If you're frying them and then braising them, then you don't need to cook them.
If you want them from a fast food restaurant, then it depends on the method you used to fry them. There are many methods. One of them does boil them first, but the purpose is to remove the starch on top of the fries, and to initially heat the fries, so that when they are fried in the pan, they will cook faster. The color of the fries will look better because the frying time is shorter. If you are the one who has the step of removing the starch before frying, then you may consider not cooking them.
The following for you to provide my experience: First of all, to declare a point, McDonald's and so on fast-food restaurants in the french fries, raw materials are imported, China does not have that kind of potatoes, so do it yourself at home, it's difficult to be exactly the same. But you can still make good fries.
There are two ways to do this:
The first is to buy ready-made frozen french fries from the supermarket, and according to the instructions, fry them in oil at a temperature of about 180 degrees. The advantage is convenience. Of course, you spend more money, buy foreign imports, fried and fast food restaurants in the same basic.
The second: home-made method. Peel the potatoes and cut them into one-centimeter-square strips. After cutting them, put them in lightly salted water and soak them for 20 to 30 minutes. (The purpose is to go out of the surface of the potato fries starch and some of the cells in the water, so that the fried back to more crispy)
After soaking, fish out, blanch with boiling water. (The purpose is to sample fries half-cooked, after frying will not be outside all battered, inside is not cooked. And further remove the starch. This way the fries will be golden in color, nice and crispy.)
Blanch and fish out, dry, dry the more dry the better, dry dry will be crisp. If you are in a hurry. Then there is a gadget that can help you, a hair dryer.
If you think drying trouble. Then you can put the blanched fries in the freezer of your refrigerator and wait until they are frozen through, then take them out and use them. The effect is the same.
Now it's time to start frying.
The temperature of the oil should be a little higher, and the oil should be about 200 degrees Fahrenheit when you see the center of the oil is about to spread out in all directions.
Put in the fries, this time there will be a lot of air bubbles around the fries. Fry for 3~4 minutes, the bubbles around the fries become less, then the fries become golden brown, you can fish out. Don't put too many fries in at one time.
After all the fries are fried, if you think you like extra crispy, then proceed to the next step, if not, then the fries are basically done. Sprinkle them with a little salt and dip them in ketchup.
If you like crispy fries, then after you've finished frying them, heat up the oil again, at a higher temperature than before, and pour the fries in, (of course, you can't pour them all in if you're frying a pot.) Quickly flip them around with a spoon to get the fries all coated in the hot oil. Immediately fish them out and turn off the heat again. This is called crisping back up.
Everything will be OK, then sprinkle with salt, dip in ketchup, etc., according to personal taste adjustment.
I've tried both methods and they both work well. The first one cost money, I fried a $16 bag and only had about one plate. The second, I used $1 for 3 large potatoes and fried a small tub. My husband said my own fried ones tasted better than the ones I bought. Personally, I also think making my own is better than buying the bagged ones, more like the ones sold at fast food restaurants, if not better. It's just a pain in the ass. I was busy frying them all afternoon and my husband ate them all in less than an hour!
Hope the method is helpful to you