How to Cook Perfect Fries Every Time with a Mechanical Air Fryer

1. Choose the right potatoes
The best type of potatoes: Oregon potatoes (Russet Potatoes) are the best choice for French fries. They are high in starch, which makes for crispy fries on the outside and soft on the inside. Potatoes with more starch absorb oil better and have a crispy crust.
To peel or not to peel: This is all about personal taste. If you like a more chewy fries, you can keep the skin on, which will add taste and nutrition. If you like a more delicate, uniform texture, you can choose to peel the skin.

2. Cut the potatoes evenly
Even cutting is very important: To ensure that the French fries are evenly heated, try to make the thickness of the potatoes consistent when cutting. The ideal thickness is about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch (about 0.6cm to 1.3cm). Fries that are too thick may not be fully cooked, while fries that are too thin may easily burn or become too crispy.
Shape: In addition to the classic straight fries, you can also choose different shapes, such as wedges, spiral fries, or crinkle cut fries. No matter which shape you choose, ensuring consistent thickness is the key.

3. Soak the potatoes
Remove excess starch: Excess starch in potatoes can cause fries to become less crispy or even soft. Therefore, soak the cut potato strips in cold water for at least 30 minutes, which can effectively remove excess starch. The longer the soaking time, the crispier the fries will be.
Dry thoroughly: After soaking, wipe the surface of the potato strips with paper towels or a clean towel to dry the surface moisture. Too much moisture will cause the fries to be more like steamed after they come out of the pan, and they will not achieve the ideal crispness.

4. Preheat the air fryer
Temperature setting: To ensure that the fries cook quickly and evenly, first preheat the mechanical air fryer to 375°F (190°C). This ensures that the fries are heated as soon as they enter the pot, which helps the skin to crisp quickly.
Adjust the temperature as needed: If you like your fries crispier, you can increase the temperature to 400°F (about 200°C). But please note that fries fried at high temperatures need to be checked more frequently to prevent them from burning.

5. Season the potato strips
Oil use: Although the air fryer can reduce the amount of oil used, it is still necessary to provide a thin layer of oil for the potato strips to help them crisp better. It is recommended to use healthy oils such as olive oil or avocado oil. You can choose spray oil to ensure that the amount of oil is not too much to avoid the fries being too greasy.
Seasoning: Add your favorite seasonings to the oil. The most basic is salt, but you can also add some garlic powder, pepper, chili powder or other spices such as rosemary and thyme to enhance the flavor.

6. Place the potato strips in the air fryer basket
Avoid over-stacking: To ensure that the fries are evenly heated, try to arrange the fries in a single layer and avoid stacking. Stacking too densely will prevent the hot air from circulating fully, affecting the frying effect, and the fries will not be crispy enough.
Fry in batches: If you need to make a large batch of fries, you can do it in batches so that each batch can get the desired frying effect. If you only have a small amount, you can try shaking the basket to make the fries evenly heated.

7. Fry the fries
Frying time and temperature: Place the fries in the air fryer and set the temperature to 375°F (190°C) for 18-25 minutes. The specific time will vary depending on the thickness of the fries and how crispy you want them. If you like a crispier texture, you can extend the time slightly, but keep an eye on them at all times to avoid burning the fries.
Shake halfway: Shake the basket about every 10 minutes to help the fries heat and color evenly. This will prevent some fries from becoming less crispy because they are not exposed to the hot air of the air fryer.

8. Season and serve immediately after cooking
Season while hot: When the fries are fried, sprinkle them with a layer of salt or other favorite seasoning immediately. The hot surface of the fries will better absorb the seasoning and increase the flavor.
Dipping sauce: French fries are more flavorful with some delicious dipping sauce. Common dipping sauces include ketchup, mayonnaise, garlic mayonnaise or hot sauce. If you like, you can try homemade mushroom sauce or cheese sauce.

9. Common problems and solutions
What to do if the fries are too soft? : If the fries are fried soft, it may be that they are cut too thick or the potatoes are not thoroughly dried before frying. Try cutting the fries thinner or frying them for a longer time. Also, make sure the potatoes are completely dry after soaking.
What to do if the fries are black? : If the fries are fried too burnt or too dark, it means that the temperature is too high or the frying time is too long. Next time, you can lower the temperature and increase the frying time to avoid overcooking.
What to do if the fries are not fried evenly? : The solution is to make sure the air fryer basket is not too full and give each fry enough space for the hot air to circulate evenly. Also shake the basket gently halfway.