Easy Oven Fries Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to good fries? ›

The secret to crispy on the outside/fluffy on the inside is to cook them twice. Use russet (starchy) potatoes. Cut your fries and put them in an ice water bath to rinse off excess starch and prevent them from turning brown while you finish cutting. Try to keep the fries uniform in size so they cook evenly.

For the best French fries, don't peel the potatoes. The potato skins add texture that helps the fries to become extra crispy in the oven. Cut them thin. Thin is the way to go when you're craving crispy homemade fries.

Soaking your fries in cold water helps remove excess starch, which allows for crispy, golden fries! The cold water bath also helps the french fries retain their shape and contributes to a fluffy inside.

Fries / Tots / Brussels: Heat oven to 350F. Spray or lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil. Remove your side from its container and spread evenly across a baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes and remove.

Bake fries on an open rack for optimum air flow.

"Baking frozen fries on an oven rack ensures even cooking and allows air to flow all around the fries, which increases your chances of getting golden-brown fries from the oven," Harvey said.

The best potatoes for French fries are soaked in a sugar solution before frying. The sugar solution has something to do with the carbohydrates and prevents the potatoes from soaking up a lot of grease, so they get crunchy.

Blanching: The Reason Why French Fries Taste Better

Your potatoes need to take two separate dips in hot oil to reach restaurant quality. Oil-blanching is a two-part process that reduces the moisture and starch content in your fries, helping them crisp up.

Instead, set your oven to 400 degrees and heat for 5 to 10 minutes. The dry heat will help maintain the original texture. Saucing strategically: If you're adding sauce to a crispy dish, wait until the last moment to apply it.

The main reasons to cut the potatoes and pre-soak in water are: To allow the excess starches and sugars to be removed from the outer surface of the fry strips AND to keep the potatoes from browning prematurely from exposure to air. Covering in water helps the potato from turning a dark color.

Starch rich potatoes usually turn soft and crumbly, while frying or baking. So, if you are making delicacies wherein you want the potatoes to be crispy and crunchy, then removing starch is the best way to keep your wafers, fries, crispy potatoes, hash browns crisp and delicious.

What happens if you don't soak potatoes before cooking? ›

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes.

If you wash potatoes and don't give them enough time to dry, the excess moisture on their surfaces will lead to the fries steaming rather than browning and crisping.

If it's for a short time, just spread them on a half-sheet pan and stick in a 200F oven. Because it's below 212F the potatoes won't keep cooking and because the oven is dry, they will stay crispy. If it's going to be longer, allow them to cool below 200F, put in a large bowl and seal well with oven-safe plastic wrap.

Blanching: The Reason Why French Fries Taste Better

Your potatoes need to take two separate dips in hot oil to reach restaurant quality. Oil-blanching is a two-part process that reduces the moisture and starch content in your fries, helping them crisp up.

The Maillard reaction happens when foods like potatoes have just the right amount of glucose and amino acids and are heated to above 302 degrees Fahrenheit. A big part of the flavor in fries also comes from the oil we use to fry them. A little salt also adds to the taste.

Seasoning for French Fries

These savory homemade seasoned French fries are flavored with garlic salt, onion salt, paprika, and salt.