My frozen fries came out limp until I read a tip about shaking the basket halfway through.

The article on Cook's Illustrated said to give the basket a good shake at the 8-minute mark to expose all sides to the hot air, which finally gave me the crispy results I wanted.

4 comments

4 Comments

riverb134mo ago

My entire adult life has been a series of limp fry disappointments. I just accepted my fate as someone who could never get them right, like my oven was broken. Turns out I was the broken part for not shaking the bag. I’ve been out here eating sad, steamed potatoes for years when the solution was a simple wrist flick.

the_mary4mo ago

Oh man, that's the worst. But also, you gotta spread them out on the tray. Single layer, no crowding. Shaking helps, but space is the real key.

garcia.cameron4mo ago

Honestly, I skip the shaking and just spread them out on a wire rack instead.

faith271mo ago

The 25th time I made fries I finally tried the wire rack method and yeah it helps with the air flow but I still got some sticking. @the_mary is totally right about the space thing though. I used to cram them all on one tray like a maniac and they'd just steam each other into oblivion. Now I do two trays and actually leave room between each fry and the difference is night and day. Still shake the bag halfway through because the seasoning clumps up otherwise.