Air-Fryer French Fries

SERVES Serves 2 to 4

TIME 1 hour (28 minutes cook time)

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

After years of turning out fries of every stripe, we know a good fry when we taste one: the browned, crisp exterior, the fluffy center. And we know that achieving this ideal requires a few tricks, typically a presoak and a two-part frying. But who can argue with the promise of fries cooked with minimal effort or oil? So, holding doubts in check, we set out to create the ideal air-fryer French fry. Some recipes called for hours of prework. Others had you throw the potatoes in the basket and cross your fingers. From dry, hollow sticks to limp, greasy planks, not one passed muster. Seventy pounds of potatoes later, we learned that air-fryer fries require the same tricks as their deep-fried cousins: soaking, a low-temp fry to par-cook the spuds, and a high-temp fry to crisp them. But we found shortcuts: A rinse and a 10-minute soak in hot water was sufficient. Cutting thick fries prevented hollow centers and yielded a great crispy-fluffy ratio. Still, our fries tasted lean. A second toss in a bit of oil and salt in between fryings proved the solution, producing crisp, perfectly seasoned results. Excellent homemade fries had never been easier. After years of turning out fries of every stripe, we know a good fry when we taste one: the browned, crisp exterior, the fluffy center. And we know that achieving this ideal requires a few tricks, typically a presoak and a two-part frying. But who can argue with the promise of fries cooked with minimal effort or oil? So, holding doubts in check, we set out to create the ideal air-fryer French fry. Some recipes called for hours of prework. Others had you throw the potatoes in the basket and cross your fingers. From dry, hollow sticks to limp, greasy planks, not one passed muster. Seventy pounds of potatoes later, we learned that air-fryer fries require the same tricks as their deep-fried cousins: soaking, a low-temp fry to par-cook the spuds, and a high-temp fry to crisp them. But we found shortcuts: A rinse and a 10-minute soak in hot water was sufficient. Cutting thick fries prevented hollow centers and yielded a great crispy-fluffy ratio. Still, our fries tasted lean. A second toss in a bit of oil and salt in between fryings proved the solution, producing crisp, perfectly seasoned results. Excellent homemade fries had never been easier.

INGREDIENTS

1½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salt and pepper

note: BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Frequently tossing the potatoes ensured the most even cooking and the best browning. We found tossing the fries in a bowl, rather than in the basket, yielded the best results and the fewest broken fries. Do not clean out the tossing bowl while you are cooking; the residual oil helps the crisping process.

Directions at americastestkitchen.com

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