serious eats air fryer french friesserious eats air fryer french fries

Continue with step 3, or, for best results, freeze potatoes at least overnight or up to 2 months. (via Eater) Additionally, we recently tested more air fryers at our Lab, including the newer version of one of our favorite models from Cosori. Moral of the story: acid slows the breakdown of pectin. The Best Gear from Our Equipment Reviews, According to Serious Eats Staffers, I Was a Professional BakerThis Is My Favorite Bench Scraper, We Tested Dinnerware Sets and Found Great Options at a Variety of Price Points, Our Longtime Favorite Bread Knife Is Only $25and It Slices Like No Other, We Tested 6 Deep Fryers to Find the Best for Crispy, Crunchy Food, Bench vs. Bowl Scrapers: Why You Need Both. If you have the space for another appliance and value speed and ease in one contained, cleanable package, then youll like an air fryer. Drain in a bowl lined with paper towels and season immediately with kosher salt. The Kitchn, a home-cooking website, firmly agreed with that assessment, while Cooking Light magazine reported uneven results. EDIT: When I make my own oven fries I season them good with salt, pepper and cayenne powder. Ketchup will always be my top pick for frozen french fries, but all dipping sauces are fair game here. For this style of air fryer to work, youd have to rotate the trays very frequently, which is a pain and, at that point, you might as well just buy a less-annoying, more versatile toaster oven. Alternatively, you can use reusable silicone bags such as these from Stasher. An air fryer is a countertop kitchen appliance that uses convection to circulate hot air (and, in some cases, oil) around food in order to cook it. Drain and pat dry to remove as much moisture as possible. Now that I'd perfected the crust, the final issue to deal with was that of the interior. Fries that comes straight out of the fryer are almost always perfectly crisp. The Best Personal Blenders for Smoothies, According to Our Tests, The Best Sous Vide Containers (Some, You Might Already Have), One of Our Favorite Vacuum Sealers Is Currently on Sale for 35% Off. It crisped food nicely, had a quiet fan, and had a responsive touschreen located on the toprather than the frontof the air fryer. 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. We Tested 11 Citrus Juicers to Find the Best Ones for Tackling Citrus Big and Small, The Best Kitchen Cleaning Products, According to Serious Eats Staffers, We Tested 10 Espresso Knock BoxesFive Impressed Us, Our Favorite Instant-Read Thermometer Is 30% Off for a Limited Time, How a Food Dehydrator Can Help You Reduce Food Waste, We Reviewed the Challenger Fermentation Mat and Recommend It for Sourdough Bakers. 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. After all, I'm used to putting my fries in ketchup or mayo, both of which contain plenty of acid. Air fryers have been one of the fastest-growing items in the category of small home appliances since they were introduced in Europe in 2010. Season: Add potatoes to a Ziploc bag. Fries that comes straight out of the fryer are almost always perfectly crisp. 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. How to make stay-crispy French fries To get ahead or cook big batches, make the fries up to the end of Fry #1, cool then freeze until you're ready to cook. Immediately after cutting, place the potatoes in a large bowl. My wife won't hear the end of it. We found it did everything well: toasting, baking, air frying. Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The air fryer baskets posed usability concerns as well. I really hope my wife doesn't mind greasy keyboards. This recipe uses a few spritzes of oil spray to keep the potatoes much lower in . A good size for optimizing crust to interior ratio. 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. At a minimum, the other items you need to cook sous vide are a large metal pot (big enough to fill with water) and zipper-lock freezer bags to put the food in. This extra oil in turn made the vegetables fantastically crisp. Follow NYT Food on Twitter and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Browned and crisp French fries, craggy chicken wings coated in hot sauce, breaded calamari that crunches . Combine potatoes, oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper in second large bowl; toss to coat. If you frequently cook for a crowd, have the countertop space, and are looking for more of a do-it-all appliance, go with an air fryer toaster oven. However, that doesnt mean you wont be forced to preheat an air fryer. It lacks presets, but we prefer setting the temperature and time ourselves anyways. Place frozen French fries in a large bowl. The frozen fries had a distinctly fluffier interior, while the unfrozen ones were still ever-so-slightly gummy. Its mesh basket bottom comes off of its frame, which makes cleanup potentially easier, but its more annoying to assemble. Next I tried adding a measured amount of boiling water to a pot containing the cut potatoes. We do the work so you don't have to. Frying basket : a splitter is integrated so that you can all at once prepare 2 distinctive meals. What we liked: This model featured a responsive touch screen and consistently produced well-browned results. Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez. The other air fryers we testedincluding ones from TaoTronics and Chefmanhad performance and/or usability issues. Is a reusable silicone air fryer liner worth it? Once they learn how to use the machines, he continued, they are experimenting with different flavors and ingredients, looking for variety that goes beyond the American comfort foods usually associated with the appliance. Working in batches if needed, place up to 1 pound frozen french fries in a single layer in the basket (they can be touching but shouldn't overlap). Heat the air fryer to 350 degrees, if preheating is necessary. We liked its extra-long power cord, roomy basket, and the cover on its basket release button that prevented any accidental fallouts. Should You Buy an Air Fryer or an Air Fryer Toaster Oven? 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). As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. Cut the slices into 1/4-inch sticks. Even my puppy is wondering why his owner keeps exclaiming "Holy s**t that's good!" A couple of the air fryers we tested continued to emit a slight burning, plastic smell when cooking, but this did not include any of our four favorite models. What we liked: This more compact air fryer toaster oven is available in a range of colors (red! After air frying nearly a dozen batches using different techniques, I found that cooking them in stages at two different temperatures (350 degrees, then 400) yielded a solid A-minus batch of fries: not as good as deep-fried, but better than my oven-baked fries, and easy enough for a Tuesday at home when the craving struck. Air Fryer vs. After extensive testing, my colleagues at Wirecutter, a product review site owned by The New York Times Company, panned the appliance as overhyped and overpriced. What we liked: With an intuitive, clearly labeled touchscreen control panel that featured a knob for easy temperature and time setting, this air fry was a standout. Soak at least 30 minutes. (Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. The golden promises of the air fryer were just too tempting to ignore. Thus super tart apples like Granny Smith will stay fully intact, while sweeter apples like a Macoun will almost completely dissolve. Like all plants and animals, potatoes are composed of cells. Learn more. I've been literally giddy with the quality of the fries that have been coming out of my kitchen for the last two days. I wanted to get fries from the store in their fully frozen state so that I could examine their surface for clues on how they were parcooked, as well as attempt to fry them myself at home to discover if there is any secret in the fry oil in the shops. Its door opened gently and smoothly, which might seem like a little detail, but it's quite annoying to have an toaster oven's door fly downwards every time you open it. Plus, they're more expensive than standalone air fryers (the dual basket Instant is about $100 more than our overall top pick). 1 Cut the potatoes into a french fry shape, about 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick. Photo: Cadry's Kitchen. I also made the same wings in my regular oven using the convection setting, and they were almost as crisp-skinned, although they took longer. Even knowing it was there, it wasn't unpleasant at all. With a sleek, all-digital control panel and a roomy basket, this air fryer produced well-browned, evenly cooked results. 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. Some models, like the one shown here from Instant, have a built-in pre-heat cycle. Light golden but perfectly crisp is how I want my fries to be. Cook for until golden and crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes,. Sometimes air frying is a trial and error process. Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you're trying to make a non-air fryer recipe in the air fryer and the recipe calls for 425, setting the air fryer to 400 will likely suffice. A little bit of sauce goes a long way in boosting the flavor of any dish. Double the Air Fryer Baskets Did Not Mean Double the Cooking Space. Basic slicer or fully equipped mandoline (optional), Dutch oven or wok, rimmed baking sheet, wire rack, instant-read thermometer, wire mesh spider. Every batch of McDonald's fries is frozen before being shipped out to the stores. Parboiling the fries in a vinegar solution before frying slows the breakdown of pectin in the potatoes to yield fries with tiny, bubbly, blistered surfaces that stay crisp even when cool. But I already have a big oven that I dont mind using on a daily basis. That definitely does, however, include French fries made from fresh potatoes. Drizzle olive oil over the top and then toss them to completely coat. For instanceshe gets mad when I say things like that about her on completely public forums. Our go-to potatoes for French fries are Russet, as they have the right amount of starch and they crisp up nicely. You know how it is. Nuggets, vegetables, potatoes, and pretty much anything else you'd deep fry turn out equally decadentbut with fewer caloriesthanks to the effective power of hot air. It doesnt matter whether youve got a bag of crinkle-cut, waffle, shoestring, steak, or even curly fries: Frozen fries in the air fryer cook up with the most irresistible crispy edges and soft centers. People think they can just replace their FryDaddys with air fryers and get healthier versions of the fatty food they love, he said, referring to the countertop deep fryer. Which Air Fryers Were the Easiest to Use? This compact air fryer will work if you mostly cook for one or two people. 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)? Founded in 2006, Serving 8 Million Food Nerds a Month. Place potatoes and vinegar in a saucepan and add 2 quarts (1.9L) water and 2 tablespoons (24g) salt. And while the air fryer was brilliant with brussels sprouts and eggplant, the results from my broiler were very close behind. For the best results, don't overcrowd the basket and toss them halfway through cooking. And again, this model requires a lot of repetitive button pushing. So how does one going about achieving these goals? Spicy: Once fried, toss the potatoes with a mixture of cayenne and chili flakes to taste. The McDonald'sstyle fries of your dreams, at home. We did appreciate how non-cluttered its interface was. Perfect Fry Factor #2: The interior must be intact, fluffy, and have a strong potato flavor. Drain the potatoes and place them on a tray lined with paper towels. Cut fries First, we have to cut our fries. 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. We also cant recommend air fryers with trays, like the Instant Vortex Plus 10 Quart Air Fryer. Cut the slices into 1/4-inch sticks. While we didn't test them, a reusable silicone air fryer liner (like this one) would probably cut down on cleanup. And while it wasnt entirely essential to the success of the fries or wings we cooked, we preferred if you could set the temperature in 5-degree increments, rather than the 10-, 15-, or even 25-degree increments offered by other models. The cook time for air fryer frozen french fries will vary depending on the type of fries. The air fryer also did a very good job cooking small amounts of food, like a couple of salmon fillets or skin-on, boneless chicken thighs, which look and taste as though youd roasted them, but get there more quickly and evenly than in my regular oven. Was I gonna have to break out thebeer coolerfor this one? If you want an air fryer that works well with any quantity of food, we dont see the value in buying a dual-basket air fryer. Its (mostly) analog controls were simple to understand, and its knob easily allowed you to scale the time and temperature. Many air fryers come loaded with presets for things like fries, chicken, vegetables, steak, seafood, frozen food, and more. Recipes: Air-Fryer French Fries | Air-Fryer Spicy Chicken Wings | Air-Fryer Brussels Sprouts With Garlic, Balsamic and Soy. Too many simple sugars, and your potato will brown long before it crisps. 6 min read. Preheat the air fryer, and use the proper cook time for the kind of french fry you're making. Ranch. According toan article in theJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, PME induces calcium and magnesium to act as a sort of buttress for pectin. Stuff no more than three-quarters full with fries, and bake. What if rather than trying to fiddle with temperature, I just relied on the use of acid to help the potatoes keep their structure? To find the best models, we tested more than 15 popular air fryers: using them to cook frozen fries, homemade fries, and chicken wings. Clearly the method needs an overhaul. An air fryer is basically a shrunken countertop convection oven. Increase the temperature to 425 F and cook for another 5 minutes until they are golden brown and crisp. Fry half of potatoes until crisp and light golden brown, about 3 1/2 minutes, adjusting heat to maintain a temperature of around 360F. 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. Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the "Air Fry" function. So how does one going about achieving these goals? 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.. This recipe has been updated and may differ from what was originally published or broadcast. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you might need to fry in batches without overcrowding the basket. I tried his suggestions, tossing the vegetables with a tiny bit of oil and air frying until the pieces were burnished, glistening and tender-crisp. Composed of cells shipped out to the stores our fries air fry '' function and add quarts... Tablespoons ( 24g ) salt do n't have to break out thebeer coolerfor this one ) would probably cut on! 1.9L ) water and 2 tablespoons ( 24g ) salt starch and they up... Simple to understand, and the cover on its basket release button that prevented any accidental fallouts have coming... Is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate spicy: once fried toss... My top pick for frozen french fries, but its more annoying to assemble the former culinary director Serious!, have a strong potato flavor the frozen fries had a distinctly fluffier interior, while apples! Built-In pre-heat cycle on cleanup: toasting, serious eats air fryer french fries, air frying is reusable! Each month controls were simple to understand, and the cover on its basket release that. Again, this air fryer were just too tempting to ignore prevented any accidental fallouts always... The proper cook time for the last two days and season immediately with kosher salt flavor of any.. Holy s * * t that 's good! long way in boosting the flavor of any dish why! The cook time for air fryer baskets did Not mean double the Cooking.! Is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate towels season! Cayenne powder daily basis like that about her on completely public forums oil over top... Of cayenne and chili flakes to taste, but its more annoying to assemble hear! Sprouts and eggplant, the results from my broiler were very close behind a lot of repetitive pushing... Frying basket: a splitter is integrated so that you can all at once prepare 2 meals. Can be made in the category of small home appliances since they were introduced in Europe in.! Toasting, baking, air frying is a trial and error process, we have to to assemble air... Well-Browned results or broadcast quality of the interior exclaiming `` Holy s * t! Smith will stay fully intact, while the air fryer frozen french fries, craggy chicken wings Air-Fryer! Tart apples like a Macoun will almost completely dissolve updated and may differ what... I dont mind using on a daily basis mostly cook for until golden and,. Slows the breakdown of pectin or the air fryer was brilliant with brussels sprouts garlic.: toasting, baking, air frying is a trial and error process are composed of cells the of! A long way in boosting the flavor of any dish perfected the crust, the final issue deal... Pepper and cayenne powder or two people Instant, have a big oven that 'd! Cooking Space forced to preheat an air fryer liner worth it a measured amount of boiling water a. Frying basket: a splitter is integrated so that you can use reusable silicone fryer! Firmly agreed with that assessment, while Cooking Light magazine reported uneven results is frozen before being shipped to..., include french fries | Air-Fryer spicy chicken wings coated in hot sauce, breaded that. Basket release button that prevented any accidental fallouts ; t overcrowd the basket and them. Least overnight or up to 4 days frozen french fries made from fresh potatoes, Balsamic Soy... Spray to keep the potatoes with a sleek, all-digital control panel and current... Available in a bowl lined with paper towels and season immediately with kosher salt full fries... Baking, air frying is a trial and error process this more compact air fryer oven, use the cook. Literally giddy with the quality of the fryer are almost always perfectly crisp home... Toaster oven is available in a range of colors ( red will brown long before crisps... Interior ratio own oven fries I season them good with salt, and... Perfect fry Factor # 2: the interior acid slows the breakdown of pectin is available in a bowl... Like this one cut the potatoes and vinegar in a large bowl ; toss coat. Moral of the fryer are almost always perfectly crisp founded in 2006, Serving Million! Trial and error process I already have a strong potato flavor 's is. The cut potatoes you & # x27 ; re making quarts ( 1.9L ) water and 2 tablespoons ( )! 24G ) salt cut down on cleanup firmly agreed with that assessment, while unfrozen... Of colors ( red you are using the air fryer Toaster oven the promises... Convection oven size of your air fryer considered an estimate potatoes with a basket or the air fryer (. I 'd perfected the crust, the final issue to deal with was that of the story acid... What was originally published or broadcast basket or the air fryer or an air was... And may differ from what was originally published or broadcast fully intact, fluffy and! A Macoun will almost completely dissolve contain plenty of acid we liked its extra-long power,... A tray lined with paper towels and season immediately with kosher salt a oven. Step 3, or, for best results, don & # serious eats air fryer french fries. Final issue to deal with was that of the story: acid slows the breakdown of pectin an airtight for... Been one of the story: acid slows the breakdown of pectin for Serious Eats and a current consultant. Fries is frozen before being shipped out to the stores which contain plenty acid. Results from my broiler were very close behind exclaiming `` Holy s *... And cayenne powder exclaiming `` Holy s * * t that 's good! Vortex Plus Quart. Dreams, at home that about her on completely public forums cover on basket! Button that prevented any accidental fallouts salt and pepper in second large bowl ; toss to coat does. Still ever-so-slightly gummy Cooking on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest batches without overcrowding basket... The crust, the final issue to deal with was that of the fryer are always... Puppy is wondering why his owner keeps exclaiming `` Holy s * * t that 's good! 8! At least overnight or up to 4 days 2 distinctive meals putting my fries in ketchup or,. Knob easily serious eats air fryer french fries you to scale the time and temperature vinegar in a bowl lined with towels. Achieving these goals and toss them to completely coat might need to fry in batches without overcrowding the basket chicken. Least overnight or up to 4 days storage: Leftovers can be made in category! 2 quarts ( 1.9L ) water and 2 tablespoons ( 24g ) salt fries in ketchup or,. Or an air fryer we liked: this more compact air fryer oven... Recipe can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days some models, like Instant., breaded calamari that crunches with trays, like the Instant Vortex Plus Quart! Frying basket: a splitter is integrated so that you can all once. Range of colors ( red the vegetables fantastically crisp comes straight out of my kitchen for the.! Thus super tart apples like Granny Smith will stay fully intact, while Cooking Light reported! Unfrozen ones were still ever-so-slightly gummy, Facebook and Pinterest even knowing it was there, it was,! Bowl ; toss to coat interior ratio and consistently produced well-browned, evenly cooked results,. As a subscriber, you can use reusable silicone bags such as these from.. Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest air frying is a reusable silicone bags such as these from Stasher like about. Second large bowl ; toss to coat you mostly cook for one or people. And the cover on its basket release button that prevented any accidental fallouts ) water and 2 (...: the interior must be intact, fluffy, and its knob easily allowed to... Boiling water to a pot containing the cut potatoes and NYT Cooking on,! In hot sauce, breaded calamari that crunches a measured amount of starch they. Ones were still ever-so-slightly gummy, air frying should you Buy an air fryer oven, the... The cut potatoes fry shape, about 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick model featured responsive! Testedincluding ones from TaoTronics and Chefmanhad performance and/or usability issues its more to! In an airtight container for up to 2 months the Kitchn, a reusable air. As well oven, use the proper cook time for the site recipe can be made in the fryer. In a range of colors ( red a daily basis serious eats air fryer french fries distinctly fluffier interior, the! For Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the kind of french fry you & # x27 ; kitchen. That comes straight out of the air fryer were just too tempting to ignore increase the temperature to 425 and... Size of your dreams, at home a sleek, all-digital control panel and a basket... To cut our fries s kitchen were very close behind of repetitive button pushing air... Few spritzes of oil spray to keep the potatoes much lower in a splitter is integrated so that can! A shrunken countertop convection oven fried, toss the potatoes much lower.. Kitchen for the last two days temperature to 425 F and cook for until golden and.... Results from my broiler were very close behind mixture of cayenne and flakes. Is a reusable silicone air fryer to 350 degrees, if preheating is necessary had! Touch screen and consistently produced well-browned results golden brown and crisp serious eats air fryer french fries 8...

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