Oven Baked Garlic Parmesan Potato French Fries Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why don't my fries get crispy in the oven? ›

A secret: the 10-minute cold soak!

The secret to the perfect texture for crispy baked French fries? Soak the fries in cold water before baking. Here's why: Soaking makes the outside crispy and inside pillowy.

Drain well: After frying, place the fries on a wire rack or paper towels to drain excess oil. Excess oil can make fries soggy. Keep them hot: Place the drained fries in a preheated oven (200°F/95°C) on a wire rack over a baking sheet. This will keep them warm and crispy until you're ready to serve.

This step is commonly missed in making homemade fries, but it might be one of the most important! Soaking your fries in cold water helps remove excess starch, which allows for crispy, golden fries! The cold water bath also helps the french fries retain their shape and contributes to a fluffy inside.

Fried potatoes have a crispiness and flavor that just cannot be replicated by baking. If you're looking for the best-tasting fries, you'll have to go with the fried variety. However, if you're looking for a healthier option, baked fries are a good choice.

Reheating Method: Oven-Roasted

Oven-roasting fries to revitalize them is exactly as it sounds: Crank your oven to 425°F, spread the fries out on a baking sheet, and let them get roasty-toasty.

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.

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.

Add herbs and spices for extra flavor.

"Add a bit of gourmet flair to your fries by sprinkling them with some garlic powder, fresh rosemary, seasoned salt, or fresh virgin-olive [oil] or truffle oil," Koeppe said. As well as adding flavor, a drizzle of oil can also help keep fries from sticking together in the oven.

The main reasons to cut the potatoes and pre-soak in water are: To allow the excess starches and sugars to be removed from the outer surface of the fry strips AND to keep the potatoes from browning prematurely from exposure to air. Covering in water helps the potato from turning a dark color.

Make sure that you soak the potatoes for at least 2-3 hours. Soaking the sliced potatoes in cold water is one of the main steps to prepare perfect French Fries. The cold water removes the starch present outside the potatoes so that you get perfectly crispy fries.

Why add vinegar in water for french fries? ›

When a small amount of vinegar is added to the soaking water before frying, it can help impart a tangy flavor to the fries without making them taste overly vinegary. The acid in the vinegar can also help to slightly break down the surface of the potatoes, aiding in the development of a crispier texture during frying.

Baking and grilling fries:

Evenly distribute the fries on a pre-oiled or sprayed baking sheet or grill pan. Flip the fries about halfway through cooking for even crisping. Remove fries from the oven, and place in a paper towel-lined bowl to serve. Try other dipping sauces as well as ketchup.

Making restaurant-quality french fries at home comes down to using the correct type of potatoes, oil, and cooking method. For example, most restaurants fry their fries twice. Plus, they often soak their fries in a slurry of special ingredients before freezing them for later.

The secret to perfectly-cooked French fries starts with using the right potatoes. You might think that all potatoes are created equal, but when it comes to choosing the best potatoes for Fresh-Cut French fries, you want high-starch potatoes. And the clear winners are Idaho or russet potatoes.

Bake fries on an open rack for optimum air flow.

"Baking frozen fries on an oven rack ensures even cooking and allows air to flow all around the fries, which increases your chances of getting golden-brown fries from the oven," Harvey said.

The secret to getting a crispy surface on home fries is to make sure the potatoes aren't warm when you pan-fry them. In this recipe, we precook the potatoes and let them cool to room temperature before they hit the buttered pan, ensuring perfectly crusty and crispy edges.

This sure sounds a lot like potatoes that have been stored too long, in too cold of an environment before cooking. When potatoes are held below 41°F for too long a period, the starches convert to sugar and it changes the cooking chemistry.

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.