French Fry Diary 738: Power Air Fryer

I got my QVC addiction from my late and much-missed mother-in-law, but really we each watch for very different reasons.  Mom was a shopaholic, so the entire channel was a vice, but as a foodie, I find myself drawn more to programs like "In the Kitchen with David" with the delightful David Venable.  Recently from that show, and pitch man Eric Theiss, we purchased a Power Air Fryer, and we love it. 

I had always been wary of some of the air fryers I had seen on TV, shopping oriented or not.  They never seemed to cook the food all the way through, fries Looking soggy, etc.  The first time I saw Eric on David's show with the Power Air Fryer, there was a sound the fries made when they hit the plate out of the inner fryer pot - the same sound fries make when shaken to disperse salt in a metal bowl - the sound of crispy fries.  They had my attention. 

After seeing them and the fryer on QVC a few more times, we made the purchase of, for an excellent price, the Power Air Fryer XL Pro.  We passed on the cookbook by Eric, but we did also get the barrel pan and the grill rack with the package.  In a few days the Fryer arrived, and we have been thrilled ever since.

Of course the first thing I made was French fries, Nathan's, which have been an air frying favorite ever since.  Following the simple picture touch screen directions - 400 degrees for 18 minutes - for fries, they came out perfectly golden brown.  I thought at first maybe a bit too brown, and that I had actually made charcoal, but no, they were perfect, crispy outside and soft and hot inside.  Near perfection. 

Over the next few days, hell, the next couple weeks, we had a whirlwind of experimentation, seeing what we could and could not cook in the Air Fryer, and there's really not much that you can't.  I learned that with those wonderful Nathan's fries, if you shake them halfway, and use more uniform sizes (I cut the longer fries in half) so they cook more evenly.  You can also adjust time and temperature as you wish as opposed to using the touch screen options.  These techniques are good tips for almost anything you cook.

I tried many different frozen fries options - shoestrings, steak fries, potato wedges, curly fries, waffle fries, tater tots, crinkle cuts, regular cuts - and also tried onion rings, as well as other stuff not usually covered in this blog like hot dogs, biscuits, hot pockets, motz sticks, scallops, shrimp, chicken, steak, burgers, hush puppies, cakes, and corn on the cob, that last one a particular favorite. 

There is of course a learning curve. As opposed to food being underdone as I assumed would be a problem, it's very easy to overcook, so keep an eye on what you're cooking.  Onion rings especially are easy to overdo.  You can even do handcut fries, which come out amazing.  So far the handcuts are the only item to which I've added oil, and then only a quick spray if at all.

The Power Air Fryer has been one of the best things we've purchased since we've been down here in Florida, besides of course the grill, which is my baby.  That said, I love my Air Fryer.  I don't miss our deep fryer, which we left in South Jersey, at all.  Thank you, QVC! 

French Fry Diary 716: The French Fry Dipping Sauce Poll Results

A long time ago, before I got sick in December, I started a poll here on the blog about what your favorite dipping sauce for your French fries was. In truth, I did it twice. The first time I was chastised for leaving certain dipping options off the list, so I revamped it, but I did keep count of the votes from the first poll and have added them in to the final tally. So now, the answer to the question - What is your favorite dipping sauce for your French Fries?

Overwhelmingly, the biggest vote-getter, with almost half the votes, was ketchup. So, now that we got the unimaginative folks out of the way, we can concentrate on the more interesting choices. But before we do that, let's eliminate those that nobody picked - sour cream and marinara. Both were made as suggestions to add to the second poll, but neither volunteer agreed that they liked them, so there you go.

Oddities that only a few folks voted for in the "other" option included specifics like T.G.I. Friday's Jack Daniels BBQ sauce and Roy Rogers BBQ sauce, both favorites of mine, as well as bourbon mayo or remoulade. I also like the peach bourbon sauce at Red Lobster, which got a vote as well. It seems that no matter how you slice it (or stir it), alcohol is popular in dipping sauces. Taking up the single vote end of the spectrum were also mustard, wasabi, tartar sauce, sriracha, butter, Arby's 'horsey' sauce, and just plain ol' hot sauce.

The next highest vote-getters were aioli and steak sauce, followed by ranch, another of my faves, sweet and sour, and the combined vote for peanut butter and peanut sauce. Next highest performers with 10% each of the vote are two more of my favorites - ice cream and teriyaki sauce. Then come honey, a frequently mentioned Asian treat, and curry, which I have every time I visit the British Chip Shop. Then came mayo and honey mustard, yuck.

The big guns, besides traditional ketchup of course, were cheese - The Bride's favorite, which comes in many varieties (perhaps fodder for a future poll), and my favorite, milkshake. The latter has recently come out of the closet as a strong contender for dipping. Second place went to UK fave vinegar and my personal favorite (tied with shake), barbeque sauce, and I would go along with those who specifically mentioned Jack Daniels and bourbon varieties.

So, do you agree? Did I miss your favorite and you'd like to get a late vote in? Feel free to comment below, I'd love to hear what you're dipping your fries in!

Random Tater Pic of the Day #247

From the Arby's Instagram account, Bender with a giant curly fry.

In Honor of Jon Stewart

In honor of Jon Stewart's last night on "The Daily Show," here's a compilation of my Arby's reviews over the years:

Arby's

Arby's House Made Chips

Arby's Frozen Fries

Arby's Onion Rings

Arby's House Made Chips, Again

French Fry Diary 546: Red Robin Seasoned Steak Fries

I have a soft spot in my heart for Red Robin. It is, after all, the home of the Bottomless Steak Fries. So when I saw that they had frozen fries available to make at home, I quickly snagged a bag of these frozen fries. The bad news, of course, is that they are not bottomless.

With Arby's, Checkers, and Burger King all competing in the frozen fry game, why not Red Robin? They do make good fries. Their natural cut seasoned steak fries are awesome, and in the restaurant, always good for at least one refill, if not two. The package itself promises Red Robin's signature blend of seasoning salt, as well as quickie recipes for two different dipping sauces.

They are only directions for baking, so that's how I did them. I have to admit being a bit surprised at the high temp (425 degrees) and longer than usual time (30 minutes), but I always gotta follow the instructions for a first time cooking. And I also had a little concern over the amount of seasoning on the fries, it seemed like a lot. As they cooked, the whole kitchen was filled with the aroma.

To be sure, next time I will make adjustments to the time and temp. There were more than a few crispy critters, still edible, and mostly small pieces, but still more crispy than I like - and I like crispy. They were overcooked, but steak fries being thick and 'meaty,' it's hard to ruin them that way.

All that said, these were pretty good steak fries, but very spicy, spicier than I remember them being at the Red Robin restaurant. I would definitely get these again, adjust the directions, have a cold refreshing drink nearby, and enjoy... until I hit bottom, of course.

French Fry Diary 502: Location Location Location

A couple months back I reviewed the House Made Chips at Arby's. I was delighted, not only by the chips, but also the customer service. Notably, this was at the Arby's in West Berlin NJ.

I had several folks confront me both here and elsewhere about how they did not like the chips at all. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I was a bit taken aback. I thought the chips were great, and even returned to the scene of the crime to try them again, still great.

Today, however, I visited the Marlton Arby's, where I got a bag of the overcooked chip debris you see pictured. Wow, these sucked.

It just goes to show you not every fast food outlet will prepare and cook an item the same way. Even though consistency is what fast food is supposed to be about, it's really about location location location!

French Fry Diary 487: Arby's House Made Chips

As part of their promotion for their King's Hawaiian roast beef sandwich, along with their Triple Berry Shake, Arby's has also introduced House Made Chips. The ads claim they are made fresh daily with Arby's sauce seasoning.

A new fried potato product at Arby's? Guess where I'm going for lunch. When I first got to the restaurant, the counterperson was helping a handicapped lady to her seat, and getting her food and drink for her. What FourSquare says about the West Berlin Arby's having "the nicest fast food staff ever" is right on target. Serious props to Sabrina who took my order and the lady's before me.

For only $1.79, these kettle style potato chips come in a very large portion, and in a wax paper bag like old fashioned chips back in the day, nice touch. As far as 'made fresh daily,' I suspect they're made in batches early in the day and kept under heat lamps. That's not a bad thing though, chips don't have to be fryer hot. Although if that's what you like, plan an early lunch.

At first glance it appeared a few of them were burnt, but that's not the case at all. These have just the right texture for homemade chips, crispy yet meaty at once, like well done fried potatoes. The Arby's sauce seasoning they are tossed in provides a delicious and unique, not quite barbeque flavor. Good stuff.

These are so good, I had almost eaten the whole order without even thinking about it. Truly the mark of a good potato chip - you can't eat just one. Thumbs up. Way to go, Arby's.

Thanks to my friend Bryan who hipped me to these new chips via the Facebook, and to Sabrina who has changed my mind about how I feel about Arby's.

Free Tax Day Fries from Arby's

My friend Ray hipped me to this item from Deal News:

For the third straight year, the fast food chain is offering emotionally and financially taxed Americans a delicious freebie on Tax Day. Arby's is serving up patrons a choice of a free value-sized order of Curly Fries or a small order of Potato Cakes via this printable coupon. Not only is it a nice treat, it's also a great way to save some dough on lunch or dinner.

Happy Tax/Free Fries Day!

French Fry Diary 409: Arby's Frozen Fries

A recent phenomenon in the fast (and comfort) food industry has been making restaurant foods available in your local grocer's freezer. Here on French Fry Diary, we've looked at this type of thing from Burger King and from Checkers. Now it's Arby's turn as their Seasoned Curly Fries are now out.

The cooking directions are pretty standard for baking, although I noticed that many fries were done when I stopped halfway through to turn them. The bigger curls still needed a bit more cooking. At the end of baking, the small pieces not connected to big curls, coils or twists were pretty burnt. All of the curls, coils and twists however were nicely crisp in a way you can't get at Arby's, or anywhere else for that matter.

These Arby's frozen fries were quite good. I haven't had grocer's freezer curly fries like this before. Recommended.

French Fry Diary 308: The Original Burger King French Fries

When I was a kid, fast food was slow coming to my hometown. In fact, even today, Atco has no fast food restaurants in its city limits. The first to show up in the area was Gino's in Berlin, the next town over, which I've talked about before. We'd had McDonald's up in Lindenwold and down in Hammonton, but that was it as far as choices until the mid-seventies. That's when the McDonald's opened in Berlin, and everything changed.

Where there was McDonald's, there was Burger King, because the burger wars always escalate, and Burger King opened right across the White Horse Pike from the McDonald's. Taco Bell, Wendy's, Arby's, Roy Rogers, etc. all followed in Berlin, but when it comes right down to it, it's always about the big two.

Today, we're talking about Burger King however, the Burger King of my youth, and their original French fries. Burger King recently changed their fries, ending a reign of crappy fries they had had since the early nineties, but before that, they had really good fries, really good fries. When I first encountered BK, I fell in love with their charbroiled burgers, so much better than McDonald's. This is also where I started dipping my burger in my milkshake, BK being best for this practice, and notably best with a plain burger and a black and white shake. This remains the case to this day.

Burger King is also where I started stacking or planking. Those two words might mean something else these days, but to me, and in reference to French fries - stacking and planking, also known as sandwiching is the act of putting fries on your burger, creating a layer of potatoey goodness across your burger. In my years of doing this blog, I have happily found I'm not crazy, and I'm not the only one who does this, or shake dipping for that matter. BK's original fries were perfect for sandwiching.

About those original BK fries, they were shoestrings, similar to McDonald's, only less crispy and slightly more greasy. They were just short of a limp shoestring French fry, but unlike Wendy's new fries, BK's were substantial enough for dipping in shakes without breaking or bending. They were also delicious, and addictive. Whereas the old BK fries, I could barely eat one or two, the originals I would sometimes finish off two orders in a sitting. They were that good. They are still very much missed. I wish they'd bring them back.

Unfortunately, the original Burger King fries, being pre-internet, are extremely hard to get images of, so I have compensated with this blog entry. Find below a vintage BK commercial from the 1970s, plus above a glass featuring the old animated and much-less-creepy Burger King, as well as one of the BK ashtrays that everyone in my high school had snatched from the restaurant and had one in their bedrooms - smokers or not. Enjoy the nostalgia.

French Fry Diary 250: Arby's

I've already talked about my unpleasant experience with the onion rings at Arby's but I haven't actually reviewed the place yet. Arby's has changed quite a bit in the last few years when it comes to the favorite fried food. They used to have very good natural cuts, and as noted previously, terrific Onion Petals, but no longer. No Onion Petals, and the lack of a burger product are why I usually don't come to Arby's. And I'm really not a big roast beef guy.

Arby's started back in 1964, as old as I am, in Ohio. The RB in the name stands for Raffel Brothers, the founders, not roast beef, as most folks think. They are known for their roast beef sandwiches however, and their big cowboy hat logo and their 'horsey sauce.' They're part of the Wendy's company and they serve Pepsi products, and at the beginning, they served potato chips, not fries. They haven't been very successful in my area, however, as many of the restaurants that have opened, haven't stayed open more than five to ten years. Just sayin'.

Usually when I would come to Arby's I would get one of the chicken sandwiches, which is sometimes a pain in the neck to get the folks behind the counter to understand the concept of plain. "Just the chicken, and the bun," and still they get confused. Their shakes are pretty good too. They used to have shake it up chicken nuggets with bbq sauce that were great but no longer. And I would get the aforementioned Onion Petals quite often but they don't have them any more either.

What they do have, and have had for some time are Curly Fries. I believe these are among the first fast food franchise curly fries. They are natural cut and well seasoned. They are very good when hot, but this order, gotten on a Sunday afternoon at the nearly empty Arby's in Oaklyn, were barely warm. The cuts are very nice, lots of corkscrews. I like the corkscrews. I still wish they had the old natural cut fries too - it was nice to have a choice, or to have both.

They also have something called Loaded Potato Bites. Little triangles of potato product stuffed with sour cream, cheese, chives and God only knows what else - these were so not my thing. I did not like them. Sometimes they also have Potato Cakes, sort of a poor man's McDonald's Hash Brown, but not for breakfast. I'll review them on another trip I guess, as this one was not good so far.

Not a pleasant experience this stop, guys. Arby's, please bring back the natural cut regular cut fries and the Onion Petals.

French Fry Diary 199: Arby's Bait and Switch Onion Rings

What was advertised...

The new thing at Arby's is their Steakhouse Onion Rings. Now those last three words bring to mind a certain image - big thick panko battered onion rings, the kind that come next to, or on top of a big thick juicy steak. First and foremost I think of the ones that come with your steak at The Pub.

Luckily, so as to avoid confusion with the fantasy onion rings one's mind might conjure, Arby's new Steakhouse Onion Rings are accompanied by ads throughout the restaurant so you know what they look like. And they look darned good, perfectly shaped and tasty.

What we got... 

We got our order and left, as we were in a hurry to meet friends at our place, so it was a quick dinner on the go - real fast food. When we got home, I was in for quite a shock. I don't know what happened to my "Steakhouse Onion Rings" but I got crappy onion rings instead, and they certainly weren't anything like what was pictured at the restaurant. These were greasy, flimsy, falling apart, and not at all tasty. And five onion rings at $1.99, so not worth it…

Not cool, Arby's, so not cool. If you want to do something to make up for this fiasco, bring back your regular cut French fries or those delicious onion petals instead...

French Fry Diary 173: Gino's Flashback

Gino's was my first fast food experience. It was first restaurant to move in nearby, even though we all knew there was a McDonalds several miles up the White Horse Pike, Gino's was five minutes away, and right next to the Acme where just everyone did their grocery shopping. How could you miss it?

One visit after a long grocery trip to bring home lunch and I was indoctrinated at a very tender age. I remember loving the fries even then, surely an early sign of the mental illness that troubles me even now.

Gino's was huge then. Even the sign, that of a cartoon football player holding aloft a gigantic bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, was huge and one of the highest points in Berlin NJ. The home of the Gino's Giant, the later Sirloiner, and of course the Colonel's chicken held a prominent place in my childhood years.

I remember one traumatic moment when I was five or six when I was given a soda to carry as we left the counter with our take out, and me being a dumb and clumsy kid, I dropped it. I remember it went everywhere when it hit the floor, and I was horrified. Another fond Gino's memory was when a friend had her birthday party 'catered' by Gino's with Kentucky Fried Chicken her parents brought home. That party was the envy of the neighborhood.

The fries at Gino's were long shoestrings, maybe a bit greasy, but always a treat. The novelty of fast food was still a new thing for us hicks back then. The Berlin Gino's eventually closed and later became an Arby's then a Roy Rogers and now it's a Jersey diner, but it has retained its distinctive Gino's structure through the years. Later, when I was in college I noticed they had changed their fries to regular cuts similar to Roy Rogers, not surprising as they had been purchased by Marriott. And then they vanished altogether.

Gino's is still missed, and despite what the new Gino's is trying to do, it's not the same. But I still have my memories. Check out the memories of others here.

French Fry Diary 163: Gino's Is Back!

When folks think of the first fast food restaurant they were exposed to, the answer is usually McDonald's, but for me, and I suspect quite a few folks my age in the vicinity of Berlin NJ, the answer would be Gino's.

Gino's is long gone -until just a few days ago- but that building in Berlin, next to the old now also gone Acme, that was since been an Arby's, a Roy Rogers and now just a regular Jersey diner, will to some folks be forever known as Gino's. It was the first place we all got fast food. It was where most of us had our first fast food hamburger - the Gino's Giant, not the Big Mac or the Whopper. It was the place we first had Kentucky Fried Chicken. It was where we went for lunch after grocery shopping at the Acme on Saturday mornings. It was where the food came from for birthday parties when we were little. And for some of us, it was where we had our first part-time jobs. Gino's left that Berlin location in the seventies, but there was still one or two around, but they all closed in the early eighties.

Imagine my surprise to find that a new Gino's had opened just a week ago in King of Prussia. Opened and looking to franchise by founder Gino Marchetti and his partners the new Gino's is known as Gino's Burgers and Chicken, and you can check them out here at their website, or here at their blog, and shortly I'll be reviewing their fries right here at French Fry Diary. And don't forget to 'like' them on Facebook. Welcome back, Gino's!

And just for the sake of nostalgia, here's one of their commercials from the swinging seventies...

More Wendy's Madness

This is from PotatoPro, a website that services and reports on the potato industry:

"Wendy’s Skin-On Fries Part of Healthy Fast Food Push

"United States, August 26, 2010

"Wendy’s/Arby’s Group is taking the Wendy’s restaurant slogan “Quality is Our Recipe” to a new level – this time, with all-natural French fries in test markets.

"And interestingly, the new recipe comes at a time when Wendy’s French fries are already popular. A recent Zagat survey ranked Wendy’s fries fourth best, behind McDonald’s, Five Guys and In-N-Out Burger.

"So why would Wendy’s make the change to an already successful snack? Simple: The move comes amid a flurry of other menu changes at fast-food restaurants that push for higher quality, healthful and natural ingredients.

"Here are the details on the natural fries, and which Wendy’s test markets are offering them:

"The snack consists of skin-on strips of real potato, cooked in special oil and are topped with sea salt. The oil is used specifically for cooking these new fries, and Wendy’s has even passed up table salt for the more natural evaporated sea salt. Wendy’s is currently testing the fries, in Florida, North Carolina and Louisiana."

The full article appears here. Sounds like the Health Nazis are at it again...

French Fry Diary 120: National Onion Rings Day

Today, June 22nd, is National Onion Rings Day.

Yeah, I know this is French Fry Diary, but onion rings run a close second to fries when it comes to most loved side dishes, and the rings get more popular every day. Now they will never surpass the favorite fried food, but they are still a favorite.

Some of the best onion rings in my opinion can be found in some odd places. Cheeburger Cheeburger has excellent rings, so does Sonic and Red Robin Burger. The Bloomin' Onion at Outback is amazing and the Potato Onion Web at Orlando's Rising Star has to be seen to be believed. Props also go to Arby's onion peels, Alexia's frozen rings and especially to Bahama Breeze's coconut breaded onion rings. And of course, once you learn the secret to making them at home, nothing beats that.

So what are your favorite onion rings?

French Fry Diary 95: Worst Fries in America

Friends Ray, Domenic, Joe and a host of other friends, acquaintances and strangers sent this link to me:

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/46018/americas-worst-french-fries-and-what-you-should-eat-instead/

Thanks, folks!

The folks at Eat This, Not That are fond of putting down the favorite fried food as bad for you, in fact they’ve made quite a career of it.

What really amazes me is how they are quick to attack Arby’s Curly Fries, Jack in the Box’s Bacon Cheddar Wedges, and Five Guys’ Fries (!) among others, they follow it all up with recommending McDonald’s Fries as being the best fast food fries. Something seems askew here. They’re recommending Mickey D’s but then they leave In-N-Out Burger’s Animal Style Fries off their worst list? I mean, come on, guys, if you’re going to be Health Nazis, at least be consistent!

And for the record, I have nothing against McDonalds Fries, it’s just that I know there are better – including, most significantly, Five Guys’ Fries. And nothing against the Animal Style either, as I haven’t had the chance to try In-N-Out Burger yet, but I will as soon as they open one out here on the East Coast.

The Golden French Fry Awards

Journalist and columnist Jeff Walker (no relation) has given out his first annual Golden French Fry Awards and Sour Pickle Awards in his hometown of Culpepper, Virginia.

Getting both high and low marks is the local McDonald’s while the local Chick-Fil-A gets the highest honors.

Check out the whole story here.

Rock on, Jeff.

Me Love… French Fries

From FriesInAPan, a love song for fries, music is “Me Love” by Sean Kingston.