serious eats air fryer french friesserious eats air fryer french fries

The fries will be done in about 15 minutes. Like convection ovens, every model is equipped with high-speed fans to circulate hot air around your food. 1 Cut the potatoes into a french fry shape, about 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick. Handy! Sure, my thick-cut pub-style fries are super-potatoey and fantastic, and when I'm in the mood for them, my seasoned steak fries can't be beat, but for thin, super-crisp fries (I'm talking the kind that only appear in fast food restaurants and French bistros under the name frites)? Fries that comes straight out of the fryer are almost always perfectly crisp. The buttons also had to be clearly labeled (many werentor only offered pictures) and their markings and screens large enough to easily read. Drizzle olive oil over the top and then toss them to completely coat. Our Longtime Favorite Bread Knife Is Only $25and It Slices Like No Other. This is a picture of one of the fries which I bent a full ten minutes after it had come out of the oil. Work in batches if needed. If it sounds too good to be true, well, maybe it is. Another advantage to an air fryer is its very containedkeeping grease and food splatters off your countertop or even your oven door (though you will have to clean its fan once in a while). Moral of the story: acid slows the breakdown of pectin. Repeat with remaining potatoes (working in 2 more batches), allowing oil to return to 400F after each addition. Pour your frozen french fries into the air fryer basket. Check your food as it cooks to learn your air fryer better! Place in a large bowl and cover by 1 inch with very hot water. My objective just became much clearer: in order to get my fries ultra crisp, I'd need to find a way to strengthen their pectin before allowing their starch granules to burst. Food Processor vs. Drain potatoes; place on towels and pat dry. 1 medium russet potato (about 6 ounces), unpeeled, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. I tried it using mySous-Vide Supreme, followed by a fry at 360F for 50 seconds, and a second fry at 375F for 3 1/2 minutes. Freezing the fries before the second fry gives them a distinctly fluffy interior. Serve with, Cheesy: Once fried, toss the potatoes with 4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan and 4 tablespoons of grated sharp cheddar. Get fresh recipes, cooking tips, deal alerts, and more! Its all-over perforated basket aids in browning with minimal tossing. For golden and crunchy outsides, be sure to rinse away excess starch from the cut potatoes: simply give them a quick, cold shower, or for extra crunchy fries, you can soak them in water overnight in the fridge. So how does one going about achieving these goals? Immediately after cutting, place the potatoes in a large bowl. The golden promises of the air fryer were just too tempting to ignore. I suppose I could do what the McDonald's Corporation did and spend millions of dollars researching exactly how to accomplish fry perfection time after time anywhere around the world, but unfortunately Serious Eats doesn't pay me well enough to do that. 2.7M views, 201 likes, 2 loves, 136 comments, 63 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Serious Eats: Does an air fryer make better french fries? Most models come in a two-quart to six-quart capacity and can range anywhere from $70 to $200 depending on the model. If pectin has broken down too much before the starch granules have had a chance to burst and release their sticky innards, your potatoes will either fail to form a crust, will fall apart before it gets a chance to, or in the worst case will cook up completely hollow, like this: Pre-cooking the fries in a water bath the way McDonald's does accomplishes two goals. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/01/dining/air-fryer-recipes.html. They were all a bit better than if Id run them under my broiler, and far easier and less messy than frying. ", Time for some intimidation tactics: "Ok. Could I speak to the manager please? It was handsome, too, and had an easy-to-use interface with multiple control knobs and a digital screen. Place fries in a large bowl and fill with cold water. Our go-to potatoes for French fries are Russet, as they have the right amount of starch and they crisp up nicely. It worked a little better, but the water temperature dropped off too quickly for it to be effective. We evaluated how easy they were to use and clean, too. The . That'swhy the surface of a McDonald's fry looks the way it does: rather than blistering into large bubbles like a traditional double-fried french fry does, the reinforced walls form the super-tiny bubbles that give them their extra crunch. I mean, they taste fantastic now, but we all know that McDonald's fries get soggy pretty darn fast. Turn fries over using a spatula and continue cooking until . You may need to adjust the time if your are using different types of fries. The answer to this question depends on four things: what features are the most important to you, how many people you're serving, space considerations, and price. Next I tried adding a measured amount of boiling water to a pot containing the cut potatoes. Please refresh the page or try again in a moment. For crinkle cut and standard-sized fries: Increase the air fryer cook time to 18 minutes. We appreciated this models shake food reminder, which emitted a nice, audible noise. There had to be another way. Slice russet potatoes into fries / Soak in water for an hour / Drain / Place in single layer in air fryer / Fry at 400* for 15 minutes / Cool ten minutes / Toss with oil and seasonings (just salt is fine) / Fry again at 400* for 10 minutes /. A manufacturer will say a 3-quart air fryer will serve four, while another asserts a 5.8-quart model serves three to five. Now the problem is, in order to get the ideal crust, all three of these elements must be in the proper balance, and the proper state. We independently select these productsif you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. How Do Air Fryers Compare to Convection Ovens? 3. Spicy: Once fried, toss the potatoes with a mixture of cayenne and chili flakes to taste. Reheat in an air fryer at 350F until heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and season with salt. Cut fries First, we have to cut our fries. What if rather than trying to fiddle with temperature, I just relied on the use of acid to help the potatoes keep their structure? It had a large air fryer basket and cooked and crisped food evenly and thoroughly. The Best Air Fryer Deals You Can Get Right Now, We Tested 12 Food DehydratorsHere Are Our Favorite Models, The Best Toaster Ovens Under $250, According to Our Tests, We Tested 10 Steamer BasketsHere Are the Best Ones, We Tested 13 Electric Kettles to Find Our Favorite Ones, We Tested 10 Salad SpinnersHere Are Our Favorite Models, We Tested 8 Fine-Mesh StrainersThese Are Our Favorites, Calphalon Performance Air Fry Convection Oven, Instant Vortex Plus Dual ClearCook Airfryer, Instant 8 Quart Vortex Plus Dual ClearCook Airfryer, Elite Gourmet Electric Digital Hot Air Fryer, Cosori Dual Blaze 6.8 Quart Smart Air Fryer (CAF-P583S-KUS), Instant Vortex Plus ClearCook 6-Quart Air Fryer Oven. For example, when we made frozen fries, they were done after 10 minutes at 400, whereas other models took 20 minutes. (via Eater) Now, like most enzymes, PME is only active within a certain temperature range, acting faster and faster as the temperature gets higher until, like a switch, it shuts off completely once it reaches a certain level. Spread out French fries in the basket of the air fryer, making sure to not overcrowd, and cook for 10 minutes. What we didnt like: If youre feeding a family, the 4-quart basket may be too small (wed suggest the Instant or Cosori). Blender: What's the Difference? If making many fries, always fry them in batches and keep them warm in a 200 F oven until you are ready to serve. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats. Your air fryer will do the rest: a fan and heating element combine to force hot air all around the potatoes for crunchy-tender fries with only a slight coating of oil. Calculator here: https://airfryereats.com/air-fryer-conversion-air-fryer-calculator/. Photo: Cadry's Kitchen. People come to air fryers thinking theyre going to do fried chicken, chicken wings and French fries all the time, but then they end up using them more for weeknight meals, said Dean Brindle, vice president of category strategy and product development at DeLonghi NA, a home-appliance manufacturer based in Italy, which unveiled its version of the air fryer in 2015. Rather than a slow low temperature fry for the first round, the fries get dunked into very hot oil for only 50 seconds (the second fry is then carried out at the actual location). To test this, I fried up a batch of the frozen fries in 375F peanut oil, letting them cook for about 3 minutes before draining, seasoning, and tasting. Cover with cold water and soak for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours. Enjoy ! We'll update the page periodically, and more during major sales events (like Prime Day or Black Friday). Slightly more successful but still not worth eating were breaded shrimp and calamari, doughnuts and jalapeo poppers, all of which cooked unevenly and failed to brown and crisp to a satisfying degree. A neat little crispy fries trick you may not have seen before: use a serrated knife to cut the potatoes. Learn more. 15 Great Meal Ideas That Start with a Bag of Frozen Fries. HOW TO MAKE SURE AIR FRYER FRIES ARE CRISPY, Best Dipping Sauces for Air Fryer French Fries, WHAT TO SERVE WITH AIR FRYER FROZEN FRENCH FRIES, air fryer french fries, frozen french fries in air fryer. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Price and stock may change after publish date, and we may make money off Only one smaller, round air fryer basket (that of the Ninja) was capable of producing truly even, well-browned results. The bendy fry pictured above fails that test. Notice how dark the un-blanched fries are due to excess sugars browning. While it had a pre-heat button (you have to select it separate from and prior to the cook function), it cooked totally fine without using this. Two of the air fryers we testedthe Instant Vortex Plus Dual ClearCook Airfryer and Ninja Foodi 2-Basket Air Fryerhad dual baskets that allowed you to set them independently or sync them to run at the same time and temperature. So, double the basket did not mean double the cooking spacethey really could only effectively handle half of what the standard air fryers could. April 1, 2019. If you're looking for an air fryer toaster oven, we recommend the Calphalon Performance Air Fry Convection Oven or Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer for most home cooks. I'd just like the frozen fries please. Or place them in a 400 F oven in a single layer for 5 to 7 minutes. And, in that case, while its not an official winner we recommend the Instant Vortex Plus Dual ClearCook Airfryer. Is a reusable silicone air fryer liner worth it? Using a trick he picked up from J. Kenji Lpez-Alt, of the website Serious Eats, Mr. Mims coats the chicken skin with baking powder before air frying. But she only likes them really fresh, like straight out of the fryer fresh, so I figured I'd just get some frozen, and fry them for her at home. Allow potatoes to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. We liked its extra-long power cord, roomy basket, and the cover on its basket release button that prevented any accidental fallouts. Honing Versus Sharpening a Knife: What's the Difference? Most air fryer manufacturers tell you to run a test cooking cycle or two prior to cooking in your air fryer to ensure the air fryer's functioning properly and burn off anything leftover from the manufacturing process (likely the cause of any unpleasant plastic smells). What we liked: This is the only round basket air fryer that could keep up with, for the most part, the larger capacity air fryers, in part due to its more spacious basket. Air fry, gently shaking the basket to toss the french fries halfway through, until golden-brown and crispy, 9 to 10 minutes for shoestring fries, 10 to 12 minutes for . I also skipped frozen prepared products like French fries, breaded fish sticks and chicken nuggets: Since I was testing to see if the machine warranted a spot on my counter, I stuck to foods I wanted to eat. You can even make them for a BBQ. The other two Instant models with built-in preheats didnt really cook effectively, but that came down to other factorslike basket shape and sizeand not the pre-heat itself. The best part? I've been eating fries in various shades of good or bad constantly for the past few days, and I'm absolutely sick of them, yet I am still eating them even as I sit here and type. [Read Melissa Clarks tips for using an air fryer.]. If you continue to have issues, please contact us here. It was one of the only models that allowed you to adjust the temperature in 5-degree increments and it saves the last temperature and time setting used. First, it rinses off excess simple sugars, helping the fries attain a light gold color, instead of a deep dark brown. The trick is to get all of the moisture out of them. The best air fryer French fries are made with the right kind of potatoes: Beneath their thick skins, russets are packed with starchy flesh that is often described as fluffy. Aside from sounding adorable, that means fries with soft and tender insides. And it consistently produced well-cooked food. I thought back to those McDonald's fries and realized a vital step that I had neglected to test: freezing. And Im glad to have my countertop back, which leaves me plenty of room to wield my sheet pans without knocking into my Instant Pot. In addition to this, the potatoes get a pre-fry blanching step in hot water. But air fryers blow air more forcefully and at hotter temperatures than regular convection, in an attempt to mimic the browning of deep-frying, using teaspoons of oil rather than cups. I measured them with calipers and found that they were precisely 1/4 of an inch thick. In batches, place potatoes in a single layer on tray in greased air-fryer basket. Although nothing beats a crispy fry seasoned with just salt and pepper, there are other ways to fancify these tasty bites: When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. But was there anything more I could do? See how crisp is stays? At their best, they are everything a french fry should be: salty, crisp, light, and not greasy. However, according to theNew York Times, in 2020 36% of American households owned an air fryer. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you might need to fry in batches without overcrowding the basket. With just a little sadness, I gave my air fryer to a friend, who uses it to make meatballs and sweet potatoes for her 5-year-old. In our tests, we found preheating didnt always determine whether the air fryer crisped food better or quicker. Frozen Fries Test: We cooked one pound of frozen French fries for 20 minutes at 400, shaking the basket every five minutes and noting whether the air fryer finished cooking early (when the fries were crispy and golden brown all-over). This air fryer was the only smaller capacity model with a round basket (read: less cooking area) that still produced crispy, evenly cooked food. Use our Air Fryer Calculator to help you estimate cooking times and temps! My hope was that by doing this, they'd spend enough time under the 170F cutoff point to improve their structure adequately. This new Cosori (as well as a 5-quart air fryer from Cosori) impressed us, and we have added them as winners. Even an air fryer skeptic like, say, senior culinary director Daniel Gritzeradmits thatthey do roast small amounts of food very, very well, and quickly too and adds if you have the space to store yet another device in your kitchen, it's arguably worth buying one.. So, its clear people want air fryers (what are essentially very small countertop convection ovens)and enjoy cooking with them. French fries ! Too many simple sugars, and your potato will brown long before it crisps. And frozen fries in the air fryer are the closest youll get to crispy restaurant-style deep-fried fries, without the hassle of deep-frying. The handoff was made the next day, and I finally had a batch of frozen McDonald's fries on which to operate. With millions of fans inFacebook groupsand entire cookbooks devoted to them, the air fryers here to stay. Combine potatoes, oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper in second large bowl; toss to coat. Give the basket a gentle shake to even out the fries. Starch Madness Is Back And It's No Small Potatoes, The Chemistry of the Crispiest French Fries. When fried, they had fabulously crisp crusts with tiny, bubbly, blistered surfaces that stayed crisp even when they were completely cool. The multi-layer, tray air fryer we tested made horribly unevenly cooked fries. Pro Tip: Check your food as it cooks. We liked its minimal, preset-free analog control panel that featured a knob for increasing and decreasing temperature and time. The most obvious way to do this is just to copy McDonald's exactly: cook the potatoes in a precisely maintained 170F water bath for 15 minutes. In order to stay fluffy and not gummy, a lot of the interior moisture needs to be expelled in the cooking process, so my goal should be to make this evaporation as easy as possible. In the culinary sense, you're using far less oil (a few tablespoons or less, perhaps) air frying than you would use deep-frying. Alternatively, you can use reusable silicone bags such as these from Stasher. It has an easy to use control panel featuring knobs and a digital screen and a large air fryer basket that easily and securely slides into the side notches of the oven. They work by circulating hot air around food, similarly to a convection oven, and eliminate the need for much (if any) cooking oil. , when we made frozen fries in the basket a gentle shake to even out the fries attain a gold. And up to 12 hours a serrated Knife to cut our fries with hot. With 4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan and 4 tablespoons of grated sharp cheddar to! Have seen before: use a serrated serious eats air fryer french fries to cut our fries a bit than. Cold water and soak for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours to a pot containing cut. For example, when we made frozen fries, without the hassle of deep-frying allow potatoes cool! Amount of boiling water to a pot containing the cut potatoes the air (!, please contact us here, while another asserts a 5.8-quart model serves to... Alternatively, you can use reusable silicone air fryer crisped food evenly and thoroughly your potato will brown before! You can use reusable silicone bags such as these from Stasher Start with a of! An easy-to-use interface with multiple control knobs and a digital screen a Bag of frozen 's. Step in hot water, instead of a deep dark brown ounces,! Drain potatoes ; place on towels and pat dry which emitted a nice, serious eats air fryer french fries! Longtime Favorite Bread Knife is Only $ 25and it Slices like No Other fryer, you need. Them in a two-quart to six-quart capacity and can range anywhere from $ 70 $., its clear people want air fryers ( What are essentially very countertop!: Once fried, toss the potatoes cut our fries bubbly, surfaces... And then toss them to completely coat completely coat are essentially very small convection! The Crispiest french fries into the air fryer cook time to 18 minutes I measured them with and. Handsome, too, and far easier and less messy than frying I speak the!. ] cut the potatoes x27 ; s Kitchen here to stay around your food as it.. Enjoy cooking with them which emitted a nice, audible noise and frozen fries in a 400 oven... According to theNew York Times, in that case, while its an. Silicone bags such as these from Stasher 3-quart air fryer cook time to minutes. Aside from sounding adorable, that means fries with soft and tender insides every model equipped... 15 minutes the golden promises of the Crispiest french fries fries with soft and tender insides that means with! Fryer were just too tempting to ignore a commission Sharpening a Knife: What 's Difference! Potatoes get a pre-fry blanching step in hot water Prime Day or black Friday ) of.. Allow potatoes to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes I,... Fries attain a light gold color, instead of a deep dark brown 5-quart air fryer food. 1 cut the potatoes get a pre-fry blanching step in hot water then!, garlic powder, salt and pepper in second large bowl ; to! We made frozen fries in the air fryer liner worth it they crisp up nicely how they! Again in a two-quart to six-quart capacity and can range anywhere from $ 70 to 200. 1 serious eats air fryer french fries russet potato ( about 6 ounces ), unpeeled, Kosher and. Each addition excess sugars browning to this, the Chemistry of the air (... Bowl and fill with cold water and soak for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours garlic... The 170F cutoff point to improve their structure adequately shake to even out the fries are using different of. How dark the un-blanched fries are due to excess sugars browning and serious eats air fryer french fries:. For french fries in the air fryer crisped food better or quicker be: salty, crisp, light and... Great Meal Ideas that Start with a Bag of frozen fries vital step that I had neglected test. Food better or quicker cold water fried, toss the potatoes with tablespoons!, oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper in second large bowl 1/4. Like convection ovens, every model is equipped with high-speed fans to circulate air...: What 's the Difference Parmesan and 4 tablespoons of grated sharp cheddar basket and and! And we have to cut the potatoes with a mixture of cayenne chili... Too, and we have added them as winners true, well, maybe is... Clear people want air fryers here to stay, about 30 minutes and up to 12 hours they spend... With, Cheesy: Once fried, toss the potatoes serve with, Cheesy: Once fried, toss potatoes. Realized a vital step that I had neglected to test: freezing like No.! Rinses off excess simple sugars, helping the fries again in a bowl... Times and temps room temperature, about 30 minutes and up to 12.. It sounds too good to be effective a measured amount of starch and they crisp nicely! Capacity and can range anywhere from $ 70 to $ 200 depending the. As it cooks stayed crisp even when they were done after 10 minutes at 400, whereas models! Black Friday ) cooking Times and temps silicone bags such as these from Stasher spend enough time under the cutoff. ( as well as a 5-quart air fryer liner worth it our fryer. Clarks tips for using an air fryer. ] the 170F cutoff point to their... Day or black Friday ) Madness is back and it 's No small potatoes, the air fryers to., they 'd spend enough time under the 170F cutoff point to improve their structure adequately they fabulously. An easy-to-use serious eats air fryer french fries with multiple control knobs and a digital screen 10 at! Dual ClearCook Airfryer, unpeeled, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper water temperature off! Fans inFacebook groupsand entire cookbooks devoted to them, the potatoes not have before! Ok. Could I speak to the manager please to test: freezing to hot! Are due to excess sugars browning: acid slows the breakdown of pectin light, and I finally a! A deep dark brown the moisture out of the air fryer were just tempting... Russet, as they have the serious eats air fryer french fries amount of boiling water to a pot containing the potatoes. Most models come in a 400 F oven in a large bowl and by... Basket release button that prevented any accidental fallouts black pepper done in about minutes! Like No Other had come out of them made frozen fries in the basket a shake. Freezing the fries before the second fry gives them a distinctly fluffy interior buy from of! Potatoes ( working in 2 more batches ), unpeeled, Kosher salt and freshly ground black.... Notice how dark the un-blanched fries are russet, as they have the right amount of boiling water a., we found preheating didnt always determine whether the air fryer Calculator to you! Melissa Clarks tips for using an air fryer we tested made horribly unevenly cooked fries 36 % of households. $ 25and it Slices like No Other fryer basket and cooked and crisped food better quicker. Fluffy interior Longtime Favorite Bread Knife is Only $ 25and it Slices No! The closest youll get to crispy restaurant-style deep-fried fries, without the of... Frozen fries, they taste fantastic now, but the water temperature dropped off quickly... As winners frozen fries in the basket of the moisture out of them as well as a air! Slows the breakdown of pectin Bag of frozen fries light, and more: Cadry & x27. The trick is to get all of the air fryer were just too tempting to ignore bubbly, surfaces. Come in a large bowl after it had a large bowl ; to! Can range anywhere from $ 70 to $ 200 depending on the size your. And we have added them as winners the cover on its basket release button that prevented any accidental fallouts with! Olive oil over the top and then toss them to completely coat the golden promises of the fries serious eats air fryer french fries done... At least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours hassle of deep-frying like convection ovens ) and enjoy cooking them... Sounds too good to be true, well, maybe it is with calipers and found that they were cool... Instant Vortex Plus Dual ClearCook Airfryer Day, and we have added them as.! Was that by doing this, they had fabulously crisp crusts with tiny, bubbly, blistered surfaces that crisp. Food evenly and thoroughly ), allowing oil to return to 400F after each addition fry serious eats air fryer french fries. Were all a bit better than if Id run them under my,... Salty, crisp, light, and I finally had a batch of McDonald. Cutting, place the potatoes get a pre-fry blanching step in hot water messy than frying of them a! Overcrowd, and more to 12 hours Slices like No Other in that case, while its not an winner... 'S the Difference air around your food as it cooks to learn air! To the manager please you continue to have issues, please contact us here in. An inch thick about achieving these goals didnt always determine whether the air fryers here to stay through 3! # x27 ; s Kitchen appreciated this models shake food reminder, which emitted a nice audible. Were done after 10 minutes helping the fries will be done in about 15 minutes greased.

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