How to get sweet potato fries CRISPY?!

rodduz
rodduz Posts: 251 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Anybody have any luck with this when baking them? Mine always come out a little soggy.

Cheers
«1

Replies

  • JessyLovesJCS
    JessyLovesJCS Posts: 169 Member
    Poppin' in for the suggestions!
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    Try cooking them on a dark pan.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
    Coat them in oil and crank the oven right up. That helps a bit. They never come out like regular fries, though. Even deep frying them doesn't result in super crispiness. They're better that way, but not perfect.
  • ohdwan2
    ohdwan2 Posts: 1
    I'd recommend cutting them into thinner or smaller pieces, cover in a little bit more oil, and placing them on the top ⅓ of the oven. Works for me!
  • Jelaan
    Jelaan Posts: 815 Member
    Baking them on a layer of parchment paper helps too, it soaks up some of the moisture so they go crisper. You won't need to use as much oil this way too.
  • rodduz
    rodduz Posts: 251 Member
    I do use EVOO. I have cut them thinner to day and will put them in at 220 instead of the usual 200. I've also just put them in water for a few hours, I know that gives normal potatoes (I know they're not actually related) more crisp when frying them. I've had them out at pubs and the outer is lovely and crispy, will never get the inside crispy.
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member
    The only way I found to do it was to coat them in cornstarch - but then that adds calories.
  • Lilenatalem
    Lilenatalem Posts: 46 Member
    I've heard soaking them in water for a while helps.
  • aekaya
    aekaya Posts: 163 Member
    This recipe suggests baking them with cornstarch, and also once they're done baking, turn off the oven and crack it open.

    http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/09/12/baked-sweet-potato-fries/

    I've also had luck with slicing the potato as thinly as possible, then microwaving the hell out of it.
  • rodduz
    rodduz Posts: 251 Member
    I seen cornstarch listed on a few recipes, can we get it in the UK though? Never heard of the stuff!
  • JHarr454
    JHarr454 Posts: 50 Member
    I've tried the corn starch on both potatoes and wings in the oven. It helps, but I haven't perfected it yet, so I can't give too many specifics.

    The corn starch helps by drawing extra water out of the food.
  • mperrott2205
    mperrott2205 Posts: 737 Member
    Make them very thin and use oil. :)
  • rodduz
    rodduz Posts: 251 Member
    Thin for the win!! They're very thin so will keep a close eye in case they burn!

    Cheers.

    Will update with the outcome!
  • MelStren
    MelStren Posts: 457 Member
    Bump... for reading later!
  • cheripugh1
    cheripugh1 Posts: 357 Member
    I seen cornstarch listed on a few recipes, can we get it in the UK though? Never heard of the stuff!

    In the UK it is cornflour...
  • rodduz
    rodduz Posts: 251 Member
    I seen cornstarch listed on a few recipes, can we get it in the UK though? Never heard of the stuff!

    In the UK it is cornflour...

    Thanks
  • sshilcr
    sshilcr Posts: 3
    I have found frying them in a frying or pan and covering with a lid really cooks them fast and crispy. Cooking i the oven takes time and they never get very crispy or it takes too long and they come out burned.
  • chefbrandon82
    chefbrandon82 Posts: 7
    Try baking them on a rack so there can be no moisture build up around fries. Also use the convection setting on your oven if it has one. I would also try doing them like regular fried fries and try a 2 step cooking process by par cooking first(325°F) then cooking under high temp(475°F).
  • DataSeven
    DataSeven Posts: 245 Member
    Try par-cooking them? I use this trick on normal oven-fries, where I boil the fries for about 5 minutes, strain, pat dry, and into the pan with a spritz of spray pam. Gets normal oven fries crispy, not sure how a sweet potato would respond.
  • MagnumBurrito
    MagnumBurrito Posts: 1,070 Member
    Broil on high for a minute or two before taking them out. Watch closely to not burn them.
  • NancyKhuu
    NancyKhuu Posts: 87 Member
    Cut them into cubes, not sticks. Bake them half way before coating them with cornstarch and oil (shake them in a pot works best as this roughen up the edges and release some starch). Bake at 450 until they're crisp :)
    Works everytime.
  • deantcrook
    deantcrook Posts: 1 Member
    These come out nice and crispy ;-) They use flour and oil
    http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=279570726
  • rodduz
    rodduz Posts: 251 Member
    They turned out crap again, all stuck to the baking tray. Probably need some greaseproof paper.

    Will try those too Deano, cheers man!
  • SwedishSarah
    SwedishSarah Posts: 4,350 Member
    Once you've cut the sweet potato, put a little bit of olive oil on the fries. (A spoonful or two for one potato.) Do not drench them in the oil or they can turn out soggy. Put a spoonful of cornstarch on the sweet potatoes and mix the fries in a bowl until the cornstarch is no longer visible. If you put too much cornstarch, it turns out funny. Also, I bake mine at 425 degrees F for about 20-25 minutes. After 10 minutes I flip over the fries so that one side does not get burnt. The combo of a light coating of olive oil plus a tiny bit of cornstarch makes the fries crispy and more enjoyable! Hope this helped! :)
  • tffcx
    tffcx Posts: 20 Member
    air fryer works for me! not sure how accessible that is for you though.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 8,011 Member
    Don't know if this tip for regular oven fries is also the case for sweet potatoes. They recommend soaking the potatoes first which releases starch and reduces water content (so they don't end up steaming in the oven) prior to oiling and baking.

    http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/techniques/cooking-questions-tips-00400000064986/page43.html

    I microwave both potato and sweet potato fries for 5 minutes first. Then dry them off, toss with a little cornstarch and spray with oil and bake at 200C fan assisted.
  • anewdesign
    anewdesign Posts: 187 Member
    parchment paper. parchment paper. parchment paper. parchment paper. parchment paper. parchment paper. parchment paper.

    PLEASE use parchment paper. And some EVOO. Season as usual, lay fires on the parchment lining your pan. We bake in the top half of the over, be careful not to have it too hot. Flip them after 12mins or so, and bake again. Delicious.

    did i mention parchment paper?
  • marvybells
    marvybells Posts: 1,984 Member
    tagging for later :)
  • Kitship
    Kitship Posts: 579 Member
    parchment paper. parchment paper. parchment paper. parchment paper. parchment paper. parchment paper. parchment paper.

    PLEASE use parchment paper. And some EVOO. Season as usual, lay fires on the parchment lining your pan. We bake in the top half of the over, be careful not to have it too hot. Flip them after 12mins or so, and bake again. Delicious.

    did i mention parchment paper?

    This! AND make sure you don't have too many. If they are all close together, they won't get crispy. They need room to breathe and become delicious.
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,371 Member
    Why not just embrace their gorgeous squidgy goodness instead? I'm having sweet potatoes tonight but cut into thick slices roasted with red onion and a drizzle of olive oil.

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