Figuring out the soak debate for air fryer sweet potato fries

My sweet potato fries were either soft or burnt, so I looked into the soak debate. Some recommend it for crispiness, others skip it, but I found a quick soak and dry works best. What's your method?

3 comments

3 Comments

max_webb421mo agoMost Upvoted

Coating them in a tablespoon of cornstarch before air frying is my go-to move. It sucks out the moisture so they crisp up without any soaking hassle. I tried the quick soak thing once and my fries turned out weirdly chewy. Now I just skip it entirely and they're perfect every time, lmao.

gracer281mo ago

Actually, cornstarch can give fries a kind of weird, almost powdery coating sometimes. Soaking them in cold water for even 20 minutes pulls out so much starch, you can see the water get cloudy. That really helps them get fluffy inside and crisp up better. I tried skipping the soak and mine always came out a bit gummy in the middle. A quick rinse is my non-negotiable step now.

thea_chen29d ago

Yeah, that cloudy water from the starch is key. I take it a step further and actually change the water once or twice while they soak, like you would for regular potatoes. It pulls out even more starch, and I swear it makes the final texture way less likely to get that soggy middle.