Air Fryer French Fries

Air fryer French fries tossed with minimal oil and favorite seasonings (sweet mesquite bbq, shrimp flavor, etc.); this method soaks first, then microwaves before air frying fries for the best taste.

Air frying French fries can be tricky. They can 1) turn out soggy and limp, 2) come out raw and undercooked inside, and 3) easily burn in the air fryer.

To circumvent these problems, we use an unconventional combination of methods.

Favorite seasonings for air fryer French fries

Sweet mesquite barbecue flavoring

For 245g potatoes:

• ¾ tsp McCormick Grill Mates Mesquite Seasoning
• ½ tsp sugar

Add seasoning ingredients to a coffee grinder and blend into a fine powder.

Shrimp flavoring

For 245g potatoes:

• 1/4-1/2 tsp salt or to taste
• 1/8 tsp white pepper
• 2 tbsp dried shrimp ground (use a coffee grinder to grind dried shrimp finely)

In a small bowl combine the ingredients well.

Basic flavoring

For 245g potatoes:

• 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
• ¼ tsp paprika (optional)
• 1/8 tsp black pepper or to taste

In a small bowl combine the ingredients well.

Tips for air fryer French fries

Any type of potato is fine. High starch, low water potatoes (russets, sweet potatoes) are most common for deep frying and baking. However, their glycemic index is particularly high.

When soaking fries in water, keep them submerged entirely. Any potato protruding from the water will oxidize and turn brown.

Time range to soak potatoes: as long as possible, but no more than a day. Soaking cut, skinned fries for 24 hours has not caused any structural breakdown for me (note that water is not salted). But generally, I soak fries overnight in the refrigerator for crisper fries.

Equipment used

• Cuisinart® Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven — heats food up extremely quickly
• Coffee grinder

Glycemic index for some potatoes (and yams):

The glycemic index relays how fast your blood sugar will rise with certain foods.

• Hight GI foods run from 70+ (bad)
• Medium GI foods run from 56-69
• Low GI foods are 55 and below (good).

The numbers below are primarily extracted from GI Search at the University of Sydney. See references for further links and other sources.

• Russet potato, baked without fat GI = 111
• Russet potato, boiled 8-9 minutes GI = 82
• Red skin potatoes, boiled GI = 56 (medium)
• White potato, Ontario, peeled, cubed, boiled 15 minutes and mashed GI = 74
• White potato, Ontario, baked in skin GI = 60 (medium)
• White potato, Ontario, peeled, cubed, boiled 15 minutes GI = 59 (medium)
• Yellow potato, Yukon gold, cut into cubes, skin on baked for 40 minutes GI = 81
• Purple potato, Purple Majesty, skin on cut into cubes, baked 40 minutes GI = 77
• Sweet potato, yellow belly, skin on baked for 45 minutes GI = 86
• Sweet potato, yellow belly, skin on roasted for 45 minutes GI = 85
• Sweet potato, yellow belly, cut into 25mm slices, boiled 20 minutes GI = 50 (low)
• Sweet potato, baked with skin 45 minutes GI = 83
• Sweet potato, roasted with skin for 45 minutes GI = 81
• Sweet potato, cut into 10mm wedges, fried GI = 73
• Sweet potato, cut into 25mm slices, boiled 20 minute GI = 46 (low)
• Sweet potato boiled 8 minutes GI = 61 (medium)
• Purple yam (ube) reported GI index varies by source from 24-45 (low)
• Chinese yam, steamed GI = 51 (low)
• Chinese yam, cooked GI = 54 (low)
• Carisma potato (unavailable most places) GI ~ 55 (source: newsmaker) (low)

According to Healthline, “Cooling potatoes after cooking may lessen their effect on blood sugar and lower their GI by 25–26%”; WebMD comments that waxy potatoes, such as fingerlings, and red potatoes have a lower GI.

Starch levels for potatoes

There are three general groupings for potatoes: starchy, waxy and all purpose.

Starchy potatoes have higher starch versus liquid content. They are best for baking, frying and in some cases mashing (e.g. russets), but less so for boiling.

• Russet
• Idaho
• Sweet potatoes

Waxy potatoes have more liquid and less starch than starchy potatoes. They are ideal for boiling, chopping and roasting, but not frying, baking or mashing.

• Red, blue/purple-skinned potatoes
• fingerlings

All purpose potatoes are somewhere in between waxy and starchy. They work for stewing, gratins, roasting and pan frying, as well as applications where waxy and starchy potations shine, but the results may not measure up. Yukon gold potatoes are good for mashing.

• Yukon gold

These are by far not all the varieties available for starchy, waxy and all purpose potatoes, but certainly a few of the most recognizable types.

Print Recipe

Air Fryer French Fries

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading...

By Kimberly – Serves: 3

Prep Time: 4 hours 5 minutes – Cooking Time: 12 – Total Time: 4 hours 17 minutes

Air fryer French fries tossed with minimal oil and favorite seasonings (sweet mesquite bbq, shrimp flavor, etc.); this method soaks first, then microwaves before air frying fries for the best taste.

Ingredients

• potatoes
• 2 tsp oil
• seasoning spices (see blog for choices)

Instructions

1

(optional) Skin potatoes.

2

Slice into ¼” thick vertical fries.

3

Soak fries in cold water overnight in the refrigerator. Be sure the fries are fully submerged in water to prevent discoloration.

4

Remove fries and pat them dry with paper towels.

5

Spread fries out on a plate and microwave for 4 minutes. If necessary, microwave in batches. Fries should be about 80% cooked.

6

In a bowl toss and coat the fries in oil, making sure all fries are coated well.

7

Add 1/2 your seasoning to the bowl and toss with the fries.

8

Spread fries out in the air fryer basket without overlapping them.

9

Air fry at 325F for 7 minutes and then 375 for 5-6 minutes. If possible flip the fries or stir them around gently mid-way.

10

Remove and toss with remaining seasoning or to taste.

Notes

Fries soaked longer in water crisp up better in the air fryer.

References

1. Carbs in Potatoes and How They Affect Blood Sugar. WebMD.
2. Potatoes 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Effects. Healthline.
3. Are There Carbs in Potatoes? Healthline.
4. What Is the Glycemic Index of Sweet Potatoes? Healthline.
5. Glycemic Index Research and GI News. The University of Sydney.
6. GlycemicIndex! Product Information
7. Glycemic index of different varieties of yam as influenced by boiling, frying and roasting. Wiley Online Libary.
8. Types of potatoes and when to use them. NEFF.