I gave up on frozen fries and just cut a russet potato into wedges, sprayed them with oil, and ran them at 400 for 18 minutes.

Has anyone else found that skipping the pre-soak step actually makes them crispier?

3 comments

3 Comments

Oh, absolutely. I stopped soaking mine years ago. I found the extra moisture just made them steam in the oven. Skipping that step lets the surface dry out a bit, so it crisps up faster and better. The key for me is to really pat them dry with a towel after cutting, then a light coat of oil and plenty of salt. They come out perfect every single time.

lucasg421mo ago

Wait, you guys are soaking your fries? That's wild. @baker.ruby is totally right, soaking just makes them soggy. I just cut, dry them off real good with a paper towel, and toss them in oil. They come out way crispier without all that extra water. I tried the soak method once and it was a total fail, never went back.

charles_price6d ago

Yeah, @lucasg42, that's exactly it. It's like when people overcomplicate simple things, you know? I see it with cooking all the time, adding steps that just make more work for no real payoff. Sometimes the simplest way, like just drying the fries well, is the one that actually works best.