The Absolute Best Way To Reheat Leftover French Fries

Fresh french fries right out of the deep fryer are one of the most magical foods on earth. Perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, smothered in oil and salt — it simply doesn't get better than that. Unfortunately, after even a few minutes of travel time, fries tend to quickly devolve into a soggy, cold, unappetizing mess. If you end up with fries left over from a fast food meal, it might seem hopeless to try and save them for the future, no matter how delicious they once were.

Thankfully, there are simple kitchen solutions to revive leftover french fries and restore them to near-fresh status once again. Chowhound asked expert Rick Petralia how to recapture that first-fry magic of leftover french fries and his suggestion is to use an air fryer, since that's practically what they were invented for.

Petralia is the Director of Menu Strategy & Innovation for the beloved chain Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, so he understands the dilemma that leftover french fries present. According to him, "If you're at home and haven't finished all your fries, the best way to revive them is to preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and reheat the fries for three to five minutes," though he adds that "times will vary." Air fryers make your food crispy by rapidly circulating hot air, which simulates the effects of frying sans oil, making it the perfect device to reheat leftover fries.

Since the 2010s, air fryers have exploded in popularity and become a must-have culinary equipment, especially for anyone who prizes convenience. However, they're still nowhere near as commonplace as ovens or microwaves, and plenty of households may find themselves without an air fryer when the need to reheat french fries arises.

If that's the case, there are a few creative ways to repurpose leftover fries to make something even better, like tasty french fry waffles. Second-day french fries provide the perfect base for a classic casserole as well, which is also a great opportunity to make use of other leftovers or soon-to-spoil ingredients.

But if you just want to bring your plain french fries back to life, the air fryer isn't your only option. "If you don't have an air fryer, your oven's broiler mode will work well, but you must watch them closely so they don't burn," Rick Petralia says. Whatever you do, avoid the microwave, which is liable to make your fries mushy and lackluster. Petralia also reminds us to follow food safety guidelines above all else. "To be safe, if the fries have been sitting around for more than two hours unrefrigerated, you should probably discard them," he says.