I finally figured out why my frozen fries kept coming out sad and it was one dumb mistake
For about 8 months I was dumping a whole bag of frozen fries into the basket straight from the freezer and wondering why they always came out pale and limp in the middle. Last Tuesday I was at my sister's place in Boise and she watched me do it, then just said "you know you have to dry them first, right." Turns out the ice crystals were basically steaming the fries instead of letting them crisp. I tried it her way the next night, pat them down with a paper towel, tiny bit of oil, 400 degrees for 14 minutes with a shake at the 7 minute mark. Completely different result, actually crispy outside and fluffy inside. Now I'm wondering what else I've been doing wrong this whole time. Does anyone pre-dry their veggies too or is that just a fries thing?