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Are Frozen French Fries Fried Before Freezing
Frozen french fries are fried before being frozen, but not always. In fact, they have first been blanched (to increase their shelf life) and then fried in oil (to make them crispy & quick to cook). French fries that are frozen without being fried are actually less likely to cause food poisoning than those that have been fried.
Almost every frozen French fry brand uses vegetable oil and/or palm oil to cook the fries prior to freezing. This is because most fast-food restaurants add extra salt and flavoring ingredients, and may be cooked in fat-free or trans-fat oils, which you can avoid with frozen French fries by reading the ingredients list. The healthiest frozen French fries will be from Alexia, which is not fried in trans-fat, and of their fries, their sweet potato fries are lower in sodium and calories per serving compared to the ones made from regular potatoes. Alexias sweet potato fries are made with 8g of fat, but they are free of trans fats, and they are lower in sodium with 110mg of sodium.
In fact, the frozen fries are also blanched (to extend shelf life) and then deep-fried (to get crispier, faster cooking). Frozen fries are usually prepped and cooked beforehand, which is why they are not quite as fresh as they would be when made at home. Most frozen products, such as French fries, are blanched before freezing, reducing cooking times.
Cooking prep and freezing your fries reduces cook times, too, which allows you to roast or air fry your fries in half the time it takes you to cook them homemade from scratch. Even if you are using store-bought frozen chips for cooking at home, one advantage to baking chips in the fryer rather than in the oven is it is a much faster process. Cutting potatoes into uniform strips, and then deep-frying them is a traditional method for making chips.
Blanching potatoes is best for making homemade fries, but is unnecessary for store-bought or frozen ones. Blanching partly cooks your fries, causing the enzymes to slowly break down, losing their flavor, color, and texture. Slicked or striped potatoes require blanching prior to cooking to remove starch and deactivate enzymes.
Peeled potatoes need to be immersed in cold water for 30 minutes to 2 hours before roasting. Fries made with peeled potatoes should chill in cold water for 30 minutes to 2 hours after cutting to maximize crispness.
| Types | Time Required |
| Peeled Potatoes | 30 minutes till 2 hours |
| Sliced Potatoes | 8hours till 12 hours |
| Small Batches of potatoes | 20 minutes till 25 minutes |
Working in small batches, fry potatoes until they turn from glossy to opaque, about 3 to 5 minutes (this is also called blanching). The next step is to blanche, which involves immersing the fries briefly in boiling water, followed immediately by an immersion into cold water. Pre-cook the fries by blanching them in boiling water, and then dropping them in a bowl of ice water to halt the cooking process.
Get crispier finished fries by pre-cooking potatoes in hot oil to get them ready for the frying step, and then finishing them with the last few fries before serving. Be sure to not put too many fries into a skillet, as crowding your pan too much will give you less-than-perfect results in the cooking process. By taking too many one at a time, you will make sure each and every fry is cooked just enough for them to be perfect, not underdone and overcooked.
If you try and fry too many at one time, they will not be done through in the middle before they begin burning on the outside. The butter content of french fries increases greatly when potatoes are cooked low in heat for a shorter period of time, compared to frying them at a higher heat for longer. When it comes to the oil on fried fries, less is better, however, if you are going to do fries at home, yes, you are going to go through some oil. Remember to go with healthy oils and use less salt, no matter how you like to make your fries.
Spray the fries evenly inside a sack using olive oil-based spray, which will ensure they have a crispier texture. When placing your frozen fries into the oven, you can put them on a rack that is exposed, or you can use a cookie sheet, aluminum foil, parchment paper, etc. The oil that comes off of your fingers after touching your fries does not bleed into your other food items while baking this way, and you will get good, even-tasting chips each time. Place the frozen fries onto an aluminum foil-covered cookie sheet, pour the oil and the salt of seasoning, stir with your hands to coat all of the fries with the oil and the seasoning, then arrange them to give the fries ample room on the baking tray.
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Spread your fries in one layer, then put your parchment-lined sheet pan into the freezer for about one hour, until the potatoes are frozen. My favorite topping for frozen fries is seasoned salt (because I like potatoes + Lawrys), but I also like any combo of garlic, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning. Other starchy potatoes that do well in frozen fries include: Green Mountain, Katahdin, and Kennebec, Snowden, and Yukon Gold.
If strips are going to be fried, they need to have about 70%-75% moisture; if strips are going to be baked, they need about 65-70% moisture; and for microwavable frozen fries, they need a paltry 55%-60%. Food Network says that the majority of frozen fries are actually pre-fried using less-than-spectacular fats, such as trans-fats and palm oil, before being frozen, and that some of those less-than-spectacular fats contain higher levels of sodium. Par-fried means our potatoes and snacks are partially cooked, and should be cooked through according to instructions on the bag before eating.
Par-fried is a hot, quick, roasting method of cooking that preps a food to its stated on-package cooking instructions. par-fried is the step of the cooking process in which strips are cooked in the oil at about two minutes, 175-185degC. After cooling and drying, they are then stir-fried in the oil, with any extra oil being rendered out, then cooled quickly and packaged. The strips are then shipped off to their final destinations (distributors, restaurants, supermarkets, groceries) where they are then cooked as ordered.
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The French Fries Dewatering Machine uses a centrifugal method for removing the surface water from French fries after they are blanched, which ensures a high dewatering rate. You must blanche, also known as poach, your fries before you fry them in air if you want to ensure that they are cooked through, and not overcooked.
Whether you grow your own potatoes, buy in bulk from a farmers market, or score a good deal from a supermarket, one days preparation can pack your freezer with home-grown, frozen potato chips that are ready to cook in just moments for meals.
Are French fries fried before frozen?
We learned from our research on fries that bagged frozen fries have already been cooked twice before you bake them at home. The potatoes are boiled in hot water in the facility before being fried in vegetable oil.
How are frozen French fries made?
Frozen French fries are made by frying them for 1/2 minute to 5 minutes, depending on the type of potato used. The potato strips are then placed on a vibrating conveyor to remove excess oil. Afterward, the fries are sent to the freezer and kept at a temperature of -39°C for 20 minutes.
Are frozen French fries unhealthy to eat?
Frozen French fries are unhealthy to consume because they are still fried, and that too in trans fats and palm oil. Moreover, many frozen French fries, instead of having a minute quantity of salt, have more than the 15% of the daily sodium recommendation per serving, which can lead to numerous health diseases.