of the fry? SIGN. ME. UP.

When it comes to thickness, I'm a little biased against "steak fries." I need a good balance or ratio of exterior crunch to the potato "inside" of the fry. If you have too much potato or not enough crunch, you're left with... well, a hot potato!

As for saltiness, I feel this one can be tricky but when in doubt, always start light on the salt and work your way up. This can change when you throw toppings on a set of fries but I know you get it. If a fry is too salty, you'll only be able to tolerate throwing down a few of the Lord's golden straws. If a fry isn't salty enough, you're dealing with an unseasoned hot potato!

Bring on the LOAD!

There are two words alone that can make my stomach happy without even taking a bite: loaded fries. As it is, you gotta have the perfect fry, and a lot of these places we listed have some of the best fries in the Treasure Valley. The only thing that could up the game on these fries is loading them bad boys up! Throw some cheese, bacon, and chives, and give me a side of a ranch - I'm good. But sometimes that's not enough - so without further ado, let's dive into where you can find what I believe to be the best loaded fries in all of America.