A chef has shared his simple, five-ingredient recipe to make healthier fries at home that any restaurant would be proud to serve – all you need is an air fryer or an oven
A chef has been praised for sharing his simple five-ingredient recipe to make restaurant-quality fries at home, using just an air fryer. Max, who goes by @mealswithmax on TikTok, has become a social media sensation by posting recipes online, and most recently shared his garlic parmesan fries which make the perfect side dish to any barbeque.
Firstly, he peels the potatoes, setting aside the skins which he says can be used for other recipes. He then chops the spuds into chip-sized pieces and soaks them in cold water. He explains: “Give them a good mixy, mixy. I don’t know if you can see but the water is already turning cloudy. That’s the starch coming off the potato. You can leave these to sit for about 15 to 30 minutes but I don’t really have the patience for that.”
Next, Max drains the potatoes and boils them for three to five minutes.
After draining again, he places them on a wire rack, cautioning that they’re hot, and suggests letting them steam dry before popping them into the air fryer or oven tray.
He lightly oils them and sets the air fryer to 180C for roughly 20 minutes, shaking them halfway through. To finish, he tosses the fries in a bowl with a sprinkle of salt, garlic powder, and parmesan, ready to be devoured.
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One impressed viewer commented on his video: “I never thought to boil before frying. They look crispingly delicious. I’m going to use garlic salt.”
Another user chimed in with a chuckle: “You are just like me when I’m cooking lol, love all your recipes!”.
A third contributor shared their drying tip: “I do the same process but I just dry them with paper towel, rather than on a rack.”
Yet another commenter suggested an oven technique: “Easier to do in the oven and sprinkle the garlic and cheese on while still on the oven tray.”
One more enthusiast commented boldly: “I don’t peel my potato. I cut up the whole potato as it is, then I do the same.”
Spruce Eats highlights how crucial the type of potato is for achieving perfect fries at home. Their advice reads: “High starch potatoes like Idaho potatoes (also called Russet potatoes) are best for French fries.
“This variety is denser and they have the least amount of moisture in them.”
They continue: “Avoid waxy potatoes, a category that includes any with red skin, new potatoes, and fingerling potatoes.
“These contain so much water that they will actually hollow out when you fry them because the water will evaporate.”