My air fryer disaster with frozen sweet potato fries

I tried to cook a full bag of frozen sweet potato fries last Tuesday, and it was a total mess. I set it to 400 degrees for 15 minutes, but halfway through, the basket was just a solid, soggy block of fries stuck together. I had to stop it, pry them apart with a spatula, and start over, which added another 10 minutes. The outside got too dark while some pieces in the middle were still soft. I think the problem was overcrowding the basket. Has anyone else nailed the method for a whole bag of frozen fries without this happening?

4 comments

4 Comments

emma_rodriguez301mo ago

Shake the basket halfway through next time.

violag801mo ago

Actually, shaking the basket halfway is what makes things soggy. It lets all the hot air out and the food steams instead of crisping up. You want to leave it alone so the air can keep circulating the whole time. That's the whole point of an air fryer. Just set it and forget it.

garcia.jake1mo ago

Honestly, it depends on what you're cooking. For fries or small things, a shake helps. But for something like a whole chicken wing, moving it can mess up the skin. Emma_rodriguez30 has a point for some foods, but not all.

theajohnson1d ago

Wait wait wait. "Setting it and forgetting it" for an air fryer? That's literally the opposite of what I've been doing and now I'm scared I've been ruining my food this whole time. I thought the whole point of shaking it halfway was to get even cooking since the basket is so small and things pile up. Like, if I don't shake my fries, the ones on the bottom stay pale and sad while the top ones get all burnt. But now you're telling me shaking it lets out all the hot air and makes things soggy? That actually makes a terrifying amount of sense because my chicken always comes out kind of steamy on the inside lately. I feel like my entire air fryer life has been a lie.