Your air fryer French fries could come out mushy or soggy if you don't air fry them at the right temperature. Follow my directions and you should be fine! Another thing to look out for is an overcrowded basket. If the hot air is unable to pass between the potatoes, they won't get crispy.
Preheat air fryer by running it at 390°F (200°C) for 5 minutes. Place leftover French fries in air fryer basket and mix with a little bit of oil, or spritz with cooking spray. Air fry 4-6 minutes at 390°F (200°C), shaking the fries once halfway. Check to make sure they are heated through, then serve!
If you are following a recipe, be sure to use the amount of oil called for in order to get the ideal results: Adding too little will get you food that doesn't crisp properly or eats dry; too much will get greasy. How to fix it: The key to great air frying is to think like baby bear, not too much, not too little.
If you have a lot of fries to reheat, work in batches to ensure they all reheat and crisp up evenly. Set the temperature and cook time: After placing the basket into the air fryer, select 325 degrees Fahrenheit for the temperature and 5 minutes for the cooking time. Keep in mind that thicker-cut fries may need longer.
The Key to Crispy Homemade French Fries
Allow the potatoes to cool before frying them a second time. Let cook until golden brown, then blot with a paper towel and salt before serving. Double-frying guarantees a wonderful crunch that will keep you coming back for more.
When fries are cooked at a very high temperature, the starches in them are hydrated (moisture goes in), puffing them up and helping the outer skin get nice and crisp. When these same fries cool, the starches secrete moisture, which makes its way to the fries' crust, leaving them soggy and limp.
Soaking the potatoes after they're cut draws out some of the starch which is naturally present in potatoes. This will result in a crispier fry. A thirty minute soak in cold water does the trick but you may soak them longer if you want. After soaking, be sure to dry the potatoes before you fry them.
Overfilling the Basket
Putting too much food in your air fryer basket is like overfilling your dryer with wet clothes -- some things will turn out OK but most won't. If you crowd your basket with sweet potato fries, the hot air can't move around evenly. Some pieces may cook fine, while others come out soggy.
Overfilling the Basket or Tray
Overfilling can cause sogginess, uneven cooking, or much longer cooking times. To avoid this air fryer mistake, cook your recipe in two or more batches if needed to allow for breathing room between pieces.
Air frying leftover fries activates the oil that's already on the fries helping you crisp them up when they're day-old. There is no need to coat them again with extra oil because the hot air of the air fryer does that work for you.
Lay three or four chicken skins in a single layer, skin-side down, on the air fryer basket and program the air fryer to cook at 400°F for a total of 12 minutes. At the halfway point (i.e. 6 minutes), flip the chicken skins over so they are skin-side up. Air fry the chicken skins the remaining 6 minutes or until crispy.
Once the chicken is fully coated, put the chicken thighs into the air fryer basket, skin side down. Air fry for 10 minutes at 380F, then use tongs to flip over so the skin side is facing up. This will help the skin get the most air time and get as crispy as possible.
Crowding too many chips in the air fryer basket will also cause uneven cooking and soggy chips. Place the chips in a mostly single layer, or criss-cross them over each other and shake the basket a few times during the cooking process, to toss the chips and evenly cook them. Too much oil can also cause soggy chips.
When it comes to the actual cooking, you want to fry the french fries twice. The first round is at a lower temperature to cook the inside of the potato and the second time you'll use a higher temperature to make the fries golden brown and crispy. You can use a home deep-fryer or just heat the oil in a Dutch oven.
High Smoke Point Oil Sprays – these include avocado oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and corn oil. Use one of these anytime you are air frying above 325 degrees f. If you want to deep fry foods, these are the oils to use as well. Sunflower oil is a great option for shallow frying.
While you are air-frying
Add water to the air fryer drawer when cooking fatty foods. Adding water to the drawer underneath the basket helps prevent grease from getting too hot and smoking. Do this when cooking bacon, sausage, even burgers if they are particularly fatty.
First let's talk about why cut potatoes need to be immersed in water to begin with. The reason is to prevent the potatoes exposure to air, which causes dehydration, oxidation, and discoloration. Immersing cut potatoes will also help rinse off excess starch.
He uses Idaho potatoes, which the cooks peel, soak in refrigerated water for eight hours, cut into long thin sticks and soak for eight hours more before frying. The soaking, Mr. Nasr said, is the secret to the crisp texture of the fries. It draws out the starch, making them more rigid and less likely to stick together.
But preheating is also a good idea to maintain a crispy and crunchy texture that we immediately picture when we consider making food in the air fryer. This could be good for freezer foods, such as chicken cutlet patties, chicken tenders, fries, or Tator Tots.
If you put the second basket of fries into oil that isn't at the recommended temperature, too much oil can get absorbed into the product itself. Hence, soggy fries and unhappy customers.
As that steam swirls around in the bag, that moisture is going right back into your fries, leaving you with disappointing mushiness. The solution? Keep the bag open, suggests Reddit user zachtray76. By letting the steam escape, your fries will stay crisp as ever until you can finally eat them.
“It's because McDonald's cooks their fries with beef flavoring mixed within their vegetable oil,” the San Diego-based content creator explains in a TikTok posted last week that's served up 9.6 million views. It's “why the fries taste so good,” he added, but it's “probably bad news for vegetarians.”