Good way to crisp up oven baked fries?

[Superfly]

I love sweet potato fries, and can't figure out how to get them crisp. I don't want to deep fry them, because that would negate the better nutritional value of the sweet potato. I usually slice them, dump them in a bowl and mix with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and sea salt or kosher salt, then bake them in the oven. They are delicious, but just not crispy.

Any ideas? I cook them about 350 for about 20 minutes or so. I don't want to cook them too much longer - afraid they'll burn.

 

[MaggieD]

I love sweet potato fries, and can't figure out how to get them crisp. I don't want to deep fry them, because that would negate the better nutritional value of the sweet potato. I usually slice them, dump them in a bowl and mix with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and sea salt or kosher salt, then bake them in the oven. They are delicious, but just not crispy.

Any ideas? I cook them about 350 for about 20 minutes or so. I don't want to cook them too much longer - afraid they'll burn.

When I want to do "fries" in the oven, I set the temperature at 475-500 degrees. I usually cut them in disks, though, so I can turn them over easily. They come out crisp. Use the non-stick aluminum foil. You'll never be without it again. Good luck!

 

[samsmart]

I love sweet potato fries, and can't figure out how to get them crisp. I don't want to deep fry them, because that would negate the better nutritional value of the sweet potato. I usually slice them, dump them in a bowl and mix with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and sea salt or kosher salt, then bake them in the oven. They are delicious, but just not crispy.

Any ideas? I cook them about 350 for about 20 minutes or so. I don't want to cook them too much longer - afraid they'll burn.

Try baking them without the olive oil and the seasoning.

I bake french fries all the time, and mine get crispy enough. But I don't put olive oil on them to get them to cook.

Also, I've heard that salt is bad to put on food before you cook because what it does is dry out the food.

So try baking them without anything and then after they cook try adding your seasoning, and olive oil if you want to give that a try.

 

[ChuckBerry]

Man up throw them bitches in the deep fryer.

 

[Superfly]

Thanks, Maggie and Sam. Will try both your ideas.

 

[Superfly]

Man up throw them bitches in the deep fryer.

Er... no. Thanks for playing.

 

[Bob Blaylock]

Man up throw them bitches in the deep fryer.

Indeed. They are not truly fries, unless they are fried.

“Baked fries” is a nonsensical oxymoron.

 

[jamesrage]

I love sweet potato fries, and can't figure out how to get them crisp. I don't want to deep fry them, because that would negate the better nutritional value of the sweet potato. I usually slice them, dump them in a bowl and mix with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and sea salt or kosher salt, then bake them in the oven. They are delicious, but just not crispy.

Any ideas? I cook them about 350 for about 20 minutes or so. I don't want to cook them too much longer - afraid they'll burn.

You can try parboiling them.I learned about parboiling fries from this recipe a couple years ago.

I do something with real fries.I first parboil the cut fries, cool the fries under cold water and let them drain.I then par fry for 2-3 minutes,place them in a colander to cool down and then finish frying them until golden brown and crispy. I find that this is the best method for crispy fries. A little time consuming but worth it.

When I do oven roasted potato wedges I will par boil or microwave them for a little bit before I roast them in the oven.

 

[Superfly]

Thanks, James. I will try that, too. I hadn't tried parboiling them - hadn't even thought of it.

 

[tessaesque]

You can switch to the broiler for 2-3 minutes at the end of the cook cycle, but make sure the rack isn't too high up and watch them to avoid blackened edges.

 

[Superfly]

I actually tried that, Tess, and some were crispy and others were just not. Then even the crispy ones limped out.

 

[ChuckBerry]

You have to have uniform piece sizes AND an oven that has a uniform temperature inside to accomplish what you want.

Frying is not nearly as bad for you as you think it is. Think about it...McDonald's is frying french fries all day long. If those fries absorbed a lot of oil, they would need to add more oil during the day to replace what was lost. Do they? No, they don't. Nearly all places that deep fry have to have a special service come and pick up the waste oil...not necessary if it was being absorbed by the food.

 

[ChuckBerry]

mix with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil

Ironically, you're adding more oil than the sweet potatoes would absorb from frying.

 

[Superfly]

Really? I got that from Cooking Light magazine. Said it was much better than frying them.

 

[jamesrage]

Thanks, James. I will try that, too. I hadn't tried parboiling them - hadn't even thought of it.

Let me know if that works for you.