Soak your potatoes before air frying to help remove any starch for about 30 minutes. If you are short on time, use the method in my recipe to help remove some starch to help crisp them up. Place the fries in a single layer in the air fryer basket so they cook evenly.
Using too much oil, overcrowding the air fryer basket or pulling the fries out before they're ready can lead to poor results. Crisp up soggy fries by evenly distributing the fries into one flat layer in the air fry basket and popping them back into the oven to cook for an additional 3–5 minutes.
Are your air fryer chips too dry? Use a little more oil! Shake on the regular too. Typically you can stop this happening by spritzing one or two times during the cooking process. Also, don't leave your potatoes sitting around for ages if you're par-boiling them as this can make the a little dry.
Once ready to serve, add all fries to the air fryer basket and cook at 390°F for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Crisp up leftover air fryer French fries by placing them back into a preheated air fryer for about 3-5 minutes.
French Fry Problems
These problems all arise from the improper handling of starch and sugar when exposed to high heat. To achieve perfect french fry results, we're going to start by rinsing our potatoes and then coat them with a light layer of cornstarch before double frying them.
Air fryers work best when there's plenty of room between individual items for air to circulate. If anything is stacked up together, air can't get in between, and you'll be left with a soft or undercooked spot where the overlap was.
Once the potatoes are cut, soaking them in cold water for 30 minutes (or overnight) is a great way to remove the starch from the cut sides, thus allowing them to crisp up even more in the air fryer. (Just be sure to pat them very dry before cooking!) This is actually the trick to making crispy French fries, too.
Overcooking or undercooking will result in soggy fries or hard/hollow fries that will not hold well.
Spread the cut potatoes in a single layer in the air fryer basket with a little space between each one. Don't cram them in! The space allows the hot air to come in contact with all sides of the fries, which is what makes them golden brown and crisp. Air fry them at 380 for 12 to 15 minutes, flipping halfway.
However, the surface reaches 212°F quickly. The water in the fries evaporates. A light, dry crust is formed with holes that allow water to pass through.
Set air fryer to 400°F (205℃) and preheat for 10 minutes. Add potatoes to basket in even layer, and cook until potatoes are golden brown and crisp all over, removing and shaking the basket a few times during cooking, 20 to 25 minutes.
Soaking the potatoes does something magical with the starches—it helps achieve the coveted French fry crispiness and prevents the fries from sticking together.
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.
Use a spritz of oil
Some people swear by spraying a little of your go-to cooking oil, like canola, olive or avocado, into the basket and over frozen french fries before air frying. The idea is that the extra oil helps the food brown and crisp up.
The secret tips that make all the difference: 1. Serrated knife to cut the potatoes = rougher surface = crispier 2. Blanch in vinegar water = wash away surface sugar that causes fries to burn before turning crispy (awesome tip from the legendary Kenji Lopez-Alt "The Food Lab") 3. Double fry!
Cook the fries at a low heat to start and then turn the air fryer temperature up to give them that crispy texture. Dry your potatoes completely before adding oil. This allows the oil to stick to the potato whereas if it's still wet, it will repel it and they could turn soggy.
If they are still not crispy you might have skipped a step or you might not have let them cool down sufficiently. Make sure to cool them in a single even layer and also make sure that the oil has the right temperature. Or maybe you've used the wrong potatoes to make them.
The trick to making the fries perfectly is to blanch them first. I know this is an extra step, but it is worth it. Blanching the potato sticks for 4 minutes helps par-cook the fries to just the right stage so that the air fryer can crisp up the exterior, but keep the interior moist and tender.
If you have a lot of fries to reheat, work in batches to ensure they all reheat and crisp up evenly. Set the temperature and cook time: After placing the basket into the air fryer, select 325 degrees Fahrenheit for the temperature and 5 minutes for the cooking time. Keep in mind that thicker-cut fries may need longer.
Dry the outside of the food properly before you add oil. Do not use too much oil, as this will make the food less crispy and more fattening. Meat or poultry can be lightly brushed with oil or marinated to get the crispiest results.
Let's get started: first, get your potatoes cut (and your air fryer preheating, if applicable). I like to cut mine into water to do double duty in making sure they are clean AND to keep them from browning too much. Then toss your cut potatoes with all your seasonings, including salt and pepper.
An equal amount of all-purpose flour and cornstarch provides both structure and crunch to the batter. Cornstarch is a go-to ingredient for many fried foods (think crispy chicken wings), and using it to bolster the crisping power of flour resulted in a thinner, crispier, and sturdier (yet still delicate) breading.
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Arrange potatoes in a double layer in the fryer basket. Cook, tossing every 5 minutes, until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and desired seasoning.