Soaking the potatoes does something magical with the starches—it helps achieve the coveted French fry crispiness and prevents the fries from sticking together. This is what I did for the air fryer, too. I soaked these potatoes for about an hour or so, but I've also soaked them for up to 24 hours with no ill effect.
While it may seem like a pain, soaking the potatoes in hot water for 10 minutes prior to cooking them in the air fryer is essential. The water removes excess starch, allowing the fries to be their crispiest. Instead of soaking them in large bowl of cold water, I like to use hot water to cook the potatoes slightly.
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.
If you peel your potatoes, they won't be nearly as crispy—the oiled skin gives the delicious crispy bite with these taters. Preheat your air fryer. Placing your potatoes in a preheated 400° air fryer will also help them achieve maximum crispiness in a shorter amount of time.
Soaking potatoes in water for about 30 minutes to 1 hour can help remove some of the starch, which can make them crispier when fried. Changing the water a couple of times during soaking can further reduce the starch content.
For frying: Rinse after soaking to rid the potatoes of excess surface starch, then drain and dry well. For boiling: Potatoes can be placed directly into the cooking pot after being drained, no rinsing or drying is needed.
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.
Firstly, if your potatoes are still wet before being placed into an air fryer, this can cause your potatoes not to crispen up. You can avoid this by thoroughly patting dry your potatoes before you place them in the air fryer. Secondly, you might be putting in too many potato chips so they aren't cooking evenly.
Heat the air fryer to 180°C. Get your potatoes and garlic into the air-fryer basket and cook for 20 minutes. Give them a good shake. Remove the garlic and turn the air fryer up to 190°C and cook the potatoes for a further 10 minutes, then they are ready to serve.
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.
The reason is to prevent the potatoes exposure to air, which causes dehydration, oxidation, and discoloration.
Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes. Cold water is used because hot water would react with the starch activating it, making it harder to separate from the potatoes.
Rub potatoes with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parsley. Place potatoes in the air fryer basket. Cook in the preheated air fryer until potatoes are soft, 40 to 50 minutes, depending on potato size.
What temperature and time should I set on the air fryer for French fries? Preheat your air fryer to 375-400°F (190-200°C). Cook the fries for about 15-20 minutes, shaking or flipping them halfway through, until they are golden brown and crispy.
Foil is safe to use in an air fryer so long as you follow three basic rules: never let foil touch the heating element; make sure the foil is weighted so it doesn't blow around the basket; and avoid contact with acidic ingredients, which can cause the foil to leach onto your food.
If you're consistently stumped with why your potatoes aren't crisping up, there's a good chance that you're overfilling your air fryer. There's a reason people say “less is more”. Overfilling your air fryer can stop the air from circulating properly and can cause the potatoes to cook unevenly.
I wouldn't bother doing potatoes from the raw state, without soaking. It will take about a half an hour and the texture won't be nearly as rewarding. They just don't get very crispy without that cold soak.
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.
Crisper skin: The skin of the air fryer baked potato became considerably crispier. I also noticed that the skin stayed crisp longer than the oven-baked potato.
In our homemade french fries recipe, we suggest soaking your potatoes for at least 15 minutes, but if you'd like to do this step ahead of time, they can soak overnight. Avoid excess water on the potatoes: make sure to pat them dry after removing them from the water bath otherwise you'll end up with limp fries.
Air fry the potatoes at 400 degrees F until they're tender and browned around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Flip them halfway so that they cook evenly. (P.S. this Our Place Wonder Oven air fryer is my favorite).
Uses less oil than deep-frying: Cooking raw potatoes in an air fryer uses a fraction of the oil as deep frying, but they come out tasting amazing! Easy to make: Simply wash and cut your potatoes, toss them with oil and spices, and add them to your air fryer. They cook up fast and easy!
Boiling your potatoes before tossing them into the air fryer may feel like an unnecessary step, but it's a tried and true method for making extra crispy roasted potatoes, and one that Kenji swears by for good reason.
Gather all ingredients and preheat an air fryer to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Brush potatoes with peanut oil, sprinkle with salt, and place them in the air fryer basket. Cook potatoes until very tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Serve and enjoy!