Can You Microwave Frozen Fries? – What You Should Know

French fries complete a meal, particularly if you buy them frozen and quickly fry them up or bake them or even toss them into an air fryer.

They make a quick meal side or even a snack or appetizer and you can personalize them any way you want. 

Of course, there are plenty of people that make their fries from scratch. But if you live life on the go, this isn’t always an option, and sometimes you just need a quick fix.

So you grab those fries out of the freezer and read the bag to see just what is the quickest way to heat them up. 

Can you microwave frozen fries? Unfortunately, it’s not a good idea to microwave your fries. There are a select few options that are specifically designed to be microwave-friendly, but apart from those, you will most likely end up with soggy or chewy French fries. 

In this guide, we are going to share with you a detailed review of some microwave French fries and share with you all of the details you may want to know about heating French fries quickly without the microwave. 

Stick with us to learn about microwave French fries and more!

Can You Microwave Frozen Fries?

We already gave away the secret that you can’t really cook frozen fries in the microwave.

We do want to point out that you might be able to reheat fries that have already been cooked in the microwave. In fact, you can check out our guide with complete instructions on reheating fries in the microwave. 

Cooking fries from a frozen state, however, is trickier and requires better methods to make sure your fries come out crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and all around perfectly cooked.

For most fries, it simply doesn’t turn out well to use the microwave. You can quickly find this out by checking out the packaging of the frozen fries in question. 

You will notice that most of these packages have oven or toaster oven procedures for cooking the fries. They might also have frying recommendations.

Some fries have updated their packaging to include air fryer instructions, but you can probably try the air fryer even if those instructions aren’t there. 

When it comes to cooking frozen fries, we mostly recommend that you stick with one of the methods recommended on the bag.

Most of those frozen fries will not have microwave instructions and that is simply because they don’t cook well that way. 

If you like your fries to be soggy and limp, well you can certainly try it out! 

There are some specific fries out there that do allow you to cook them in the microwave. Ore Ida is a popular brand that offers just such a fry. We will talk more about those in a minute.

You might be able to find some other brands that offer similar solutions as well. 

What we really want to point out is that, unless they are packaged for this kind of purpose or made with instructions for microwave cooking, you shouldn’t rely on the microwave to really enjoy your frozen fries. 

Now, let’s talk about those fries we mentioned a moment ago. 

The Best Microwave French Fries 

If you don’t own an oven, toaster oven, or air fryer or you simply don’t want to mess with any of those appliances, you can purchase frozen fries that are microwave-friendly.

What makes them microwave-friendly when other fries are not?

The truth is in the packaging, to be honest. Fries are meant to be crisp when done. They shouldn’t be hard or burnt, but they also shouldn’t be extra-soft, soggy, or limp either.

Unfortunately, that is the result that you’ll tend to get in the microwave. 

On a positive note, there are some companies that had the foresight to create a solution for a quick option that is compatible with the microwave. Ore Ida is one of those companies.

They created a package that comes in a microwave box rather than a bag. We have a detailed review of the product below.

Recommended: Ore Ida Ready in 5 Frozen Fries

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Ore Ida has a reputation for its frozen potato products. They are delicious and made with fresh potatoes.

Key Features:

• Ready in 5 minutes
• Packaging specially-designed for the microwave
• Super easy to cook
• Taste almost as great as frozen fries cooked other ways
• No oven, oil, or other accessories required
• 2 fry styles to choose from 

They are designed to be crisp and golden on the outside with just the right texture and doneness on the inside when you make them. 

They serve crinkle fries, waffle fries, curly fries, steak fries, tater tots, hash browns, mashed potatoes, and more. They have a little bit of everything and they have seemingly perfected the potato market. 

Their ready in 5 fries are specially designed so that you can cook them in the microwave. They really are ready to eat in about 5 minutes, making them a quick fix when you need it.

They crisp up in the microwave so you’re not left with soggy or limp fries that just don’t taste good. 

They are the perfect side, and since they are microwaveable, you can just use them for a meal on the go if you need to.

Take them to work, heat a quick snack, serve them to your family (they will never know were microwaved). You can even add some cheese, bacon, and jalapenos and treat yourself to some loaded fries.

Of course, you can add whatever toppings and spices you like to them. 

How They Work

Ore Ida potato products are made using Grade A freshly peeled potatoes. All of their potatoes are American-grown. 

The ready in 5 fries are specifically designed to be cooked in the microwave. The key was to provide a reliable solution that would be quick and convenient when you need it.

So how did they possibly create a frozen French fry that can successfully be cooked in the microwave?

It’s pretty simple, really. The potato and the fry are the same. They didn’t change the way the fries are designed or the ingredients. They changed the packaging.

Rather than coming in a bag designed to be dumped into a pan, these are in a small box. The box resembles what a frozen dinner might come in. 

This box is equipped with crisping sheets built into the sides of the packaging. There is a crisping sheet on both the upper and lower sides, which are the largest sides that should directly touch every fry in some way or another. 

These fries are recommended to be cooked in an 1100-watt microwave, but you could adjust your microwave or your cook times accordingly as well. The key is to not overcook the fries so they don’t end up hard. 

What’s even better is Ore Ida actually has two different options for this particular style. You can get extra-crispy crinkles or extra-crispy golden fries. You get to choose! 

Overall, this is a great option if you do want frozen fries that can be cooked in the microwave. Remember that in general, frozen fries are not microwave-friendly unless the package specifically deems them as such.

These are specially made just for that purpose and the package is designed to help the process. 

One package of these fries might not be enough to go around for a whole family, but they make a great snack or side for just a couple of people. 

Summary

While it’s an unfortunate answer that most frozen fries cannot be cooked in the microwave, it’s nice to have a simple solution that will work out for you if you need it to.

That means the answer to this question wasn’t a complete bust and there are options out there! 

If you want to make fries in the microwave, be sure to check out the packaging and check whether or not that is a suitable cooking option.

If all else fails, reach for those Ore Ida ready in 5 fries or go with another cooking solution to fuel your fry craving. 

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