Name: Exactly How To Reheat Curly Fries
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 portion curly fries

Table of Contents

Curly fries are so crispy and delicious when they’re freshly cooked.

But it’s easy to go overboard and cook more than you can eat.

But if you can’t bear to throw your leftovers away, you might be wondering how to reheat them to retain their fluffy interior and crunchy coating.

I tested five different reheating methods to see which ones resulted in crispy, delicious fries and which ones to avoid.

In a rush? Here’s the short answer.

The best way to reheat curly fries is in an air fryer. Preheat your air fryer to 400°F (200°C) and put the curly fries in the basket. Don’t overfill the basket to ensure the air can circulate freely. Reheat the curly fries for 4-5 minutes, shaking the basket occasionally. Serve immediately.

Don’t have an air fryer? No problem.

I cover several other techniques below.

A note on my experiment

5 curly fries portions side by side on a wire rack

Curly fries are my guilty pleasure, so I was very excited about this experiment.

I cooked up a massive batch of curly fries, ate my fill, and then left the rest in the fridge overnight.

The next day, I tried out the following reheating methods:

in the oven or broiler (best if you don’t have an air fryer)
in an air fryer (the best method)
in a waffle iron (okay)
in the microwave (avoid!)
in the skillet (better for standard fries)

The air fryer works best for getting the crunch back, while the oven came in second best.

I don’t recommend the microwave alone because the fries came out soggy.

Combined with the broiler, it worked okay.

Reheating curly fries in the oven

To reheat curly fries in the oven, preheat it to 400°F (200°C) (425°F if it’s not a convection oven). Spread the curly fries out on a wire rack or use a baking sheet covered with crumpled foil. Heat the fries for 5-7 minutes. To add some extra crisp at the end, broil the fries for 1-2 minutes.

How to reheat curly fries in the oven:

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) or 425°F (220°C) if it’s not a convection oven.
Spread the fries evenly across a wire rack or arrange them on a baking sheet covered with crumpled foil to elevate them.
Place the fries in the oven and heat for 5-7 minutes until they’re heated through.
If they’re not crispy, broil them for 1-2 minutes.

The wire rack ensures the fries come out crisp all the way around, and you don’t end up with a soggy bottom.

Elevating the fries off your baking sheet by scrumpling some foil is the next best option.

You can use any oven to heat your curly fries, but a convection oven works best.

The convection oven’s dry circulating heat will crisp your fries beautifully.

Toaster ovens work well too because the small space helps the heat to circulate efficiently.

If you have a massive oven, you’ll need to use the broiler function for maximum crunch.

If you’re in a real hurry, microwave your fries for 10-15 seconds before putting them in the oven.

This will warm them. Then you can use the oven or the broiler to add crispiness.

My verdict

This is a good option if you don’t have an air fryer.

The fries came out pretty good with a nice crispy crunch and soft insides.

Reheating curly fries in an air fryer

Preheat your air fryer to 400°F (200°C) and arrange the curly fries in the basket. Don’t overfill the basket to ensure the air can circulate freely. Heat the curly fries for 4-5 minutes or until they’re piping hot. Shake the basket halfway through heating.

How to reheat curly fries in an air fryer:

Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (200°C).
Place the fries in the basket, being careful not to overfill it.
Heat the curly fries for 4-5 minutes.
Give the basket a shake after a couple of minutes to allow all the fries to get maximum exposure to the hot air.

If you have a lot of curly fries to reheat, you’ll need to work in batches.

Don’t stuff too many in the basket at once, or they won’t crisp up evenly.

Check on the fries frequently because they can go from just right to overcooked and dry very quickly.

My verdict

The air fryer was my favorite method

If you don’t have one and reheat a lot of food, I highly recommend investing.

It re-crisped even the soggiest fry in just a few minutes.

Reheating curly fries in the microwave

To reheat curly fries in the microwave, spread them out on a paper-towel-lined plate. Put a glass of water in with the fries to prevent them from drying out. Then microwave the fries in 30-second intervals until they’re hot. Finish the fries under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to crisp.

How to reheat curly fries in the microwave:

Line a microwave-safe plate with a paper towel.
Spread the curly fries out on the plate and put them in the microwave.
Place a glass of water next to the fries to add moisture.
Microwave the curly fries in 30-second intervals until they’re hot.
Optional: crisp your fries under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to finish them off.

The paper towel helps soak up any grease that may leak out of the fries.

Don’t forget the water.

It makes sure the fries don’t dry out and become like cardboard (urgh!).

You can also cover the fries with a damp paper towel.

My verdict

This was my least favorite method.

The fries were soggy and limp.

Broiling the fries saved them a bit but took away the convenience aspect, which is what drew me to the microwave in the first place.

Reheating curly fries in a waffle iron

To reheat curly fries in a waffle iron, preheat it on its hottest setting. Spritz a little oil inside so that the fries crisp nicely. Place the curly fries inside the waffle iron, making sure that none are poking out. Then close the lid and heat the fries for 3-4 minutes.

How to reheat curly fries in a waffle iron:

Preheat your waffle iron to its maximum setting.
Spritz it lightly inside with oil.
Arrange the curly fries inside the waffle iron so that none of them are sticking out.
Close the lid and heat them for 3-4 minutes.

If you have lots of curly fries, you’ll need to work in batches as you don’t want to crowd the waffle iron.

The fries can overlap, but keep it to 2 layers maximum so all the fries get a chance to heat up.

My verdict

Using a waffle iron will change the essence of your fries – it will be more like a curly fry patty rather than individual fries.

But the fry-waffle tasted good.

Next time I’d probably put it between two slices of bread with some cheese and ketchup… YUM.

Reheating curly fries in the skillet

To reheat curly fries in a skillet, heat a little oil on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the curly fries. Heat them in the pan for 3-4 minutes, rolling them around so that they heat evenly. Once they’re hot, let the curly fries drain any excess oil on a paper towel before serving.

This method works well for regular fries, but it’s not so great for curly fries because of the shape.

The fries don’t crisp evenly. And if you used more oil, they’d be too greasy.

curly fries in an air fryer, skillet, on a wire rack, and on a microwave-safe plate

How to store curly fries

To store leftover curly fries, let them cool to room temperature. Then place them in an airtight container lined with a paper towel. Store the curly fries in the fridge for 3-5 days. The paper towel helps to soak up any excess moisture, which might make the fries soggy.

The curly fries must cool down before you place them in the airtight container.

Otherwise, condensation will form inside the container and drip down onto the fries, turning them mushy.

You can also freeze leftover curly fries, but they won’t be very crisp after reheating them.

To freeze them, lay the fries out on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and place them uncovered in the freezer for 1-2 hours.

Once solid, transfer the fries to a freezer bag and remove as much air as possible before freezing for up to 3 months.

Flash freezing the fries first means they won’t stick together in the freezer bag.