¨Better than Fried¨ Oven-Baked Crispy French Fries Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Are oven baked fries better than fried? ›

There are many advantages of baked fries over fried fries. Baked fries are lower in calories and fat, and they're also much easier to make at home. When you fry potatoes, a lot of the potato's natural nutrients are lost in the process. But when you bake potatoes, they retain more of their vitamins and minerals.

First, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Then, spread your French fries out on a parchment-lined baking sheet, making sure none of them are touching (if they're too crowded, they won't get as crispy). Heat them in the oven for about eight to ten minutes, then give them a quick toss.

And generally speaking, restaurants fry their french fries twice: once at a lower temperature to cook the inside of the fry, and then a second time at a higher temperature to brown the exterior.

They're trickier to get right than potatoes that are dunked into hot oil. Oven fries can easily end up soggy, or they can burn or dry out in the arid heat of the oven. If you're not careful, they can also stick to the pan, leaving all their crispy goodness behind.

Fries have a very high starch content. When they are cooked at high temperatures, they absorb moisture which gives them their signature crispy exterior. When they are left out to cool, the starches secrete moisture, which eventually makes the fries' crust soggy.

A properly made fry must hit the oil twice--once at a lower temperature, and then again at 350 degrees Fahrenheit--to get the perfect creamy interior and crunchy exterior. Before all that, though, the secret is to briefly poach them in boiling water (or "blanch" them) before they go into the hot oil.

Refined peanut oil is the best oil to use for making french fries. You can also use canola or safflower oil. Additionally, restaurant fries are so crispy because, among other things, they use old oil continuously.

Corn Starch: Adding a thin coating of corn starch to the potato fries before frying can help create a crispier exterior. When the corn starch comes into contact with the hot oil, it forms a barrier that traps moisture within the potato while also developing a crunchy crust.

The baking soda is clutch, as it alkalizes the water/potatoes and contributes to the crunch effect.

If you're pressed for time, the slightly sticky, cut potatoes should be soaked for a minimum of 15 minutes. However, a longer soak time may allow more starch to be removed. So, if you can prep the fries ahead of time, a few hours of soaking can help make them even crispier.

What temperature do you keep fries crispy in the oven? ›

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.

Preheat your oven to 230°C (conventional oven) or 210°C (fan assisted oven). Remove French fries from packaging and spread evenly on a baking tray. Place your tray of French fries in the centre of the oven and cook for 15-18 minutes (fan assisted oven) and for 15- 28 minutes if you have a conventional oven.

The broil setting on your oven cooks food quickly with direct heat—typically at 550°F (289°C)—and produces a seared finish that's similar to grilling. Smaller or countertop ovens usually preheat to the broiling temp faster, so you can quickly finish baked or slow-roasted dishes with crisp browned edges.

While any type of cooking naturally reduces the nutrients in food, frying reduces the most nutrients while absorbing fat from the oil. Baking, however, enhances some nutrients and makes the protein in some foods easier to digest, making it a better and healthier way of cooking food than frying.

Because ovens heat air, and air has no calories, baking in an oven does not add additional calories or fat to the foods you cook. This is why baking is a smarter option when working on controlling calorie, cholesterol or fat intake, as you are left only with the calories and fat from the foods in the pan.

Cooking methods may greatly affect the macronutrient content of potatoes — especially their fat content. For instance, a 100-gram serving of fried potatoes has 14 grams of fat. In comparison, the same serving size of baked or boiled potatoes has just 0.1 grams of fat ( 2 , 7 , 8 ).

Obviously, baking is one of the healthiest ways to cook a potato (boiling is fine too), especially if you are going to eat the skins, which are a good source of fiber. But baked potatoes don't have to be loaded with butter, cheese, and sour cream in order to be delicious.