Frozen chips can be made crispier and tastier by coating them with a simple ingredient: vegetable oil. According to cooking enthusiast Chloe Edges of recipe blog Feast Glorious Feast, the secret to ensuring “extra crispy” frozen chips is to add a bit of coating before putting them in the air fryer.
The Simple Coating Trick
Edges shared on her blog how to cook frozen chips in the air fryer, noting that many oven chips have a light coating designed to make them crispy. She said: “Not all oven chips are created equal, and you’ll likely have a preference for ones you prefer. You will find that many oven chips have a light coating, which is designed to make them crispy.”
This is why you don't need to double-fry them, like you do with homemade chips to get that crispy crunch. However, she noted that “if you want extra crispy chips”, you can spray them with a little vegetable oil.
Chef's Recommendation
Chef Mark Slutzky, director of culinary at McCain Foods, also recommends coating frozen chips with oil before cooking. He told The Takeout, “If you're looking for an extra crispy finish, you can give your fries a spritz of your favourite cooking oil before baking.”
Oil is also great for seasoning fries, as the fat helps to adhere the spices and herbs to the potatoes. Mark also suggests using oil to rejuvenate soggy and limp chips. To bring them back to life, lightly mist them with oil to help regain that crispy texture, then place them in your air fryer at 190°C for five minutes. He guaranteed that the chips will be “hot and crunchy once more, ready for you to enjoy”.
How to Cook Frozen Chips in the Air Fryer
Start by preheating your air fryer to 200°C for five minutes before adding your frozen chips to the basket. Space out the frozen fries in a single layer, being careful not to overcrowd.
Coat the frozen chips in vegetable or olive oil before putting them in the air fryer to cook for 10 minutes. After, shake the basket or use tongs to flip the chips. Air fry for another 10 minutes more, depending on the thickness of the chips, until they are golden and crisp.
Transfer the chips to a wide bowl, immediately season with salt, and serve hot with your desired sauce. Frozen fries aren't always the most flavourful, so adding some salt goes a long way.
