Three weeks with a cheap air fryer and my frozen fries went from soggy to crispy

I got a $40 basket-style fryer on clearance and the difference in my frozen french fries was NIGHT and DAY after I stopped crowding the basket. Made the same frozen brand, same temp and time, but only put a single layer in instead of piling them up. Has anyone else noticed how much space matters for getting that real crispy outside?

3 comments

3 Comments

blair_torres705d ago

Huh, I actually had the opposite experience. I kept piling my basket full because I figured the air needed something to bounce off of, and my fries came out way crispier than when I tried a single layer. Maybe it's the specific basket shape or how the fan blows, but for me, more crowding meant more contact with the hot air from all sides instead of just one. I'd say experiment both ways with your specific machine, cause these things are all different.

henryr455d ago

Hold on, are you sure that's how air fryers work? I'm not saying your fries didn't come out crispy, but the "bouncing off" part isn't really how the heat moves. The fan is blasting hot air in a circle, so crowding the basket actually blocks that airflow. It's more like a convection oven with a tiny tornado inside. You might be getting crispier results just from the fries steaming each other a little before the outside dries out. Did you check the internal temp of your fries when they were done?

rowan_ross5d ago

@henryr45's got a point about the tiny tornado, but the basket shape really does change everything.