French fries are the most straightforward dish with different names and different flavors that can be enjoyed as a side dish or a snack, light on the stomach yet full of flavor. Their alternate names are chips, finger chips, fries, steak fries, hot chips, or slap chips.
French fries are made with just 3 ingredients: potatoes, oil, and a pinch of salt, and they are made in just no time.
This simple dish has other variations too, like curly fries, steak fries, shoestring fries, chilly cheese fries, sweet potato fries, and last but not least, poutine. This side dish is often served hot, either soft or crispy, with a little salt and spicy ketchup, mayonnaise, vinegar, barbecue sauce, honey mustard, garlic aioli, or other sauces.
They usually appear on the menus of diners, fast food restaurants, or pubs. Even strips of russet potatoes are cut and dipped in water for 5–10 minute intervals and are often deep-fried or oven-baked, which uses little to no oil.
Similar to this, an air fryer is a great way to make your favorite at-home fries in no time. It’ll take almost 10 minutes to be ready for the endeavoring of these juiciest fries. If you follow all the instructions, then you’ll surely have the crunchy and soft fries in an air fryer.
Recipe:
This recipe includes the cold water-hot water soaking technique, which will produce the most crispy fries ever. They are made with fewer ingredients and can also be served with burgers, steaks, chicken, or even as a complementary dish.
Ingredients:
- Potatoes ( russets or york gold)
- Oil
- Cayenne pepper (for a hot kick)
- Kosher salt
Steps to follow:
- Cut the potatoes: peel them with a peeler and cut them into slices, then into sticks.
- Soak the potato sticks in cold water for 5 minutes, and drain the cold water. Then, in a bowl of sticks, pour the boiling water over them and let them sit for an additional 10 minutes. Drain them and dry them with a paper towel, allowing them to cool down.
- In a mixing bowl, drizzle some oil and cayenne powder on the fries as per your taste buds.
- Preheat the air fryer to 375 Fahrenheit or 190 Celsius degrees.
- Air fry the potato sticks in an air fryer basket in a single or double layer, cook for 15 minutes and toss them from time to time. Cook for another 10 minutes to get the crispy and golden brown layer.
- Enjoy it hot, served with salt seasoning and your favorite sauce.
How many calories do fries have?
Air frying your favorite foods is like clear access to heaven. They produce no mess, yet they satisfy your cravings without having to increase the bad nutrition in your body, like fat or cholesterol.
Potato sticks or fries are packed with essential nutrients that benefit our health, heart, and brain.
Below is a table of all the nutrition facts that can be attained through fries:
| Nutritional value | Amount per serving |
| Calories | 90 |
| Total fat | 2.9g |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Sodium | 141mg |
| Total carbohydrate | 14.48g |
| Protein | 1.78g |
| Calcium | 13mg |
| Iron | 0.83mg |
| Potassium | 370mg |
| Vitamin A | 1mcg |
| Vitamin C | 8.7mg |
Serving size of 1 cup of french fries will always give you drooling appetizers, but they will not be a troublesome cause for the heart because an air fryer uses hot air to cook your food rather than an atypical oven, which would include indefinite oil drizzles.
Just like this, cooking in the air fryer covers the most essential elements to provide our body with the strength and immunity needed.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How long does It Take to air fry frozen french fries?
Frying French fries is an easy task. 10-15 minutes is the time limit for frozen french fries to be crispy fried. You can preheat the air-fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and spread the fries in a single or double layer in the fryer basket.
Working in batches and as per the type of fries, cook them for 10–13 minutes, tossing them by shaking the basket every 5 minutes.
Pro tip: Depending on the level of crispiness, you want to cook them for 2 more minutes for that extra crunch and serve them hot.
what temperature do you put French fries in an air fryer?
350-375 Fahrenheit or 190 degrees Celsius is the ideal temperature to put your dried and seasoned french fries in the air fryer basket.
Place them in a single or double layer while tossing them from time to time or every 5 minutes for the outer crispy and golden brown layer.
Do you soak french fries before frying them in an air fryer?
Yes, the soaking of french fries is the crucial step for extra crunchy sticks because it will remove the extra starch present in the potatoes when cut.
You can either soak them for 30 minutes long time or use the hot-cold method which is to soak them in cold water for 10 minutes and then give additional 10 minutes in the boiling hot water; remember to pat dry the cut fries before putting them in the air-fryer basket.
Should I put oil on the fries in an air fryer?
Yes, oil should be put on fries even if in the air fryer, so that they hold seasoning well and could be fried evenly.
However, the air fryer fairly uses less amount of oil which is 1-2 teaspoons per meal than a regular deep fry which uses a quantity of double or triple air-fryer. The best oils to be used are:
- Avocado oil
- Olive oil
- Canola oil
Are air fryer fries healthy?
Yes, out of all the ways, air frying the fries is the healthiest option to opt for than traditional frying because it only uses hot air which makes them crispy and crunchy rather than oil.
Making food in an air fryer puts out the calories by 70-80 percent and a lot of fat and cholesterol by cutting down on the harmful effects that may be caused by deep frying.
However, they end up producing acrylamide when you cook them at high temperatures for a longer time, so do keep an eye on that temperature and time limit.
How long does it take to air fry french fries?
12-15 minutes is the time taken for preparing the french fries in the air fryer at 375-380 Fahrenheit flipping them halfway or when the edges are golden brown.
This can be repeated for all the fry batches but with adequate space given in between the fries and then toss them hot with some salt in a bowl.
How do you make frozen fries crispy in an air fryer?
Preheat the air fryer to 380 Fahrenheit and place the frozen fries in the air fryer basket in a single layer for 12-14 minutes with drizzling some oil and seasoning on the fries.
A single layer and high heat will make the frozen fries crispy on the outside and completely cooked from the inside without ruining the texture or making them soggy.
Do I need to defrost french fries before air frying?
No, you don’t need to defrost or thaw the frozen French fries before air frying them. Simply take out the frozen fries and place them in a single layer in the basket with or without parchment paper.
Spread them out and maybe coat them with spice and a teaspoon of oil for even cooking before putting them in the basket. In this way, you can have delicious fries in just a few minutes.
What’s the best way to cook fries in an air fryer?
First, preheat the air fryer to 380-400 Fahrenheit and cook them in batches for 13-15 minutes, for extra crispiness cook them for additional 1-2 minutes until desired crispiness.
Depending on the type of fries, toss them and check them from time to time to ensure they cook evenly while making sure they don’t get soggy or overcooked.
You can add up some sauces and meat to the fries so it can make up for a whole meal, you can eat them with loads of fried onions, sesame seeds, vegetables, chicken breast, and many more.
You can also watch the following video for more tips and tricks
Does The Air Fryer Need To Be Preheated?
For this recipe for fries, you don’t need to preheat the air fryer.
If you don’t preheat the food, nothing will go wrong. The frying element in certain small to medium air fryers is quite close to the food, which can be advantageous or disadvantageous. You don’t need to preheat because these types of air fryers cook food so quickly and hotly.
Can I Make The Fries In Advance?
Yes, simply clean and cut the fries and store them in the refrigerator, thoroughly submerged in cold water. Prior to cooking the fries, drain and pat them dry.
French fries cooked in the air fryer to a perfect crisp and crunch and full of flavor. You can make homemade French fries without all the mess and grease of traditional fried fries with only a few simple ingredients!
Summary
- Crispy and yummy homemade French fries are the highlight of any fancy-style meal. They are easy to make and fulfill the cravings with different spices and dipping sauces like garlic aioli, honey mustard, or just the simple salt and spicy ketchup that can change the taste.
- The air fryer is the fastest way to cook any food without getting worried about the aftermath of the cooking cause it’s that simple, so when you are craving anything at any time then remember your air fryer even if you are lazy without getting worried about the dieting or our health.
- Make sure you follow the steps given so you have the extra crispy and crunchy french fries every single time.