GoKawiilFrench fries have a near-unanimous approval rating, but they’re not so easy to make at home — at least not ones that come out piping hot, crispy and glistening with oil.
Dropping a bag of frozen fries in the air fryer gets them close to that deep-fried taste and crunch, and amen for that. That said, air-fried fries can turn out drier, with a more uneven crisp than those submerged in hot fat. They’re more than edible and far better than oven-baked, but fall just short of perfection.
For fries that taste exactly like the ones at your favorite fast food joint or gastropub, a few easy extra steps are all you need.
7 Best Air Fryers, Out of 20 Tested See at CNET
To amplify your at-home air fryer fries, all you’ll need is a microwave, a bowl of water and some cooking fat. This technique, relayed to me by an air fryer expert, closes the gap between restaurant fries and the so-so versions you’ve been making at home. No boiling oil, no mess, no deep fryer babysitting — just heavenly fries that hit the plate in no more than 15 minutes.
Air fryer fries that taste exactly like deep-fried
Air fryer fries are already an easy snacking win. As I learned from an air fryer expert, they can be way better. Pamela Vachon/CNET
In the age of TikTok, it can be hard to trace the origin of certain hacks, but the method was shared with me by Andreas Hansen, founder and CEO of Fritaire, whose tumbler-based model is especially ideal for this French fry preparation, since it both aids in the texturizing of the exterior of the fries and precludes the need to shake several times during air frying.
The Best Frozen Fries to Cook in an Air Fryer, Tested by CNET See at CNET
A little investigation revealed that Chef Joshua Weissman is frequently credited with bringing attention to the method, but even in his video he gives a shoutout to Chris Young, whose video predates Weissman’s by over a year, and who credits Heston Blumenthal for inspiring the “triple-cooked” method, and so on, and so on.
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