My frozen french fry experiment went totally sideways

So I had a bag of those standard crinkle cut fries in the freezer, right? I usually do 400 degrees for 15 minutes, shake them once. This time, I saw a tip online to soak them in cold water for 30 minutes first to get them extra crispy. I dried them off real good, tossed them in a little oil, and put them in the basket. They came out limp and soggy, like they steamed instead of fried. I think the water soak just made them too wet inside, even after patting dry. In my experience, that trick might work for an oven, but the air fryer's different. Has anyone else tried this water trick with fries and actually had it work? What's your go-to method for getting the crispiest frozen fries?

3 comments

3 Comments

lily_cooper6d ago

Funny enough, I used to swear by that cold water soak for oven fries. It always gave them a better crunch. Tried it once in the air fryer and got the same sad, steamy result as you. My guess is the air fryer cooks so fast that the extra moisture just doesn't have time to escape before the outside sets. These days, I just toss them straight from the freezer with a tiny bit of oil and crank the heat to 400. Give the basket a good shake every five minutes. They come out way crisper for me that way.

stella_scott966d ago

My old Philips air fryer manual actually said to add a tablespoon of water to the basket for frozen fries, which always made them soggy. I skip the soak now and pat the fries bone dry with paper towels before a light oil spray. The key is leaving space between them so the air can move, a single layer never works. High heat around 390 for 20 minutes with a shake halfway through gives me that crunch I want.

richarddixon6d agoTop Commenter

Wait, you can put frozen fries straight in, @lily_cooper?