Reheating chips feels like twice cooking. Allow the leftovers to cool before placing them in the fridge for better results. Never seal leftovers because of bacteria growth.
There are vast methods that can revive your fries to their original taste and look, making them as good as when you took your first bite. These techniques require equipment, hence the need to choose wisely. Make sure the chips are dry first and foremost, using a kitchen towel to pat them dry or salt to draw out any excess water.
Skillet
Deep frying feels like recooking chips, unlike frying, which makes them crispy. Use a hot pan with oil. It should brown in around 12 seconds when the oil is hot enough. Use a cube of bread to test the temperature.
Pan-frying fries make them hot and crisp again. The method is simple and does not require a deep-fry. It does not need much oil but takes longer and limits the volume of fries to your pan size. The fries turn out crisp but a little greasy due to double-frying. The frying comes with minimal loss of food quality as hot fat seals the food surface (Frymax.co.uk).
Steps
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat.
- Pour in a few tablespoons of oil, add fries; cook, flipping once.
- Serve.
Warming up chips in an Oven
If you want the heat to hit every single millimeter of the chip for optimum crisping up, make a single layer with spacing between the fries. That is one advantage that comes with an oven. It is spacious enough to accommodate more fries.
For crispy leftover chips, start dry and cook on high heat. There is no need to add oil since your chips already have oil from when they were cooked. You can grill them on high heat but move the chips regularly to avoid burning.
Steps
- Start by preheating your oven. Make it hot slowly up to 250 °c, which is the maximum.
- Spread your chips across a baking tray in a single layer. Do not overlap the fries unless you want your fries hot and cold on some parts.
- Place them in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes. That is quick.
- Once the chips are out of the oven, add salt and spices.
Convection oven
A convection oven substitutes for a standard oven. It uses fans to move air around and heat the space. Bump the heat up to 450 degrees and reheat the fries. Turn or toss the fries halfway through for oven-based methods.
Steps
- Set a convection oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the leftover fries in there for five to 10 minutes, depending on how crispy or crunchy you want the fries to be.
Broiler
The timing is 10 minutes, including preheating the broiler. Broiler cooking makes crisp fries. This method is easy and fast. The fries can be very crispy but cooked unevenly.
A shorter broiler time would give you a crispy outside, cold-on-the-inside fries. While this method works better with the fries at room temperature or for a larger batch of fries, it has its downside.
Steps
- Preheat your broiler.
- Put fries close to the broiler, using foil to line the pan and prop them up.
- Broil one side before flipping. To ensure that the fries would be golden and warm, try this with the broiler on the lowest setting, preheating for five minutes and then broiling for about four minutes.
Best method
Air fryer
The best way to reheat chips is in an air fryer. An air fryer is the fastest way to reheat fries because it is equipped to do what the reheating process needs. That is crisping those fries up again without using extra oil. Adding oil when using an air fryer is a choice, not a necessity.
An air fryer is a handy countertop kitchen appliance that makes crispy and crunchy fries without extra oil, fat, and calories from deep-frying. However, this is not the ideal tool if you are looking forward to making fried foods like golden brown fries. Air fryers do not brown food since they rely on hot air to cook food rather than long exposure to heat like an oven.
Never use aerosol cooking spray with your air fryer because they cause the coating on the air fryer basket to flake off. Instead of using aerosol cooking spray, you can still use an oil sprayer. Sometimes your air fryer might come with one.
Add a bit of oil sprayed onto the fries for better results. Use this to spray the basket and the fries you plan to cook to prevent sticking and browning on the food. However, working with an air fryer comes with its disadvantages. You will have to work in batches if you have a lot of leftover fries since air fryers tend to be small.
Steps
- To start reheating fries in an air fryer, set the gadget to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the fries in a single layer inside the basket for three to five minutes. When reheating fries with the air fryer, expect some crispy finish.
Storage
Cool chips instantly and place them in the fridge with a loose cover. Sealing leftover potato chips can cause bacteria growth (Foodvacbags.com).
Safe Temperatures
Heat chips at 350°F (177°C). Cook the chips until they are golden brown and no more bubbles come out in the oil.
FAQs
How do you keep fries crispy after frying?
Place them on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. When frying multiple batches, work on a low oven to keep fries warm as you keep frying and adding to the rack.
How do you fix soggy fries?
Get rid of moisture from the fries, and heat your oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a baking sheet and heat the fries for five minutes. Continue heating in five-minute increments until crisped to your liking.
How do you reheat chips without drying them out?
Use a kitchen towel to pat them dry, or you can use salt to help draw out any excess water.
Can you eat cold chips the next day?
Yes, but only freeze or reheat your cold chips once. You can eat them as standard fried once reheated or as an ingredient.