How Do You Make Soggy French Fries Crispy
Heres what you do. Heat a few tablespoons of the oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat just until it starts to shimmer. Think about covering the entire bottom of the skillet in oil, erring on the side of using more oil than less. The oil helps to fry the French fries a second time and get them extra crispy.
How To Bake Frozen Fries Crispy
There are a couple of methods that can be used to bake frozen fries crispy. One method is to preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit before spraying a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the frozen fries in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, flipping them over halfway through. Another method is to preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit before spraying a baking dish with cooking spray. Place the frozen fries in the baking dish and bake for 15 minutes, flipping them
You will need: Frozen fries Vegetable oil Salt Pepper Paprika
- Spread frozen french fries on a baking sheet in a single layer
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Bake for 15 minutes, flipping once during baking
- Remove from oven and serve hot
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.2. Spread frozen fries out on a baking sheet in a single layer.3. Bake fries for 15-20 minutes, or until crispy.4. Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.
For Better Frozen French Fries Use An Elevated Rack
The trick to perfecting frozen fries that are baked in the oven is proper air flow. According to the experts at Epicurious, when frozen fries are sitting on a baking sheet, they release moisture and get soggy on the bottom. If they are elevated on an oven-safe cooling rack, the oven acts almost like an air fryer, allowing hot air to circulate around the fries, and create even cooking.
Chef Harvey agrees. He told Insider, “Baking frozen fries on an oven rack ensures even cooking and allows air to flow all around the fries, which increases your chances of getting golden-brown fries from the oven.” One important caveat, don’t try to save time by throwing the fries in a cold oven. Make sure it’s properly pre-heated so, as Chef Harvey explains, “the fries are crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside.”
Alexa, add frozen fries to shopping list …
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Turn Frozen Fries Into A Quick Breakfast Side
Frozen french fries are surprisingly versatile. With a few minutes of prep time, they can take on the role of a delicious breakfast side or topping.
“Slightly thaw the fries so that you’re able to cut through them,” Mendoza said. “Then, dice them into cubes and cook until crispy. Use them a topper for your breakfast hash and more.”
How Do You Make Frozen Fries Not Soggy
There are a few ways to make frozen fries not soggy. One way is to preheat the oven before cooking the fries, so that they will start to crisp up as soon as they hit the oven. Another way is to cook the fries on a baking sheet that has been lined with a layer of parchment paper or foil. This will help to keep the fries from getting wet and soggy.
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How To Make Crispy Oven Fries
Wash the potatoes with cold water and dry them with a kitchen towel. Leave the skin on. Slice the potatoes lengthwise about 1 inch thick.
Cut the slices lengthwise into long fries. Put the fries in a big bowl with cold water for 20 minutes to remove the starch.
Take a clean kitchen towel and dry the fries.
Preheat the oven to 350 and in the meanwhile line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Put the dried fries on the baking sheet and sprinkle the olive oil on the fries and coat evenly.
Sprinkle with cornstarch and use your hands to coat evenly. Divide the fries on the tray but do not crowd the tray.
You do not want the potatoes to steam but fry them in a bit of oil so they can crisp up.
Put the baking tray in the oven for 15 minutes. Toss the fries and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on the fries so they do not burn.
Take out of the oven and season with sea salt and oregano or paprika powder or ranch seasoning.
What To Do With Unused Frozen Fries
If you arent going to use the whole bag of frozen fries at one time, make sure you use a bag clip to close the bag securely before placing it back into your freezer. Or transfer the uncooked frozen fries to a freezer-safe container that can be sealed.
If you put the opened bag of frozen fries back into the freezer, they might develop freezer burn or ice crystals, and then they wont be tasty when you bake them.
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Can Homemade French Fries Be Frozen
Yes. After baking allow the fries to cool completely. Freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet. When completely frozen remove them to a freezer safe container.
Store in the freezer up to 6 months. Reheat by adding frozen fries to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper and bake at 450° F for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through.
What Does Soaking Potatoes In Water Do
Potatoes are packed full of starch, which when subjected to intense heat makes the potatoes go gloopy. Because we want fries that are fluffy in the centre, we want to remove as much starch as possible before we bake them. The best way to do this is to blanch them in cold water. 30 minutes will do the trick, but the longer the better.
After, drain the fries and well continue.
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Can I Bake Frozen Fries Instead Of Frying
Yes! Baking your french fries will not only give you a healthier alternative but also cut down on the cooking time by almost half . In addition to saving calories and having less grease to clean up after baking, this method also gives your fries that same crispy exterior we all love so much.
Just be sure to flip them halfway through the cooking time to get even crispiness on both sides. Or toss them in oil beforehand, so both sides naturally come out crispy.
And dont forget about adding salt and pepper before they go into the oven!
How Do I Make Frozen Fries Better
Here are some of the very best ways to make frozen french fries taste better, according to professional chefs.
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Storing Freezing And Reheating Baked Fries
Storing French Fries: These fries will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheating French Fries: Its best to reheat them in an oven or toaster oven. Heat your oven to 350 and cook for 4-5 minutes until they are warm through and crisp on the outside. We would not recommend microwaving these fries.
Freezing: I would not recommend freezing fries. Potatoes can get funny when you freeze them.
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Why Are My Homemade Fries Not Crispy
When it comes to the actual cooking, you want to fry the french fries twice. The first round is at a lower temperature to cook the inside of the potato and the second time youll use a higher temperature to make the fries golden brown and crispy. You can use a home deep-fryer or just heat the oil in a Dutch oven.
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How To Make Frozen Fries In An Air Fryer
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The air fryer is the perfect solution to making evenly cooked, crispy frozen French fries and an easier way then having to stand over a hot stove deep frying them. No more soggy, overcooked, or burnt French fries!
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Below you will find tips, tricks and helpful hints for making this recipe including step by step instructions with pictures. If you would like to go directly to the recipe, scroll down to the recipe card.
Key Points In Blanching Process
Sliced or striped potatoes need blanching before frying to remove starch and inactivate the enzyme.Potato chips blanched in a short time will still have enzyme and they are easy to go bad. While once blanched in hot water in a long time, french fries will have poor palatability and mouthfeel. Whats more, long processing time needs more fuel and electricity increasing investment. The best blanching time for frozen french fries is 7-15 minutes at 70. For the different amounts of potatoes, the blanching time and water temperature can be adjusted.
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Can We Bake Frozen French Fries
Ready to take your frozen french fries to the next level And without all the hassle of having to fry them yourself Heres how:
How Can I Crisp Up My Fries
Heres what you do. Heat a few tablespoons of the oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat just until it starts to shimmer. Think about covering the entire bottom of the skillet in oil, erring on the side of using more oil than less. The oil helps to fry the French fries a second time and get them extra crispy.
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Use Yukon Gold Potatoes
- I tested baked fries with both russet potatoes and Yukon gold potatoes, and while both do work, I preferred the final texture of the baked fries made with Yukon golds.
- While both potato varieties crisped nicely on the outsides, I found the insides of the russets to be drier, while the oven fries made with the Yukon golds were more tender and creamy.
- You may also see Yukon gold potatoes labeled simply gold or yellow potatoes at the grocery store.
- A potato labeled Idaho typically refers to russet.
How To Make Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
Step 1: Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F. Add frozen fries to air fryer basket in a single layer.
Step 2: Air fry for 10-13 minutes, depending on the type of fry. Shake the basket every five minutes to check for desired level of crispiness.
Expert Tips
Recipe FAQs
How long should I cook frozen french fries in the air fryer?
This will depend on the fry you choose and your air fryer. In my Phillips XXL Air Fryer , sweet potato and waffle fries took 10-11 minutes and straight cut and crinkle cut took 11-13 minutes. At the five minute mark when you shake the basket, take a look at the color and edges. Then, check again at the ten minute mark.
From there, you will be able to get an idea of how much more time to add. It could take up to 20 minutes, especially if you like your fries extra crunchy and/or you have a toaster-oven-style air fryer.
How do I make fries crispy in the air fryer?
Do I need to add oil for air fryer frozen french fries?
Do I need to defrost frozen french fries beforehand?
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One Chef Suggested Using An Air Fryer Which Worked Well But I Wasn’t Able To Cook Many At Once
Lauren Koeppe, a private chef who founded Create Hospitality, suggested using an air fryer to cook fries at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 to 14 minutes, tossing them around halfway through so they heat evenly.
My air fryer only goes to 390 degrees Fahrenheit, so I cooked my fries for about 15 minutes and tossed them after about seven.
The fries came out crunchy with crispy edges. This was the easiest method to cook them with since I didn’t have to deal with foil or worrying about sticking.
I couldn’t fit too many in my fryer, so if I wanted to make a bunch for a party this wouldn’t be my go-to method. But for an individual serving it worked great I would just make sure to preheat my air fryer in advance.
Frozen French Fries: Good Or Bad
Think a box of frozen taters are a healthier option? Well fill you in on the pros and cons, plus give you a homemade alternative.
Good?
Frozen fries offer convenience pop em on a cookie sheet and toss in the oven. Your grocer’s freezer is bursting with a wide array of options in different shapes, sizes and flavorings. You can also find certified organic and sweet potato varieties.
Frozen sacks are easy to store and may be able to help with portion control you can take out a moderate-sized portion and tuck the rest back in the freezer.
Bad?
Frozen fries are still fried! Even worse, many brands use trans fats and palm oil which arent ideal for heart health. While fries do need a sprinkle of salt, many bagged brands have at least 15% of the daily recommendation of sodium per serving.
Homemade
While it does take a little more work initially, you can make your own frozen fries. Slice potatoes into desired shape . Blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes and transfer to a baking sheet lined with a clean kitchen towel. Pat dry, remove towel and spread fries out in one even layer. Place baking sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes. Transfer partially frozen spuds to a freezer-safe bag and store in the freezer.
When ready to cook, place the fries on a baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake at 400 degrees F for 30-40 minutes.
Tell Us: Were planning a taste test. Whats your favorite brand of frozen fries?
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Should You Cook Fries From Frozen
There are a few reasons to cook fries from frozen. First, frozen fries are cooked quickly and evenly, which is important for busy restaurants that want their fries to be hot and crispy as soon as they come out of the fryer.
Second, frozen fries are also prepped with salt and oil, so theyre ready to eat without any fuss. Finally, frozen fries tend to be cheaper than fresh ones- especially when you factor in the price of shipping.
How To Make Oven Baked Fries
Making oven baked healthy fries or healthy chips that taste great is super easy if you follow the four steps below. You will never use the deep frier ever again, and you can enjoy them anytime you like.
Step 1:
First pick your potatoes, brush and clean them. If I buy organic potatoes, I usually keep the skin on but brush very very well. When its not possible to buy organic potatoes, I peel the skin.
Cut the Potatoes to the sizes you like. If you decide to go with matchstick-style thin slices, remember to reduce the oven time. I cut mine into medium-chunky batons and baked them for 30 mins.
Step 2:
Potatoes are naturally very high in starch, and so we need to wash the starch away. To do this, you can soak the potatoes for 20-30 minutes with cold water or use a similar method to washing rice rinsing it repeatedly, till the water runs clear.
Note* Ive tried a variety of methods and have found two that work well if you decide to soak the potatoes. The first is to soak the potatoes with cold water, as mentioned above. Alternatively, use hot water and soak for 10-15 minutes.
I usually set my kettle to its lowest heat for this. You could also heat it in the microwave or over the stove. I dont suggest using the hot water directly from the tap due there being some iffy information out there about whether or not this is safe to cook with. Better not to risk it.
If youre washing and rinsing them, then you need to wash the potatoes thoroughly until you get clear water
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Substitutions For Homemade Fries
This is a pretty straight forward recipe but there are a few substitutions you can make.
Peeled-We like to leave the skins on our potatoes because we like them/thats where most of the nutrients are but feel free to peel yours if youd prefer them without the skin!
Oil You can use avocado, coconut or vegetable oil for these fries. Any oil will work, but avocado or olive is best!
Variations for seasonings You can add any seasonings to these french fries. Feel free to skip the salt if youre following a low sodium diet. Paprika and garlic powder are yummy additions to these fries!
Potatoes We recommend using russet potatoes for this recipe. They work the best because of their starch content. You can make this recipe with other potatoes, but they will not come out as crispy especially if you use sweet potatoes.
Can you make these in the air fryer? Yes, you can make these fries in an air fryer. I would recommend cutting the oil in half and baking them in your air fryer at 450 for 20 minutes, shaking halfway through. Every air fryer is different though, so I recommend checking your air fryer for a conversion chart/instructions on how to best cook them!