My sister told me to always soak potatoes before air frying

She swore it was the only way to get crispy fries, so I tried it with some russets last week. I cut them, soaked them in cold water for a full hour, patted them dry, and tossed them with a little oil. They came out okay, but honestly, not that much better than when I just dry them off well. The outside was a bit crisp, but the inside felt a little soggy. I think maybe for thicker cuts it helps, but for my usual thin steak fries, it just added an extra step. Has anyone else found that soaking isn't always worth the time? Maybe my water here in Tacoma is too soft or something.

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3 Comments

faithwalker6mo ago

An extra step for soggy insides doesn't sound like a game changer.

5

kim1886mo ago

Used to agree with you completely. Then I tried the extra step of letting my pie cool fully on a wire rack, not just the counter. The bottom crust went from soggy mess to actually crisp. It lets the steam escape instead of getting trapped. That one change made all the difference for me.

10

the_pat6mo ago

Was your soggy center like mine, because @faithwalker is right about extra steps not always paying off.

4