If You Haven't Cooked Frozen Fries In This Appliance, It's Time You Start ASAP

If you're anything like me, you know your way around a bag of frozen french fries. From home deep frying, oven baking, pan frying or even air frying —  give me a bag of frozen fries and I will find a way to cook them to crispy, fluffy perfection. Or figure out a way to smother them in chili and cheese. That's why I also love using a toaster oven for cooking fries. If you live alone and it's a hot day, turning on the real oven for a single batch of fries can seem a little gratuitous. 

Luckily, this small countertop powerhouse can be easily preheated, cook the fries quickly and won't heat up your entire kitchen. You'll probably find that 425 degrees Fahrenheit is the best temperature to cook these frozen delights at. If your toaster oven doesn't have a wire basket, make sure to invest in a small baking sheet that comes with a wire rack. Having the fries elevated above the rack will help with air circulation and mitigate the moisture in the fries. Moisture is the enemy of crispy fries as we know all too well. Just make sure to choose the best frozen fries you can get!

In the search for the best frozen fries, you should never neglect seasoning. Because, even though I am a certified potato fiend, I can drop the pretense and admit that potatoes serve as a culinary canvas because they can be quite bland. And here I don't just mean salt, or whatever the hell is in McDonald's fries. There is a whole world of seasoning waiting to be explored, in order to spruce up your fries. There's the simple, classic elevation of using salt, pepper and garlic powder. You can get fancy and add rosemary to the fries while you bake them, so they release their aromatic compounds and serve as a weirdly delicious crunchy side treat.

To really take things to the next level, sprinkle Tajin over your fries right after baking them. (If you make fresh fries, I would highly recommend adding some seasoning right before you bake, toast or air fry them off.) This will add a citrusy tang to french fries that goes incredibly well with a lot of classic french fry fare. You could also go for cajun/creole seasoning to an extra kick. And lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't mention nutritional yeast (or sometimes cringe-inducingly referred to as nooch), which isn't just for popcorn. Yes nooch is that nutty, cheesy, umami delight that can take fries from fine to fantastic. However you spice up your spuds, just make sure they're crispy!