I cooked frozen french fries in 4 different appliances. I'm shocked my air fryer wasn't the best option.

All I needed to panfry the frozen fries was a pan and some cooking oil.

I figured I'd start with the easiest household appliance to find — a simple pan. The Ore-Ida instructions said to heat ¼ cup of cooking oil in a large skillet over medium to high heat. 

I had vegetable oil handy, so I poured it into a pan and waited a few minutes for it to sizzle. 

After spreading out the fries in a thin layer, I waited for them to turn a nice golden brown.

I burned my first batch of panfried potatoes.

I'll admit, I wasn't paying close enough attention, and before I knew it, my pan was filled with dark brown, burned french fries. 

I forgot the most essential part of panfrying fries — turning them over frequently to avoid mishaps like this. I was too busy preheating my oven for the baked fries. 

Luckily, both my brother and father love crunchy fries, so they devoured this failed first batch.

This was a good opportunity to reuse the oil for my second batch.

Lacking confidence after my first attempt, I decided to stick with the amount of leftover oil in my pan and give the stove another chance. 

This time, I watched the pan and flipped my fries as often as I could. After about 10 minutes, I was satisfied with the golden, crispy fries and laid them out on a paper towel to soak up the extra oil. 

These fries were all-round perfection.

The stovetop fries were warm and juicy thanks to the vegetable oil, but they had a slightly toasty outer layer.

I couldn't imagine anything that could top this.

Next, I laid a layer of fries on a baking sheet to put in the oven.

My oven was already cranked up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, so all I had to do was arrange the fries in a single layer on a baking sheet. 

I wasn't quite sure how long to leave these fries in the oven.

Following the instructions, I heated up half of the fries in the bag for 13 to 21 minutes until they were a light golden color. 

This seemed like such a wide range, so I punched in 15 minutes and hoped for the best.

The oven-baked fries were the most aesthetically pleasing.

I was pleasantly surprised by the end result of the baked fries — especially since I was hesitant about the cooking time. They looked practically perfect, similar to my favorite McDonald's version.

I completely forgot to flip them while they were cooking, but apparently, this wasn't a super necessary step for good results. 

They were warm and tasty but a little drier than the juicy panfried fries.

I turned to my air fryer for the next taste test.

Although I had high hopes for the air fryer at the start of this test, right off the bat, I knew this option was the least practical cooking appliance.

I could only fit a handful of fries in my small basket.

The air fryer was super easy to use.

I sprayed the basket with olive oil and cranked it to 400 F for 10 minutes.

This was actually one of the easiest appliances to use since I didn't have to monitor the fries as closely as the pan or oven.

The air-fried fries were almost perfect.

I was amazed at how easy it was to make fries in the air fryer. It required almost zero effort, and they came out nearly perfect with minimal cleanup.

These fries had a nice, crunchy outer layer and a soft middle. However, they weren't as juicy as the panfried fries.

Lastly, I used my grill to cook some fries.

Making frozen fries on the grill doesn't seem much different than searing potato wedges.

I also thought it might be a nice option if I'm already grilling hot dogs, burgers, or chicken for dinner. 

The grill was easy to use, and it cooked the fries quickly.

I covered the grates with aluminum foil and threw a fistful of fries on top for 15 minutes.

They cooked pretty quickly and even had some nice char marks on them. 

I could imagine these fries served Greek-style, with lots of lemon juice and oregano.

These fries were also crispy with some nice smoky flavor, but they were still too dry and tough for my taste.

Although the small char marks were nice, the fries didn't turn golden brown and stayed somewhat pale despite being cooked thoroughly.

The stove was an easy winner, but the air fryer was a close second.

Although I struggled the most with the pan, it yielded the juiciest, crispiest fries. They got a bit soggy after a few minutes, but I honestly like them like that, too.

The air fryer was a close second, even though I could only cook a small pile of fries at a time. I could see future uses for my oven and grill as well.

Regardless of the method, next time, I'll definitely spice up the frozen fries by tossing them with salt and pepper or even oregano.

This story was originally published in August 2023 and most recently updated on February 24, 2025.

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