The science of saltiness. A veritable ton of tempting toppings. A fast food
franchise secret — unveiled. French fries might
be heavenly on their own … but a few hacks can make them delectable as hell.
We know that salt can do wonders when you're trying to emphasize a
food's particular taste. And it pretty much goes hand in hand with seasoning
fries. But you have to make sure that you salt them the right way.
When you add too much salt, they will, naturally enough, taste way too salty. In this case,
you're not really enjoying the actual flavors of the fries. On the other hand,
if you salt too little, you could miss out on creating some extra flavor,
and then you're left with something bland at best, and nobody wants that.
But did you know that when you salt your fries also makes a significant difference? It all
depends on how you're cooking them. If you're baking them in the oven, you can usually salt
them before or after they're fully cooked. But when you fry them, you should really stick to
salting afterwards. The reason is that when the fries come out of the fryer, the oil is still hot,
and therefore the salt will stick better to ensure you get that flavor you're craving.
Oil can come in handy when cooking in the kitchen, as it can help prevent sticking and also heighten
the flavor of some foods. If you're sticking to baking your frozen french fries in the oven,
you better remember the oil, but perhaps for a different reason than you'd expect.
So grab that olive oil and toss your fries with it before placing them in
the oven so that they come out golden and crispy just like they deserve to be.
To do this while avoiding a mess, simply place the fries in a plastic bag and then
add olive oil directly to them. Toss them by shaking the bag so that each
fry is evenly coated with the oil. Then take the fries out of the bag and place
them on a baking sheet before putting them in the oven. Once they're finished cooking,
you'll pull out a sheet of perfectly baked fries that have a nice texture and incredible flavor.
If you're a fan of McDonald's fries, then you surely recognize that there's something extra
special about their flavor. It's truly what makes these fries as delicious and popular as they are.
The reason why they're so tasty is none other than beef stock. That's right, McDonald's adds
beef stock to their fries, and that's how they achieve their unique and irresistible flavor.
"What is this, some kind of beef house?"
If you're trying to pull off this same taste at home,
we recommend opting for some unsalted beef stock. Use it to make a brine to
soak your fries in before frying them to perfection just like McDonald's does. The
end result will be just as delicious as when you grab your fries to go from the drive-thru.
When it comes to baking frozen french fries, it can certainly be done on a baking sheet.
But there's one other trick to make your fries come out even better. Honestly,
this may just be the absolute best frozen french fry trick you can possibly pull off.
To get your frozen french fries to come out as extra crispy winners, you'll want to use an open
wire rack when baking them. To do this right, put a wire cooling rack in the baking tray,
then add the fries and seasonings. The result will be wonderfully crispy fries, as the wire
rack helps keep the fries from touching the baking tray so that there's no steam hitting the fries,
which prevents them from coming out all soggy. And now, who can resist those perfectly crispy fries?!
Now that we've established how to bring out the flavors of the fries themselves,
don't forget to now include some extra ingredients to make them even more flavorful
and colorful. Lemon juice, for example, can help fries maintain their golden color,
as the acid from the juice helps lock in the color and prevents any browning.
And you may want to add some seasonings beyond salt. Onion soup mix can pump some
serious flavor into your fries by just adding the right amount of something a
little different. Italian seasoning or chili powder also works well for
something unique and fun. You could even add the beloved everything but the bagel seasoning.
And what better way to upgrade your fries than by dousing them with cheese? Cheddar works well
when you're really craving something warm and gooey, or Swiss when you're craving something a
bit more savory. Or you could really mix it up by sprinkling some Parmesan or mozzarella. And
when you add gravy into the mix, it can be even better, as Canadians already know very well. If
you're a big poutine fan who already ventures to all the best places around the country to find the
perfect bowl of fries topped with cheese curds and gravy, why not try to master this dish at home?
"The French call this poutine."
If you own an air fryer, you already know what this incredible kitchen appliance can do. But
have you used it to cook your frozen french fries? If you haven't yet, you definitely should,
and here's why: your fries will taste deep fried without actually being deep fried. They can also
come out a lot crispier than they would in the oven and can also take less time than other
cooking methods. A toaster oven is also a great option, thanks to the magic of the convection fan,
which helps keep any unwanted moisture from your fries so that they don't come out soggy.
If you opt for a conventional oven, you'll want to use a dark sheet pan to get the job
done. You don't even need to add aluminum foil with this method. All you need to do
is oil the baking sheet and place the fries directly on that. After baking,
you can rest assured that you'll then have a hot and crispy snack to chow down on.
"Well, the French fries are pretty good."