If you love fast food, then you know that fries are the first item you need to eat because they can get soggy really fast. If you let them sit out for too long, they’ll taste completely different and won’t be worth the calories.
When I’m too tired to make dinner for myself, I love ordering in. Like most people, I don’t think cheeseburgers are complete without a serving of crispy golden fries on the side.
But I’m all too familiar with the case of pending leftovers, when your eyes are bigger than your stomach!
When fries get cold and soggy, most people think that the only reasonable thing to do is throw them out, and I have to say that I completely disagree.
There’s no reason to waste perfectly good food, especially if there are countless ways you can reheat and enjoy it.
Take a look at four easy methods that will show you how to reheat fries:
1. Reheating Fries in the Oven
What You Need
- baking sheet
- Aluminum foil
- Leftover soggy fries
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Take a baking sheet and line it with aluminum foil. This will keep the fries from getting stuck to the baking sheet.
- Take your cold, leftover fries and spread them evenly on the baking sheet. Make sure they’re in a single layer so they come out looking deliciously crispy.
- Put the baking sheet in the oven for about 2 to 3 minutes. If you’re reheating thin-cut fries, then check after 2 minutes to make sure they’re not getting burnt. Let thicker fries warm for another minute before checking them.
- After the time has passed and the fries look perfectly hot and crispy, take the baking sheet out of the oven. Or you can try checking one fry by cutting it in half to see if it’s completely heated through before removing the sheet.
- If the fry you’re testing is cold in the middle, leave the baking sheet in the oven for another minute, then serve.
2. Reheating Fries on the Stove
What You Need
- A cast-iron skillet
- Vegetable oil, canola oil or peanut oil
- Flat spatula
- Leftover fries
Instructions
- Place your skillet over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes.
- Pour two teaspoons of oil to the skillet and let it warm up for about 20 seconds. Add more oil if you’re reheating more than a handful of fries.
- Add the fries to the skillet and arrange them so they’re in a single later. If you’ve got more than a cup of fries, then instead of overcrowding the pan, warm them up in batches.
- Let them cook for 2 to 5 minutes and make sure to flip them with a spatula when they’re halfway through. Let them heat up for another minute before flipping them again.
- After your fries look like they’re heated all the way through, put them in a tray lined with paper towels to soak up the excess grease.
- Serve immediately as they taste great when they’re crispy.
Skinny fries should only take about 2 to 3 minutes to get reheated, while thicker fries may take up to 5 minutes.
3. Reheating Fries in the Air-Fryer
What You Need
- An air fryer (we love this Ninja brand and use it regularly)
- Leftover fries
Instructions
- Plug your air-fryer and let it heat up at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about two minutes.
- Carefully arrange the fries in the basket and make sure they’re evenly spread out. Don’t fill the basket till it’s more than half full or you won’t get crispy fries at the end.
- Let the fries heat up for about 3 to 4 minutes. When you’re halfway through, stop the air-fryer, take the basket out, and give it a shake so that all the fries get an equal chance. Put the basket back inside and leave them in for another minute or two. Thick fries may take longer to get warmed up completely.
- Line a tray with paper towels and transfer the fries to it, and serve.
4. Reheating Fries in the Microwave
If you don’t have a working oven, stove or an air-fry, you can microwave them but you should know that they won’t come out looking crispy.
Instructions
- Add a little bit of vegetable oil to the fries.
- Spread them on a paper towel covered microwave-safe plate.
- Microwave them for around 20 seconds then check if they’re hot.
- Keep doing this until the fries look like they’re heated all the way through, then serve them.
If the paper towels you use are made from recycled content, then they may not be safe to put inside the microwave.
Take a look at this video to learn how to reheat fries so they taste like they just came out of a restaurant.
Tip to Make Them Taste as Good as Fresh Fries
The trick to making the perfect fries is in the seasoning. Even if your fries were perfectly salted when you got them, they may lose some of that flavor while they’re getting reheated.
Instead of eating them as they are, you can purchase or try making the perfect seasoning to add a boost of flavor to them.
Here’s what you need to make the best seasoning for your fries:
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon garlic salt
- ¼ cup salt
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- ½ tablespoon black pepper (ground)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ tablespoon dried parsley
- ½ tablespoon dried basil
Add all of these in a little bowl and mix them together. Sprinkle them over your freshly reheated fries, give them a good toss, and enjoy!
Final Words
In the end, it all boils down to the availability of options you have when you’re about to reheat fries.
If you still aren’t satisfied with the flavor of your crispy reheated fries, then you can try making a mouthwatering combination to go with it.
Smother your fries with cheese and bacon bits, and if you aren’t fond of bacon, then you can add some chili instead.
Feel free to add your choice of additional toppings like caramelized onions, green onions, and crispy chunks of chicken to elevate the flavor of plain, salted fries. If you let the chef inside you take control, then the possibilities are endless.
5 of Our Favorite Pieces of Cookware Lately!
How to Reheat Fries And Keep Them Yummy!
How to reheat fries. Our favorite method for reheating fries is in the air fryer. They turn out crispy and revive perfectly.
Ingredients
- An air fryer (we love this Ninja brand and use it regularly)
- Leftover fries
- Plate
- Paper towel
- tongs
Instructions
- Plug your air-fryer and let it heat up at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about two minutes.
- Carefully arrange the fries in the basket and make sure they’re evenly spread out. Don’t fill the basket till it’s more than half full or you won’t get crispy fries at the end.
- Let the fries heat up for about 3 to 4 minutes. When you’re halfway through, stop the air-fryer, take the basket out, and give it a shake so that all the fries get an equal chance. Put the basket back inside and leave them in for another minute or two. Thick fries may take longer to get warmed up completely.
- Line a tray with paper towels and transfer the fries to it, and serve.
Michael Leslie
Tuesday 11th of February 2020
Seems like it will work !