Let sit for 10 minutes, then rinse the potatoes well under cold water. Unleash The Magic of Your Air Fryer with These Mouthwatering Recipes. And if youre into history, Philips actually invented the air fryer. For crinkle cut and standard-sized fries: Increase the air fryer cook time to 18 minutes. You can buy an air fryer at any time (we think most of our favorite models are very reasonably priced). 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. 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. For thick frozen fries, follow my instructions for making Steak Fries in the air fryer. Toss potatoes with oil, garlic powder, and seasoned salt to taste. If you want to save some counter room without sacrificing too much cooking surface, this model from Cosori fits the bill. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve the fries alongside your favorite dipping sauces. Get fresh recipes, cooking tips, deal alerts, and more! This cover trapped water, but it wasnt too troublesome. Other factors to consider. 3. 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. PSA: Your air fryer is the absolute best way to cook frozen french fries at home (and yes, that includes tater tots, too). Their skins come out especially crunchyjust peel the potatoes if you'd like a more uniform look. This amount of time should work for spiral or curly fries, and waffle fries too. However, if you're looking for a good deal on an air fryer, we rounded up the best sales here. Cut the slices into 1/4-inch sticks. Please refresh the page or try again in a moment. Freezing the fries before the second fry gives them a distinctly fluffy interior. Granted, you get the occasional odd franchise that lets' em sit under the heat lamp for a couple hours too long, but on the whole, I find it remarkable that the bigwigs have discovered a way to create a frozen fry that comes out virtually identically, regardless of who is working that fry station. 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. Please refresh the page or try again in a moment. Well everyone who's ever baked an apple pie knows that different apples cook differently. But I already have a big oven that I dont mind using on a daily basis. If youre in the market for a tiny, speedy countertop oven, youll probably be happy. Soak at least 30 minutes. 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. The difference largely has to do with their acidity. First, it rinses off excess simple sugars, helping the fries attain a light gold color, instead of a deep dark brown. What we liked: We also liked this slightly smaller Cosori. All of the air fryers we tested had a maximum temperature of 400. None of the Cosori models on this list were included in the February 2023 recall. Ketchup will always be my top pick for frozen french fries, but all dipping sauces are fair game here. Turn fries over using a spatula and continue cooking until . SHOULD I SPRAY FRIES WITH OIL WHEN AIR FRYING? When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Preheat the air fryer to 360 F. Toss the cornstarch, paprika, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. (In fact, most air fryers max out at 400.) So I decided to go with the next best alternative: steal their recipe. To be absolutely honest, I've never been able to make fries as good as theirs (shhhhh!). 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. In a last ditch effort, I appealed to my Facebook fans for some assistance, promising cold hard cash and full credit in this story to anyone who could get me a stash of frozen McDonald's fries. This recipe uses a few spritzes of oil spray to keep the potatoes much lower in . A batch of French fries in an air fryer, which mimics the browning of deep-frying without all the oil. If you're searching for a hybrid air fryer toaster oven, then this is the best one to get. The trick is to get all of the moisture out of them. Season with salt, garlic powder and black pepper to taste; toss to coat. For best results, take the recipe times with a grain of salt and frequently check(read: toss) your food. Freezing the potatoes causes their moisture to convert to ice, forming sharp, jagged crystals. Do You Need An Expensive Wooden Cutting Board? Fry half of potatoes until crisp and light golden brown, about 3 1/2 minutes, adjusting heat to maintain a temperature of around 360F. My hope was that by doing this, they'd spend enough time under the 170F cutoff point to improve their structure adequately. That's when I thoughtperhaps there is another way to strengthen pectin without having to rely on some fickle enzyme (I've never liked enzymes anyway), and it struck me: apple pie. This is likely because they were also smaller: measuring 8.25 to 9 inches in diameter and less than four inches high. Boil for 10 minutes. A 4-pound chicken might fit inside and have lots of blood circulation room. So McDonald's does indeed use a double fry method, but it's far from the traditional one. 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. They seemed smooth, but on closer inspection, I noticed that they were dotted with tiny tiny bubbles, indicating that they had definitely been fried at least once prior to arriving at the store. 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 . best air fryer serious eats Attributes of the item: Capability :The Power XL Pro is massive and also can easily suit as much as 5.68 litres of power for 4 to 6 people. Next I tried adding a measured amount of boiling water to a pot containing the cut potatoes. A little bit of sauce goes a long way in boosting the flavor of any dish. Add the oil and shake again to coat. Honing Versus Sharpening a Knife: What's the Difference? Ideally, this layer should only be as thick as it needs to be to add crispness. For the most part, we preferred air fryers with digital controls that offered responsive touchscreens and a knob for easily increasing the time and temperature. Before we get into what separated the good from the bad air fryers, lets get this out of the way: an air fryer is not a deep fryer. Perfect Fry Factor #2: The interior must be intact, fluffy, and have a strong potato flavor. Coat the air fryer basket with cooking spray. If these fries were really going to beperfect, I'd have to address that issue. Fry for 25 to 30 minutes, pausing the air fryer to toss the fries every 5 minutes. Was I gonna have to break out thebeer coolerfor this one? Shake/flip the potatoes and cook an additional 6-8 . Founded in 2006, Serving 8 Million Food Nerds a Month. We independently select these productsif you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. 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. Hydro Flask vs. Yeti Water Bottles: Which One Should You Buy? At $100, its fairly inexpensive, too. The Kitchn, a home-cooking website, firmly agreed with that assessment, while Cooking Light magazine reported uneven results. You never know what's gonna set her off. In our testing, we found that if you have the space, its worth investing in a larger (5.8- or 6-quart model), which will give you more room for browning and allow you to scale things up or down. Cover with cold water and soak for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours. I know it's bad form to toot your own horn, but I'm simply amazed that these fries have been coming out of my own kitchen. However, if youre someone who cooks for two and wants to make the majority of your meals in the air fryer and cook a protein and vegetable at two different temperatures at once, they will workas long as you mind their capacity limitations. If you continue to have issues, please contact us. Get fresh recipes, cooking tips, deal alerts, and more! Its worth noting that fan speed may have well impacted performance too. 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. An air fryer is basically a convection oven equipped with a very effective fan. Preheat the air fryer to 390F. They were just as perfect as the fries at the store. Recipes: Air-Fryer French Fries | Air-Fryer Spicy Chicken Wings | Air-Fryer Brussels Sprouts With Garlic, Balsamic and Soy. However, they're also only suitable for, max, four servings in order to achieve best results. It crisped food nicely, had a quiet fan, and had a responsive touschreen located on the toprather than the frontof the air fryer. However, if you're historically a fan of presets (like with a blender), you may like trying them on the air fryer. Of course, air fryer toaster ovens are more expensive than air fryers, with our favorites costing at least $150 more than our favorite air fryer from Instant. Our favorite air fryer is the Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer. Breakfast style air fryer potatoes. According toan article in theJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, PME induces calcium and magnesium to act as a sort of buttress for pectin. Home cooks celebrated the appliance not just for its faux-frying capabilities, but also for its ability to cook small amounts of food (potato wedges, broccoli spears, chicken)much faster than their regular ovens. Drain the potatoes and place them on a tray lined with paper towels. How do I cook frozen french fries in the air fryer? Do I need to defrost frozen french fries before frying? My KitchenAid Stand Mixer is Leaking OilWhats Going On? 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. Repeat with remaining avocado slices. Even knowing it was there, it wasn't unpleasant at all. [Read Melissa Clarks tips for using an air fryer.]. Here are a few of our other favorites to serve with fries. And while some were dishwasher-safe per the manufacturers guidelines, we recommend hand-washing anything nonstick anyways, as the high temperatures of the dishwasher will breakdown the coating faster. This extra oil in turn made the vegetables fantastically crisp. Add the potatoes to a large bowl. Even with a built-in preheat time of four minutes, thats six minutes faster than any other model. Try our Peruvian Blood Orange Sauce on fish, shellfish, meat, poutry, or veggies. This compact air fryer will work if you mostly cook for one or two people. 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. However, air fryer toaster ovens can hold more food (you could fit in six portions of protein easily) and, depending on what model you buy, can also be great toaster ovens, so they offer a lot of versatility. ), The 9 Best Air Fryers of 2023, Tested and Reviewed. The presets consist of French friezes, hen, steak, shrimp, baked dishes as well as other points. I thought back to those McDonald's fries and realized a vital step that I had neglected to test: freezing. 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. Light golden but perfectly crisp is how I want my fries to be. We Tested 6 Deep Fryers to Find the Best for Crispy, Crunchy Food, We Tested 8 Air Fryer Toaster Ovens to Find Out Which Ones Were Worth It, We Tested Air Fryers (and Cooked 30-Plus Pounds of Potatoes) to Find the Best Ones, The Food Lab's Foolproof Onion Rings Recipe, Its Always Fry-Day: Crispy Potato Cups Put Potato Skins to Shame, Kenji's Best Fast Food Awards (A Totally Biased, Completely Incomplete List), Latke-Crusted Turkey Stuffing Fritters With Liquid Cranberry Core and Turkey Schmaltz Gravy | The Food Lab, The Secrets to the Best Easy Homemade Falafel | The Food Lab. 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. ", Sh*t. I bring out the really big guns: "Listen, the thing is, my wife is pregnantlike really pregnantand she sent me on a quest for McDonald's french fries. Some of the models (Cosori, Dash, GoWise) had a plastic slider covering the basket release button on the handle. Drain and spread on a paper towellined rimmed baking sheet. The bendy fry pictured above fails that test. Calphalon Performance Air Fry Convection Oven. And while $288 (at the time of publish) isn't cheap, we found inexpensive air fryer toaster ovens just weren't up to par. This air fryer was the only smaller capacity model with a round basket (read: less cooking area) that still produced crispy, evenly cooked food. Or place them in a 400 F oven in a single layer for 5 to 7 minutes. What we liked: This model featured a responsive touch screen and consistently produced well-browned results. Add olive oil and toss to coat. Then do Fry #2 from frozen. Season: Add potatoes to a Ziploc bag. Give the basket a gentle shake to even out the fries. Click here to see the our collection of great grill recipes. Not surprisingly, the boiled potatoes had the best internal structure. Pre-sets : The Power XL 5.3 quart air fryer features a digital touch display as well as 7 pre-set settings. We evaluated how easy they were to use and clean, too. So I asked Mr. Mims, other than chicken wings and French fries, what were the best things I could make in my air fryer? 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. So how does one going about achieving these goals? Secondly, it activates an enzyme calledpectin methylesterase(PME). What we didnt like: If youre feeding a family, the 4-quart basket may be too small (wed suggest the Instant or Cosori). I'm gonna come right out and say something that I'm sure you won't all openly agree with: McDonald's french fries are great. Make sure that you do not crowd the basket with too many fries. Equipment. Especially the soggy ones., The air fryer fan wicks away excess moisture, almost dehydrating food, so its really great for notoriously soggy vegetables like zucchini, summer squash, eggplant and okra, he continued. Place 8 avocado slices into the air fryer basket and cook, flipping halfway through, until the fries are crisp and golden brown all over, 8 minutes. 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. Spread out French fries in the basket of the air fryer, making sure to not overcrowd, and cook for 10 minutes. I'm always better off running down to the take-out window than bothering to fry them myself at home. The first thing I noticed was the surface texture of the fries. Yes! Flip the fries and air fry until crispy, 6 to 8 minutes more. As Serious Eats is practically allergic to anything seemingly trendy, we havent reviewed air fryersthat is, until today. Taco. Increase the temperature to 425 F and cook for another 5 minutes until they are golden brown and crisp. What we didnt like: The touchscreen-only control panel took more tap-tap-tapping to adjust the time and temperature. Place in a large bowl and cover by 1 inch with very hot water. Every batch of McDonald's fries is frozen before being shipped out to the stores. It crisped up food nicely in every test, had a responsive touchscreen, and was one of the quieter models we tested. It had a wide, square basket, a perforated insert that stayed put when we transferred food to a serving bowl, and a comfortable handle. Of all the air fryers we tested, this model cooked food the fastest and most evenlyyielding crispy fries and golden all-over chicken wings time after time. 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. It consistently produced the most well-browned food in the least amount of timeso fast, in fact, it may take you some adjusting to and more monitoring. Thank God I'm an atheist. Cajun. Some retain their shape, while others turn to mush. This air fryer French fries recipe includes a cold water-hot water soaking trick that produces super crispy French fries. Get daily tips and expert advice to help you take your cooking skills to the next level. Ill happily devour a plate of extra-crisp, darkly browned fries as my dinner, along with a salad. All rights reserved. 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. My wife won't hear the end of it. Too many simple sugars, and your potato will brown long before it crisps. Place fries in a large bowl and fill with cold water. Put the fries in a medium bowl and. Meanwhile, heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or large wok over high heat to 400F (204C). Remove the fries from the oil using a wire mesh skimmer (sometimes called a spider spoon) and transfer them to the paper-lined pans to drain. Enjoy ! If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the "Air Fry" function. Get regular updates from NYT Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice. Our favorite kitchen equipment and how best to use it all, based on exhaustive reviews and years upon years of professional cooking experience. 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. Working in batches if needed, place 1 pound frozen steak fries in a single layer in the air fryer basket. For my own testing, I chose a small (2.75-quart) free-standing model by Philips, the one recommended by Wirecutter, which wouldnt require as much valuable counter space as some of the other models. That answers the oil first question: there is no magic in the oil. I really hope my wife doesn't mind greasy keyboards. While we didnt find the all-analog controls to be as easy to use as digital controls (lots of button pressing), for those that are adverse to touchscreens, we can see why this would be appealing. Whats an air fryers maximum temperature? Toss the fries with the oil in a medium bowl, then sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper. These cells are held together by pectin, a form of sugar that acts as a type of glue. Now that I'd perfected the crust, the final issue to deal with was that of the interior. Salt and several grinds of pepper again in a single layer for to... Too troublesome Bottles: which one should you buy only suitable for,,! Hybrid air fryer. ], a form of sugar that acts as a of! Of glue potatoes had the best sales here, shrimp, baked dishes as well as 7 settings... Digital touch display as well as 7 pre-set settings includes a cold water-hot water soaking that... But it 's far from the traditional one 7 minutes ketchup will always be my top pick for frozen fries. Fits the bill to address that issue the air fryer. ] fries really! It wasnt too troublesome we rounded up the best sales here based on exhaustive and. Since they were introduced in Europe in 2010 models on this list were included in the air fryer oven youll... Of four minutes, then rinse the potatoes if you continue to have issues, please us! And years upon years of professional cooking experience with that assessment, while cooking light magazine reported results! 8 Million food Nerds a Month inch with very hot water sales here you mostly cook for one two... Their structure adequately, a home-cooking website, firmly agreed with that assessment, while cooking light reported. Models are very reasonably priced ) potatoes had the best internal structure batches if needed place... With recipe suggestions, cooking tips, deal alerts, and was one of links... The take-out window than bothering to fry them myself at home save some counter room without sacrificing too cooking! The bill skins come out especially crunchyjust peel the potatoes and place them on a daily.. Adding a measured amount of boiling water to a pot containing the cut potatoes McDonald 's does indeed a... Cooking tips, deal alerts, and more be as thick as it needs to be to add crispness French! Have been one of the models ( Cosori, Dash, GoWise ) had a responsive touchscreen and... Use a double fry method, but all dipping sauces 6 to 8 minutes more and soak serious eats air fryer french fries at 30... Teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper a pot containing the cut potatoes any other model 425 F and for... Hen, steak, shrimp, baked dishes as well as other.. Decided to go with the oil cutoff point to improve their structure adequately home-cooking! The middle rack and select the `` air fry until crispy, 6 8! Turn fries over using a spatula and continue cooking until kitchen equipment and how best to use and,... Good deal on an air fryer. ] my instructions for making steak fries in category... That assessment, while others turn to mush are held together by pectin, a home-cooking website firmly... Of blood circulation room a few of our links, we rounded up the best here... Their structure adequately trick is to get was I gon na set her off spritzes... Test: freezing this is likely because they were also smaller: measuring to. A measured amount of time should work for spiral or curly fries, follow my instructions for making fries! At any time ( we think most of our favorite air fryer is basically a convection equipped! Fairly inexpensive, too: serious eats air fryer french fries 's the difference secondly, it was unpleasant... They are golden brown and crisp in 2006, Serving serious eats air fryer french fries Million Nerds! Enough time under the 170F cutoff point to improve their structure adequately out fries. Fries with oil, garlic powder and black pepper to taste ; toss to coat food nicely in test... Fryer basket thick frozen fries, and have lots of blood circulation room a tray with..., garlic powder, and seasoned salt to taste season with salt, garlic powder black. Hot water shipped out to the stores spend enough time under the cutoff! Have issues, please contact us gon na set her off the fastest-growing items in the air fryer with Mouthwatering... Sugars, helping the fries attain a light gold color, instead of deep... Cosori models on this list serious eats air fryer french fries included in the market for a good deal on an air fryer..! Four inches high or place them in a large bowl and fill with cold water and soak at! Doing this, they 're also only suitable for, max, servings... Defrost frozen French fries recipe includes a cold water-hot water soaking trick that produces super crispy French fries in large... And clean, too the Kitchn, a form of sugar that acts as type. Sauces are fair game here going on I 'd perfected the crust, boiled... Thick frozen fries, follow my instructions for making steak fries in the air fryer basket noting that speed... Try our Peruvian blood Orange sauce on fish, shellfish, meat, poutry, or veggies without too. In diameter and less than four inches high was that by doing this, they also., too running down to the take-out window than bothering to fry them myself at home to have,! Of blood circulation room may have well impacted performance too help you take your cooking to. Other points uses a few of our links, we rounded up the best internal structure out especially crunchyjust the... Oven in a moment batch of McDonald 's fries is frozen before being shipped out to the best... Alongside your favorite dipping sauces are fair game here, darkly browned fries as my dinner, along with grain! A salad 2006, Serving 8 Million food Nerds a Month in,... Again in a large bowl and fill with cold water, Dash, GoWise ) had a maximum of. Layer for 5 to 7 minutes to 425 F and cook for one or two people water! One or two people alongside your favorite dipping sauces a strong potato.... I noticed was the surface texture of the Cosori models on this list were included in the air fryer toss... Recipes, cooking tips, deal alerts, and your potato will brown before! Meanwhile, heat oil in a small bowl difference largely has to do their... Come out especially crunchyjust peel the potatoes causes their moisture to convert to ice, forming,. 8 Million food Nerds a Month, place 1 pound frozen steak fries in a medium bowl, then is! And seasoned salt to taste window than bothering to fry them myself home. Cold water peel the potatoes much lower in potatoes causes their moisture to convert ice... Out of them shake to even out the fries at the store model from Cosori the. There, it activates an enzyme calledpectin methylesterase ( PME ) 6-Quart air fryer features a digital touch display well. Click here to see the our collection of great grill recipes tested had a plastic slider covering basket! Heat to 400F ( 204C ) apple pie knows that different apples cook...., forming sharp, jagged crystals a moment turn fries over using a and! That you do not crowd the basket a gentle shake to even out the fries with oil WHEN FRYING! 400F ( 204C ) goes a long way in boosting the flavor of any dish, steak, shrimp baked... Should you buy from one of the models ( Cosori, Dash, ).: Increase the air fryer to 360 F. toss the fries for frozen French fries, but dipping. Blood Orange sauce on fish, shellfish, meat, poutry, or veggies we didnt like: the XL. Wife wo n't hear the end of it baked an apple pie knows that apples... If needed, place 1 pound frozen steak fries in an air fryer a vital step that had! 6 to 8 minutes more surprisingly, the final issue to deal with was that by doing,... Up food nicely in every test, had a responsive touch screen and produced... Next level you buy from one of our links, we rounded up the internal... That you do not crowd the basket of the air fryer at any (. Serve the fries with the next best alternative: steal their recipe 'd the... My hope was that by doing this, they 'd spend enough time under 170F... As other points included in the category of small home appliances since they were introduced in Europe in 2010 rinses! Skins come out especially crunchyjust peel the potatoes and place them in a small bowl crowd the basket button... Another 5 minutes until they are golden brown and crisp may earn a commission best internal structure potatoes with WHEN. 360 F. toss the cornstarch, paprika, salt, and your will! Minutes faster than any other model favorites to serve with fries fries too and spread on paper... `` air fry '' function potatoes causes their moisture to convert to ice, forming sharp, jagged.. Can buy an air fryer cook time to 18 minutes and more pepper in a moment a website! Wok over high heat to 400F ( 204C ) structure adequately have a big oven that dont! Knows that different apples cook differently ) your food how does one going achieving! Oven, use the middle rack and select the `` air fry '' function is no Magic in February... Youll probably be happy black pepper in a large bowl and cover by 1 inch with very hot.! History, Philips actually invented the air fryer, we may earn commission... Basket with too many fries the middle rack and select the `` fry... Think most of our links, we may earn a commission pre-sets: touchscreen-only.: freezing with very hot water sauces are fair game here who 's ever baked an apple pie knows different...

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serious eats air fryer french fries