The Greatest Frozen French Fries, In response to Our Style Take a look at

At Meals & Wine, we hardly ever favor frozen over contemporary — however we make an exception for french fries. Most frozen fries are par-cooked (usually double-fried) and coated in a skinny layer of starch and sugar, which helps them crisp up fantastically within the oven or air fryer with that signature golden snap. 

However are some frozen french fries superior to others? We tried six totally different choices from three manufacturers to search out the french fry luggage value stocking in your freezer. 

French fry cuts

Like diamonds, french fries are available in distinctive shapes and cuts. If you image a french fry, the standard, straight-cut selection seemingly involves thoughts. In France, potatoes are minimize right into a batonnet — French for “little stick” — a form tied to basic culinary knife methods and the inspiration for the straight-cut french fry. This thin-cut type grew to become a favourite at quick meals eating places due to its fast cooking time. However relating to french fry cuts, straight-cut is only the start. Under are the 5 primary fry cuts and their traits:

• Conventional: Typically labeled and bought as “straight-cut,” that is the commonest french fry form, discovered in every single place from grocery retailer freezer aisles to quick meals chains and upscale eating places. Lengthy and slender, these fries strike a steadiness between crisp exterior and fluffy inside. 
• Shoestring: Named after their shapes that resemble shoelaces, these fries are minimize about one-eighth-inch thick and thought of the thinnest.
• Crinkle-cut: Outlined by their distinctive ridges, crinkle-cut fries have a wavy texture because of a particular crinkle-cut software. The wavy ridges assist them maintain onto sauces and seasonings.
• Waffle: Waffle-cut fries are spherical, thick-cut fries with a lattice sample.
• Steak: Steak fries are the most important and thickest minimize, and resemble elongated potato wedges.

How we chosen the fries

We chosen extensively accessible frozen french fry manufacturers primarily based on reputation and availability. For form and minimize, we narrowed our scope to straight-cut fries, that are the preferred type bought in shops, and shoestring varieties, that are common in eating places. 

Lastly, to maintain issues honest, we solely examined fries seasoned with salt and averted fries pre-seasoned with different spices. 

How we examined 

All of our style assessments are carried out with the tasters unaware of the chosen manufacturers. Our editors and workers sampled six manufacturers of frozen french fries side-by-side, score every on a scale of 1 to five (1 being the bottom, 5 being the very best) for general taste and texture. To account for temperature-related bias, we inspired the tasters to strive the samples in a randomized order.

For this check, we requested our tasters to guage the fries primarily based on a couple of established standards. We had been in search of well-seasoned, however not overly salty, french fries with a light, pure potato taste and minimal oiliness. Texture-wise, the fries wanted to have a crisp exterior and tender, fluffy inside. Tasters additionally famous the general uniformity of form and measurement. Backside line — the fries needed to stroll the road between drive-thru scrumptious and restaurant finesse. 

We oven-baked the fries in accordance with the package deal instructions and tasted the fries plain, cleaning our palates with water between samples. Whereas we didn’t consider the fries’ taste with ketchup, tasters dipped them in ketchup to evaluate how effectively they held as much as the condiment. 

In distinction to previous style assessments, many of the frozen fries we tried had been surprisingly nice to eat. After placing the french fries head-to-(potato)-head, these are the three luggage we’re making freezer area for.

Greatest general: Lamb Weston Tremendous Crispy Shoestring Fries

Lamb Weston’s shoestring fries had us reaching for seconds — after which thirds. It’s no surprise that Los Angeles chef Ari Kolender has referred to as them the “Rolls Royce of Fries.” Constituted of 100% licensed Idaho potatoes, these had a shatteringly crisp exterior that gave approach to a young inside. Taste-wise, they reminded us of salty potato chips and buttery roasted potatoes with a nuanced savoriness. Regardless of their thinner minimize, the fries held up effectively to ketchup — and had been downright scrumptious. These fries would make a wonderful aspect to every part from juicy burgers and scorching canine to larger meals like steak frites.

Greatest quick meals type: Ore-Ida Further Crispy Quick Meals Fries 

For a fry that delivers on that basic drive-thru expertise with none disagreeable synthetic taste, Ore-Ida has you coated. Whereas not as crisp as Lamb Weston’s, these fries nonetheless supplied a greater than satisfying snap. Sturdy sufficient for dunking in ketchup, they might additionally maintain their very own underneath heavier toppings like melty cheese and salty bacon bits for loaded fries. 

Greatest basic: Ore-Ida Crispy Straight-Minimize Fries 

That is our choose for dependable, all-purpose french fries. That they had a strong, crispy texture and took on an appetizing frivolously golden brown coloration within the oven. Additionally they had good potato taste with out leaning overly earthy. “This one tastes nostalgic, like what I had rising up,” stated designer Ann Martin Foley. Serve them alongside sandwiches and fish and chips, or snack on them solo.

The total checklist of contenders, ranked from highest to lowest

1. Lamb Weston Tremendous Crispy Shoestring Fries
2. Ore-Ida Further Crispy Quick Meals Fries
3. Ore-Ida Crispy Straight-Minimize Fries 
4. McCain Craft Beer Battered Fries 
5. Alexia Home Minimize Fries 
6. McCain Fast Cook dinner Straight Minimize Fries