Surprise Frozen Fries

I’ve been baking my fries on a parchment paper -covered cookie sheet. They don’t stick, are easier to flip, and the cookie sheet is easier to clean.

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The McCain website has these. They were the only ones I see with “Battered” on the package. http://www.mccainpotatoes.com/products/craft-beer-battered-thin-cut-fries

Seems a lot of the frozen fries use something to make them crisp and brown better. The only fries I’ve tried that I think had enough of that to negatively affect the flavor were the Grown in Idaho Super Crispy Crinkle Cut fries. Not too bad but detectable.

Do the fries crisp up well for you on parchment? I ask because I’m thinking I might need to get some frozen fries on my next grocery run.

I adore the easy cleanup that comes with parchment. But when I line my sheet pan with parchment, roasted veggies turn out more steamed than roasted for me. Same when I make my own homemade oven fries. So I’ve resigned myself to skipping the parchment for those uses.

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I can’t answer this. I use aluminum foil (which I lightly oil) and they come out great… and just as easy to clean. Plus it is reusable for several sessions.

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Thanks for sharing. I too reuse foil when possible. My husband jokes that I maintain a Museum of Foil, LOL.

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They have been crisp for me.

Veggie fries a little less crisp.

I suppose you might prevent sogginess by having the cookie sheet preheat in the oven, then place the frozen fries and parchment on the hot cookie sheet.

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Thanks! I see a culinary experiment in my future.

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We wash and re-use foil until it’s basically falling apart (after several months/nearly years of use) and then goes into recycling. It is an energy-heavy item to manufacture. It’s heartening to hear that other people pay attention to this.

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I also reuse my foil whenever possible - same with zip locks, unless they’ve contained raw meat; food safety comes first.

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I place a foil covered wire rack on top of the oven rack in a 425 oven. Add the fries and they crisp up super fast. I also warm ketchup in a pyrex bowl a few mins.

Def in the recycle/up cycle camp on foil.

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Nice! Going to try that. It’s the little things.

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I add a couple of dashes of Frank’s Red Hot to my Heinz ketchup to give it just a bit of kick.

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Wait a minute. A built-in air fryer?! This is a thing?? I would love to know what you think of that!

They’re definitely a thing… they are simply a convection oven with fans on steroids. I’m not sure how well they work, or if it is just another “feature” that justifies manufacturers charging more for their ranges.

I have had a number of air fryers over the years, and the ones that worked best either had a basket that allowed fan forced air to circulate above and below the food, or had super hot quartz/halogen elements above and below the cooking surface.

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My counter top toaster oven has a built in air fryer. Great for small batch. The appliance came with a grated air fryer rack you slide in. Many models out there…big sales.

The stove hasn’t been installed yet (long story), but I’ll report back. It’s this one:

There was a steep discount at Costco, so I jumped on it.

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How steep?

$300 off, from around $1150 to $850 + tax, including installation and cart-away. But it’s been sitting in my garage since 11/25/2021 because of logistics foo. The local company Costco hires has a long record of screwups. It might be resolved next week, though.

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Cool. I wish we had a Costco that was less than an hour away.

Costco sells its appliances at the website, costco.com. I think the sale has ended, though.