The Ideal Temperature To Roast Perfectly Crispy Potatoes In Your Oven

Thinking of making a mouthwatering recipe like our lemony roasted potatoes at home this week? Before you go ahead to preheat the oven and prep the potatoes, note that there's an ideal roasting temperature that will result in better textures. See, there's a reason why your potatoes aren't crisping up in the oven at home, and chances are that you're probably not cranking up the oven temperature high enough. 

For perfectly crispy potatoes, start roasting them at around 425 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit in a conventional oven, rather than at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Raising the oven's temperature is a one-second fix that ensures ultra-crispy roasted potatoes, every single time. Why you ask? The higher heat helps quickly evaporate moisture, softening and tenderizing the insides of the potatoes, and crisping up the skins all at the same time. Conversely, when the oven is set to lower temperatures, the potatoes take longer to cook through and undergo the Maillard reaction that allows them to become perfectly crisp. In this case, you often end up with potato skins that are still pale and soft, rather than brown and crunchy.

Let's say you're roasting potatoes in an convection oven or an air fryer, instead of a conventional oven. Do you still keep the temperature high? The answer is, sort of. One of the biggest mistakes everyone makes when cooking in a convection oven is keeping the temperature the same as you would when using a conventional oven. Convection ovens and air fryers both circulate hot air with a fan, which cooks food faster and more intensely, so it makes sense to lower the cooking temperature to around 400 to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Aside from modifying the oven temperature, there are at least 17 other potato roasting hacks that you'll probably wish you knew sooner. One of the easiest tricks is to parboil your potatoes before putting them in the oven. This added step will help soften your potatoes quicker and help the skins crisp up better, later. Simply bring a pot filled with water to a boil, add in some salt, and then the potatoes. Boil them for a few minutes, then prepare them for roasting. With a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of seasoning, you'll soon have a beautiful plate of the best (and crispiest) roasted potatoes to serve and enjoy.