The Air Fryer Error Giving You Soggy, Lackluster Frozen Fries

For good reason, air fryers have become many home chefs' preferred appliance of choice. Beyond their ability to pre-heat quickly and cook a variety of foods with ease, air fryers are also known for giving frozen convenience foods a crispier bite. Speaking of which, while frozen french fries may seem simple enough to prepare, there is one step you should avoid at all costs. In order to achieve fries that have tender hot centers and crispy skin, avoid thawing them before cooking.

Frozen French fries are partially cooked and flash frozen to maintain their sturdy shape. Unfortunately, if you thaw frozen fries, you run the risk of breaking down their definable structure. Thawed fries may also turn soggy throughout the cooking process since they tend to absorb fat more easily. This is especially important if you like to coat your fries in a bit of cooking oil before air frying. To avoid this, simply preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and then add your frozen fries directly from your freezer to your lined fryer basket.

Toss your frozen fries in a small amount of cooking oil along with some extra salt, pepper, or other tasty french fry seasonings like garlic salt, smoked paprika, or grated parmesan cheese. Cook your fries for 10 minutes and serve. Besides cooking your fries from frozen, there are a few more worthwhile tips you may want to follow for satisfying results each and every time.

First, to ensure your fries turn out evenly cooked and extra crunchy, don't overfill your fryer basket. Since frozen fries cook faster in an air fryer than in an oven, consider air-frying your next bag in batches for crunchier results. Also, halfway through the cooking process, give your fryer basket a decent shake to move the position of your fries around and disperse any added seasonings more efficiently.

Also, keep in mind that the type of store-bought frozen french fries you choose makes a difference. While thinner varieties like straight-cut fries and curly fries typically crisp up with ease, steak fries or wedges require a little more finesse. You may need to keep these varieties in your air fryer longer than usual or use a bit more cooking oil for an extra crunchy bite.

Once you become a pro at cooking french fries in an air fryer, feel free to go a step further and enjoy crispier frozen air-fried french fries using an ingredient you always have on hand. This unconventional technique involves soaking frozen fries in water, shaking them in a sealed container, and then microwaving them before air-frying. While this method may seem counterintuitive, the microwave pre-steams your fries from the inside out. This way, once they're placed in your air fryer, they take on an unbeatably crisp exterior. Though, for times you want crispy fries without the added effort, simply cook them straight from your freezer.