Why You Should Never Leave Your Homemade Fries On A Paper Towel

From the drive-thru window, out of the freezer, or freshly cut by hand, fries are downright delicious. When you make the dish at home — whether they are made from scratch or are from your favorite frozen brand — there are some steps you should take so they remain crispy. Nobody wants soggy fries (gross!), so if you deep-fry the spuds, refrain from dumping them on a paper towel afterward.

When deep-fried fries sit on a paper towel to drain, the intention is likely a good one, but the fries will sit on the oil-soaked paper towels rather than drain. When the fries stay on the paper towels, even for a short period of time, the towels will absorb any oil that initially comes out of the fried spuds. Another big issue with draining them on paper towels is the hot fries will start to steam and get soggy from the bottom. 

There is a common kitchen tool that can replace the paper-towel lined plate to drain and cool fries without the soggy mess: Use a baking sheet with a wire rack (the kind you might already use to cool baked goods like cookies). The wire rack will allow any excess oil to drain off the fries, and provide air circulation to prevent steam from forming. Now, you can line the baking sheet with paper towels or parchment paper and set the wire rack on top so that clean up is easier and there should not be any issues. If you plan to fry a large batch of fries, you can keep the fries on the wire rack at 200 degrees Fahrenheit so they remain warm.

Skip the paper towels and use a wire rack over a baking sheet with our shoestring garlic parmesan fries recipe to really perfect the dish. It will also work with our crispy golden rutabaga fries recipe, even though it's not a traditional version of the dish. And of course, Tasting Table has your back with more tips for cooking the best fries at home like soaking the spuds before they hit the oil.