This Is Actually the Best Way to Reheat French Fries.
It would be unfair to say that I bought an air fryer simply to heat up French fries, but it would also be disingenuous to say that my desire to heat up French fries had nothing to do with the purchase. Years ago, when we were young and the air was sweet, I wrote a blog arguing that a sad, cold roast was the best way to warm it up.
Almost immediately the comments started pouring in. “You are a fool, you are a complete idiot,” they said. “An air fryer is the only tool you should use to reheat French fries, and you’re an idiot if you suggest otherwise.” (I’m paraphrasing, but that’s how the comments felt, at least as far as I remember.)
“Maybe I should get an air fryer,” I thought, before waiting another eight months to buy one. (I finally got the Instant Pot Vortex Mini because it’s small, red, and $50.)
A tiny, powerful convection oven that technically doesn’t fry anything is quite convenient. I already have a whole list of foods I plan to air fry, but I started with cold fries (and ate them for breakfast) because that’s what got us to this point in the first place.
My friends, you (and everyone else who yelled at me) were not lying. When it comes to restoring soft, cardboard-like fries to their former crispy, golden glory, the air fryer kicks the waffle iron’s butt (though I will argue that leftover fries in waffles make great breakfast fries).
How to Reheat Cold French Fries in an Air Fryer
Besides reheating completely cold fries, this is a great way to revive takeout fries that may have been sitting in a paper bag or plastic container for too long. Just five to ten minutes in the deep fryer at 375 degrees and they’re back to normal. The time will vary from air fryer to air fryer, but unlike an Instant Pot or sous vide circulator, it’s easy to check whether your food is air-cooking while it’s cooking—just pull out a small basket. Be careful not to overload the fryer; you want hot air to be able to circulate around each roast. It only took my air fryer five minutes at 375℉ to restore cold, lifeless, rather thick cut breakfast potatoes to their former glory, which happens dangerously quickly, especially in a household that tends to order too many fries.
What makes leftover French fries so sad?
Leftover fries get nasty and soggy due to moisture migration, and the air fryer will make quick work of that nonsense. As the fry begin to cool, the water inside the loose starch granules moves toward the crust, making the inside of the fry grainy and the outside soft.
Why reheat French fries in an air fryer?
The fryer can’t rehydrate those starchy granules, but it sure does revive the raw skin of the fry. The hot, circulating air removes moisture and causes the dormant frying fat to move and furrow, re-frying the potato skin. And while the insides aren’t as tender and fluffy as when you first take them out of the fryer, they’re pretty darn close . What I had for breakfast this morning was almost indistinguishable from fresh fries, although it’s worth noting that these appeared to be the “fresh-cut, just-cooked” kind of potato, so perhaps it was their second ( and not the third) warm-up. .
Tips for Reheating French Fries in the Air Fryer
Don’t overcrowd the pan. Place fries in a single layer and try to avoid too much overlap. This will prevent steam from entering and allow the potatoes to brown faster. If you need to reheat a lot of fries, it’s best to do it in batches.
Drizzle them with oil. For a fresh-from-the-fryer crust, lightly drizzle the fries with neutral vegetable oil. A fresh layer of fat conducts heat away from the fryer much more efficiently.
Check them halfway through cooking. Air frying times will vary depending on the thickness of the fries you’re reheating (steak cut? string? shriveled?), so it’s important to check your fries once or twice. The convection air flow is so effective that if left on for a few minutes, it will turn from crispy and fluffy to hard and dry.