How Long To Reheat Fries In Air Fryer
Air fryers are a boon in the culinary world. Everyone from chefs, cooks, and even those that are only interested in the part of ‘eating’ find it useful.
The thing that was once considered a trend has established its prominence in kitchens worldwide and continues to win our hearts. And it’s exciting to see how versatile their uses have become.
Reheating fries is just one of the many things air fryers can do. So in this article, we’ll be looking at how long you need to reheat your fries in this handy appliance.
Are Leftover Fries Safe For Eating?
Yes, leftover fries are safe to eat, provided that they’ve been stored correctly and at a temperature below 40° F.
While you can still eat them cold, reheating fries is the way to go when you want the same flavor as you had the day before.
How Long Should You Keep Your Leftover Fries In The Air Fryer?
An air fryer is perhaps the best appliance to get the fastest reheated fries. But before you toss your fries in, make sure to preheat the fryer. It makes the reheating process quicker and prevents your fries from drying out.
350° F is optimal for reheating your fries but not burning them. Now, how long should you keep your fries inside the fryer? Well, that can depend on how thick your fries are or how much of a hurry you’re in.
After trying and testing every minute mark of reheating fries on the air fryer, here are the results of each timestamp:
- One minute: Hot outside but soggy and still cold inside.
- Two minutes: Hot both inside and out, but a little soggy. This much is enough if you’re really in a hurry to have breakfast.
- Three-four minutes: Evenly reheated and crispy; your fries will be as good as fresh ones!
- Five minutes and more: Evenly reheated, but moisture dried out. The fries will feel dry and somewhat like chips.
From what we see, it is conclusive that 3 to 5 minutes is the perfect reheating time for fries. You’ll get the same crisp, hot, tender feeling as you bite into each of these fries.
There’s but one setback about using air fryers to reheat fries. Unlike most other appliances like microwaves or convection ovens, air fryers are primarily small. So, you’ll need to work in batches.
And, even if the fries get reheated quite quickly, you’ll need some time to reheat all your fries in smaller batches, especially if you have lots of leftovers.
How To Get The Perfectly Reheated Fries?
Ever tried reheating food and found that the heat’s not through the food? You might need a heads-up on how to use it correctly.
One trick is to place your fries on a layer of foil to have an easier cleanup. Fries have oil, and of course, they can leave your air fryer with some oil stains. It won’t be much, but also not enough for you to want to clean the appliance thoroughly.
Another way is to shake your fryer basket for even heating. You can do this while you’re at the 2-minute mark while reheating fries.
Why Use Air Fryers To Reheat Fries?
Air fryers have many uses, and the best and easiest way is to use them for reheating leftovers. But since fries are meant to be eaten crisp and hot, you might think they require additional oil.
The answer is a big No if you’re talking about air fryers. Conventional ways, like using your microwave to reheat fries, can leave you with quite a mess, but air fryers are not so.
While an air fryer can easily dupe deep-fried food using little or no oil, they also work conveniently enough to reheat leftovers. They heat up your fries and make them perfectly crisp again, almost like bringing the dead to life!
Also, they are excellent at retaining moisture in food. Dry, overly crisp, and burnt leftovers will never haunt you when you have an air fryer to do the job for you.
Using Reheated Fries
Yes, you can still eat your reheated fries with ketchup, mayo, or any other sauce, but do you want to take it further? We’ve listed three of our favorites below:
- Hand pies: For a perfect, no-rush breakfast option, substitute your regular potatoes with leftover fries, add some meat, and get baking some hand pies!
- Casserole: It’s no secret; you saw this quick-bake dish coming. Simply add your fries in place of raw potatoes, and add the other ingredients and some meat (leftover ham also works well). Since you’re using cooked potatoes, reduce your baking time, and you’ll have a delicious casserole in no time.
- Burritos: This Mexican snack is versatile as it includes everything from the densest to the lightest ingredient. So, why not wrap your fries in a tortilla for a quick snack?
Getting evenly reheated fries also means achieving that perfect crisp again. It’ll be as good as freshly prepared ones. And with so many ways to use reheated fries, you’ll never be sorry to have leftovers again!