Sliced Potatoes in the Air Fryer | Everyday Family Cooking (2024)

FAQs

Should you soak cut potatoes in water before air frying? ›

Soaking the potatoes does something magical with the starches—it helps achieve the coveted French fry crispiness and prevents the fries from sticking together. This is what I did for the air fryer, too. I soaked these potatoes for about an hour or so, but I've also soaked them for up to 24 hours with no ill effect.

Preheat an air fryer to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Rub potatoes with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parsley. Place potatoes in the air fryer basket. Cook in the preheated air fryer until potatoes are soft, 40 to 50 minutes, depending on potato size.

Don't Overcrowd: Avoid overloading the air fryer basket to allow proper air circulation and ensure crispiness. Preheat the Air Fryer: Preheating helps the potatoes start cooking immediately, leading to a crispier result. Shake the Basket: To promote even cooking, give the basket a shake every 5-7 minutes.

Spray each potato with a few spritzes of oil and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Arrange in the basket, and air fry 400F until a knife can easily be inserted into the center of each potato, about 35 to 40 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time.

The main reasons to cut the potatoes and pre-soak in water are: To allow the excess starches and sugars to be removed from the outer surface of the fry strips AND to keep the potatoes from browning prematurely from exposure to air. Covering in water helps the potato from turning a dark color.

By rinsing off the excess starch, you can achieve a better balance and control over the browning process, resulting in evenly cooked and beautifully golden fries. Another advantage of rinsing the potatoes is that the cold water makes the potato cells firmer, leading to crispier fries when fried.

Don't forget to give the potatoes a thorough wash/scrub. Avoid Cooking Spray – Aersol cooking sprays will damage the coating of your air fryer basket. Tossing the potatoes in olive oil keeps them from sticking. Don't overcrowd the basket – the potatoes need room for the air to circulate and crisp up properly.

A 10-ounce potato took 40 to 45 minutes to get tender and crisp, whereas a potato baked in the oven took about 1 hour. Crisper skin: The skin of the air fryer baked potato became considerably crispier.

Use Yukon gold or Russet potatoes for the best texture. These two types of potatoes hold their shape well but become tender inside. These dense potatoes do not become mushy or soggy. These starchy and waxy potatoes are perfect for making air fryer potatoes.

Delicate extra virgin olive oil and organic cooking sunflower oil are definitely our favorites!

Are potatoes in the air fryer good for you? ›

One study shows that air frying lowers the amount of acrylamide in fried potatoes by 90%. Some things about air frying may not be better for you, though. In one study, air frying of fish raised the amount of a substance called "cholesterol oxidation products" (COPs).

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes. Cold water is used because hot water would react with the starch activating it, making it harder to separate from the potatoes.

Just a quick 15-30 minute soak in water does the trick if you're in a rush, though if you are planning ahead you can let the sliced russets or yes, even sweet potatoes, bathe for hours or even overnight before draining, drying, and frying them up.

Soaking the potatoes in the water removes some of the starch and keeps the potatoes from turning an unappetizing color. Once the potatoes have soaked for a few minutes, squeeze them out and put them on a clean dish towel.

Take a large bowl and soak the potatoes in cold water. Make sure that you soak the potatoes for at least 2-3 hours. Soaking the sliced potatoes in cold water is one of the main steps to prepare perfect French Fries. The cold water removes the starch present outside the potatoes so that you get perfectly crispy fries.