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It wouldn’t be truthful to say that I purchased an air fryer merely to reheat french fries, however it could be disingenuous to assert that my want to reheat french fries had nothing to do with the acquisition. A couple of years in the past—after we had been younger and the air was candy—I wrote a weblog claiming that waffling unhappy, chilly fries was a first-rate technique to reheat them.
Virtually instantly, the feedback began rolling in. “You idiot, you absolute imbecile,” they stated. “An air fryer is the one software you must use to reheat french fries, and you might be an fool for suggesting in any other case.” (I’m paraphrasing, however this was the texture of the feedback, not less than as I recollect it.)
“Possibly I ought to get an air fryer,” I believed, earlier than ready one other eight months to get one. (I lastly acquired the On the spot Pot Vortex Mini, as a result of it’s small and crimson and $50.)
The tiny, highly effective convection oven—which doesn’t technically fry something—is kind of helpful. I’ve already acquired an entire checklist of stuff I plan to air fry, however I began with chilly fries (and ate them for breakfast), as a result of that’s what introduced us thus far within the first place.
My associates, you (and everybody else who yelled at me) weren’t mendacity. On the subject of restoring limp, cardboard-like fries to their former crisp, golden glory, the air fryer kicks the waffle maker’s ass (although I keep waffled leftover fries make wonderful breakfast potatoes).
The right way to reheat chilly fries within the air fryer
Past reheating utterly chilly fries, this can be a nice technique to revive takeout fries that will have sat in a paper bag or plastic container for too lengthy. Simply 5 to 10 minutes in a 375-degree air fryer perks ‘em proper again up. Timing will fluctuate from air fryer to air fryer however, not like the On the spot Pot or a sous-vide circulator, it’s very straightforward to examine in your air fried meals mid-cook—simply slide the little basket out. Attempt to not over-pack the air fryer; you need the recent air to have the ability to flow into round every fry. It took my air fryer a mere 5 minutes at 375℉ to revive chilly, lifeless, pretty thick-cut breakfast fries to their former glory, which is dangerously fast, notably in a family that’s susceptible to over-ordering french fries.
Whereas just a little overlapping is ok, attempt to not crowd your fries.
Credit score: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
What makes leftover fries so unhappy?
Leftover fries are unhappy and soggy resulting from moisture migration, and the air fryer takes care of that nonsense in brief order. As soon as a fry begins to chill, the water contained in the fluffy starch granules strikes out in direction of the crust, rendering the insides of the fry grainy and the outsides mushy.
Why reheat fries with an air fryer?
An air fryer can’t rehydrate these starch granules, nevertheless it definitely revives a fry’s soggy outsides. The recent, circulating air drives off moisture and will get any dormant fry grease movin’ and groovin’, re-crisping the potato’s crust. And whereas the insides aren’t fairly as tender and fluffy as they’re once you first take them out of a deep fryer, they’re fairly rattling shut. Those I ate for breakfast this morning had been virtually indistinguishable from recent fries, although it’s price noting that they appeared to be a “fresh-cut, as soon as cooked” form of fry, so this will likely have solely been their second (not third) heating.
Suggestions for reheating fries within the air fryer
Do not crowd the pan. Lay the french fries in a single layer and attempt to keep away from quite a lot of overlapping. This may stop any steam from getting trapped and permit your taters to crisp quicker. When you’ve got quite a lot of fries to reheat, it is perhaps finest to do it in batches.
Spritz ’em with oil. For a just-out-of-the-fryer crust, give your fries a lightweight spritz with a impartial cooking oil. The recent layer of fats conducts the warmth from the air fryer that rather more successfully.
Examine on them mid-cook. Your air frying time will fluctuate relying on the thickness of the french fry you are reheating (steak reduce? shoestring? crinkle?), so it is vital to examine in your spuds a couple of times. The convection air movement is so environment friendly, a couple of minutes too lengthy and you will go from crisp and fluffy to arduous and dry.
