Can You Fry French Fries In Olive Oil? (How To Fry Them Properly?)

It’s easy to use olive oil in a salad dressing or drizzling over veggies. But can you fry French fries in olive oil?

You can and should fry French fries in olive oil as it has a high enough smoke point, is heat-resistant, and adds nutritional value. Use refined olive oil for deep-frying rather than extra virgin olive oil. Olive oil is suitable for deep-frying and baking French fries, whether homemade or frozen.

Olive oil is versatile, delicious, and ideal for all cooking methods, including baking, sautéeing, and frying. You can even use olive oil for deep frying your favorite side, French fries.

Why Should You Fry French Fries In Olive Oil?

If you love making French fries at home, you may wonder what kind of oil you should be using when pan-frying, deep-frying, or baking your fries.

Did you know that olive oil is a good choice for frying French fries?

An oil’s smoke point is the heat or temperature at which the oil begins to smoke and break down, making the food taste unpleasant and burnt.

However, olive oil’s smoke point is 374°F to 405°F (190°C to 207°C), hot enough for most cooking methods, including frying French fries.

The high levels of fatty acid in olive oil give it thermal resistance or the ability not to break down or create unhealthy trans fats when heated.

What makes olive oil such a perfect oil for frying is that it increases the nutritional value of fried vegetables.

We may think that the antioxidants and phenols in olive oil are destroyed by heat, but researchers in Spain have discovered that these nutrients transfer to fried food.

You can also reuse olive oil that you’ve used for frying, so long as you filter it. Reuse the oil up to four times before discarding it.

Can You Fry French Fries In Extra Virgin Olive Oil?

Not all kinds of olive oil are suitable for frying French fries.

Extra virgin olive oil (sometimes called EVOO) is one type of olive oil you shouldn’t use.

Extra virgin olive oil is the best quality olive oil you can buy. You’ll notice its rich, golden-green color immediately.

Extra virgin olive oil is unrefined, untreated, and pure, containing no chemicals whatsoever.

This high-end oil has a robust peppery, fruity olive taste and contains health-giving fats, vitamins, and minerals.

You can use EVOO for cooking, but there are a few reasons why it’s not the best choice for frying French fries:

• EVOO has a slightly lower smoke point than other olive oil, so it quickly loses its nutritional properties and distinctive flavor when heated.
• Because it’s the best quality olive oil, it can be very pricy, so use it sparingly. It will be expensive to use EVOO to fill a frying pan.

To enjoy its antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, use extra virgin olive oil raw for salad dressing, drizzling over Italian bread, and dipping vegetables.

For frying purposes, choose refined olive oil, which has been treated and has the highest smoke point of all varieties of olive oil.

It does have a less bold flavor, so it’s your best pick for French fries.

However, you can also use a combination of EVOO, virgin olive oil, light olive oil, and refined olive oil.

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How To Fry French Fries With Olive Oil?

Although we tend to think immediately of deep-fat frying when frying French fries, there are different ways to “fry.”

You can use an air-fryer, for example, or bake the fries in the oven. Let’s look at how to fry French fries using olive oil.

How To Deep-Fry French Fries In Olive Oil?

You can either use a deep-fryer or a heavy-bottomed pot or skillet and a frying or candy thermometer for deep-frying French fries.

The ideal method is to fry the fries twice. It’s a technique used by Martha Stewart, a well-known chef and TV personality, as well as famous burger chains.

Follow these steps to fry French fries in olive oil successfully.

1. Prepare your potatoes by peeling, chopping, and soaking the fries for about 30 minutes.
2. Drain the fries thoroughly and dry them with paper towels.
3. Add enough olive oil to your pot or fryer to cover the fries you’re cooking. Deep-frying means that the fries are submerged in oil.
4. Heat the olive oil to 325°F for the first fry.
5. Fry the potatoes in batches – adding too many cold potatoes at once will lower the oil temperature and make the fries soggy.
6. For this first fry, cook the fries for about three minutes. You aim to blanch them so that they won’t change color yet.
7. If you don’t have a fry basket to lift out the fries, remove the fries with a skimmer or slotted spoon.
8. Place your French fries on a baking tray covered with paper towels to cool.
9. Heat the oil to 375°F for the second fry.
10. Fry your potatoes in batches until crisp and golden brown, about five to six minutes.
11. Drain the fries on.
12. Season and serve hot.

How To Bake French Fries With Olive Oil?

Healthy cooking trends are moving away from deep-frying to baking, as this uses less oil.

It’s easy to make delicious homemade French fries in the oven.

Follow these steps for crispy baked French fries:

1. Prepare your potatoes by peeling, chopping, and soaking the fries for about 30 minutes.
2. Drain the fries thoroughly and dry them with paper towels.
3. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
4. Preheat the baking sheet for about 10 minutes.
5. In a large bowl or Ziploc bag, toss the fries with plenty of olive oil. A spray bottle of oil helps to coat the fries without soaking them.
6. Spread the fries on a lined baking sheet in a single layer. You can also place your fries on a rack over the lined baking sheet if you like crispy fries (especially if using frozen fries).
7. Bake the French fries for 20 to 25 minutes.
8. Turn the oven to 425°F. Flip the fries with a spatula and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes for extra crispiness.
9. Serve hot.

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Can You Fry Frozen French Fries In Olive Oil?

You can fry frozen French fries in olive oil. Follow the steps above for frying French fries, whether you want to deep-fry or bake them.

Remember that there’s no need to thaw frozen fries – they are made to be cooked from frozen.