Air fryer vs. oven for frozen french fries - night and day difference

I always made frozen fries in the oven at 425 for like 20 minutes and they came out okay but a little limp. Got an air fryer last month and tried the same brand of fries at 400 for 12 minutes and they were way crispier. Not even close. Has anyone else found certain frozen foods just don't work in the air fryer? My onion rings turned out dry.

3 comments

3 Comments

thomas_martinez2mo ago

Yeah, same here. I did a bag of crinkle cut fries in my oven for years and they were always kinda soft. First time in the air fryer at 380 for 11 minutes they came out like fast food style. Night and day for sure. But your onion rings thing is real, I tried some frozen mozzarella sticks and they got super dry on the outside and barely melted inside. Even some frozen chicken wings came out too tough. I still use the oven for anything breaded or with a wet coating. The air fryer just dries that stuff out too fast for me.

dixon.spencer2mo ago

Oh man, I had the exact same problem with onion rings! I tried spraying them with a little oil mist before tossing them in the air fryer and that helped a ton. I also had to drop the temp to 350 and check them at like 6 minutes instead of going full blast. The oil spray made them actually crispy instead of dry and sad.

terry_carter151mo ago

Totally feel you on the onion rings being a letdown. I tried the same thing and they came out like dried out little rocks. A little mist of oil before cooking really saved them for me though, plus I drop the temp to 350 and check early. Mozzarella sticks are the WORST in the air fryer for me too, the outside burns before the cheese even gets warm.