How To Reheat McDonald's Fries For First-Fry Flavor

Few symbols are as widely recognizable as the golden arches, and few foods as universally beloved as the McDonald's french fry. Many have come for the crown, but none has succeeded in unseating the reigning champ. Salty, hot, and crisp...It's practically impossible to eat just one. People around the world love McDonald's fries, and part of what they love is how thin and crispy they are. But the thinner a french fry is, the harder it will be to reheat without overcooking, and many have struggled to recreate that first fry texture. A large potato wedge can go back in the oven and still have a soft fluffy center, but skinny fries have a narrow reheat window before they're more like tough chips, or just plain hard and burnt.

The best option is always to re-fry. So, on the off chance that you do have a deep fryer handy, you can pop your fries back into the hot oil for a twice fried tasty result. But we're guessing most of you don't have one lying around, and even if you did, when you're reheating fast food you probably don't want to deal with a vat of hot oil and the time it takes for that to come up to temperature. So what's the next best option?

We got some fries, let them sit in the fridge for about four hours, and when it was snack time we took them out to test four different reheat methods. Here are our results.

First, set the air fryer on fries mode (about 375 F) and preheat your air fryer by running it for a minute or two before adding the fries.

Then, place the fries in the lined air fryer basket in a single layer and cook them for 3-4 minutes, tossing once halfway through. Remove them when they're piping hot and crisp.

Next up, we've got a traditional oven. Start by preheating your oven to about 425 or 450 F. 

Spread the fries evenly in a single layer on a lightly oiled baking sheet. (If you layer them, they'll start to steam each other and won't crisp evenly.) Then, bake on the oven's center rack for 3-4 minutes.

You can shake the tray or flip the fries half way through, but since this is a pretty quick cook time you don't necessarily need to. Remove them when they look a little extra golden.

If you don't have an oven or an air fryer in your kitchen, or you simply don't want to wait for things to preheat, you can pop your leftover fries in a pan on the stove. 

To start, place a pan (ideally non-stick) over medium-high heat and add a touch of oil. Then, add the fries to the pan and cook for a few minutes, shaking the pan frequently to avoid burning. 

This method moves quickly. You can keep your eyes on the fries more easily on the stove top than when they're inside an oven or fryer, but by that same token, this method requires your attention. There's potential to burn or harden the fries in the pan so don't walk away while they're on! 

First, place your fries on a microwave-safe plate and spread them out evenly — as with the oven, we don't want any layering. Then, heat the fries in 30 second increments on regular power until you deem them done. We were satisfied after about a minute of microwaving.

The microwave is a super fast, hands-off approach. But when the fries come out, the texture is all wrong. They will be hot ... but they won't be crispy. We don't recommend this method if you have another option. 

The oven reheat yielded best results. The fries came out evenly cooked and crisp and tasted almost just like fresh. While it takes longer to pre-heat the oven, these were easily the best tasting fries and had the best texture. If you have the time, it's worth it to use the oven method.

The air fryer and frying pan produced similarly decent results, though the former is the best option when you want to do things quickly and minimize heat in the kitchen. An air fryer takes way less time to preheat than the oven — a bonus on a hot day — and can do the job in just a few minutes. Cooking them this way also requires no extra oil, as pan frying does. 

When you have no time to think about getting your kitchen equipment out, you may find yourself simply putting things in the microwave. Fair enough. Microwaves are the ultimate hands off option for fast results. But microwaves work by superheating foods from the inside out, and that doesn't make for a crisp exterior. Some things just don't do well in the microwave — and we'd include leftover McDonald's fries as one of them.