French fries are an absolute delight unless you’ve ever attempted to reheat them and failed. Most people would recommend that you simply toss those leftover fries in the trash. French fries can be difficult to reheat. However, difficult doesn’t mean impossible. There is a way that you can restore those soggy, cold french fries to golden, crispy perfection. In fact, there are two great ways that you can reheat french fries.
Double Fry
The double fry method works wonders on cold french fries and it only takes a few minutes. You will need a nonstick or cast iron skillet and your favorite cooking oil. You may want to avoid using olive oil because of its low smoke point, but any other type of oil will work just fine.
The name suggests that you’ll need a lot of oil for this method. This isn’t the case. You will only need a few tablespoons of oil, depending on the amount of fries that you need to reheat. For every serving of fries, you’ll need 2-3 tablespoons of oil.
Begin by heating the oil in the skillet. Once the oil is warm, you can then add the fries. It’s best to reheat the fries in small batches to avoid crowding the skillet. Too many fries reheating at once will create steam.
It should only take a few minutes for your fries to be reheated to golden perfection. You will know that they’re ready when they become crispy once again.
Oven Reheat
The oven is often the best choice for reheating a variety of foods. French fries are no exception. The secret to reheating french fries in the oven is a heavy duty baking sheet. A cast-iron skillet will work even better. You also want to make sure that you fully preheat your oven. This ensures that your leftover fries will be crispy.
Begin by prepping your baking sheet with a light coating of cooking spray or oil. This step is optional but recommended if you’ll be using a cast-iron skillet for reheating. You can also line the baking sheet with aluminum foil if you like.
Set your oven to a high temperature (400-450 degrees) and place your baking sheet or cast iron skillet inside. Both the oven and pan need to be nice and hot before reheating.
Arrange the fries on the baking sheet in a single layer. Be sure not to place too many fries on the sheet. Overcrowding the baking sheet will result in soggy, limp french fries.
Allow the fries to reheat for at least 5 minutes before checking. Reheating time will vary depending on the oven and the number of fries on the sheet.
Spice Things Up
Now that you know the secret to reheating french fries, it’s time for a little fun. Instead of topping your fries with ketchup, we suggest you spice things up a bit. Ditch the ketchup and try covering your leftover fries with parmesan cheese, mixed herbs, Cajun spice or diced tomatoes.