I keep seeing people cook frozen fries in their air fryer without any oil

I made that mistake a few times and they always came out dry and chewy. My friend in Denver showed me you need just a half teaspoon of oil tossed with them first. It makes the outside crisp up like they're supposed to. Has anyone found a better way to get that fast food texture?

3 comments

3 Comments

stella221mo ago

Notice how so many things need that tiny bit of extra help to work right. Like how a cheap radio antenna needs you to hold it just so, or a door only shuts if you lift it a little. The air fryer is the same. It needs that half teaspoon of oil to do its job, because it's really just a small, strong fan oven. Without it, you're just drying out the fries. My mom's old toaster oven did the same thing to frozen pizza rolls.

seanmason1mo ago

Yeah, that "tiny bit of extra help" thing is so real. My buddy tried to make chicken wings in his new air fryer with zero oil, just to be healthy. They came out looking pale and sad, like little rubbery skin balloons. He was so confused until I told him to toss them in just a spoonful of oil first. The next batch was totally different, all crispy and golden. He said it was like the machine finally woke up.

casey8181mo ago

Ugh, that dry chewiness is the worst. Stella22 is totally right about it just being a tiny fan oven, it needs that little oil boost to work right.