Are Frozen French Fries Precooked In Oil and Which are the Best and Healthiest?

French fries have traditionally been served as an appetizer or snack with burgers and a variety of other entrees. However, many people believe that baking frozen fries are healthier. However, an idea suddenly occurred to me: are frozen French fries fried before being frozen?

Do you want to know what I discovered?

Frozen French fries are usually fried first before being frozen. They’ve even been blanched (to extend their shelf life) before being cooked in oil (to make them crispy & quick to cook). Reheating them at home is all that is required.

Knowing this, however, does not answer many other problems, such as which oils are used in frying French fries prior to packaging and if frozen fries are healthier than fast food fries. But we’ll also go into how frozen French fries are made and which frozen fries brands are the healthiest. So jump right in, and I’ll walk you through all of these issues and more.

What is the process for making frozen French fries?

Potatoes that have been washed and peeled are used to make frozen French fries. They are then sliced into slices and blanched in boiling water to soften them slightly. Then the potatoes are flash-frozen and packaged after cooling and drying. They are then fried in oil, with the surplus oil drained.

Potatoes must be peeled and chopped into strips to make French fries. Surprise, huh?

They’re usually washed or soaked in cold water after being sliced into strips to remove the starch from the surface. After all, it’s the removal of the starch that makes your fries crispy rather than a crumbly mess.

The next phase in the procedure is blanching, which involves immersing the fries in boiling water for a short time and then immediately immersing them in cold water.

Blanching has been shown to kill any food pathogens, preserve the color of the fries, and aid in the removal of starch and moisture.

The fries are then dried before being fried in oil!

Interesting fact! Did you know that French fries are only made from huge oval-shaped potatoes? Curly fries are made with smaller round potatoes that have been separated. Actually, watching an episode of How It’s Manufactured is the best method to learn how fries are made. Everything is depicted, from the potatoes jumping onto the conveyor belt to the machinery sorting potato slices.

As a result, we’re left with the question of which oil is utilized for frying them. Let’s see what happens.

Is there oil in frozen French fries?

Almost all frozen French fry brands cook their fries in vegetable oil or palm oil before freezing them. It’s just reheating the already-fried French fries when you bake them at home.

Palm oil contains a lot of saturated fat. Vegetable oil is unhealthy because the unsaturated lipids in it might cause inflammation when heated. While neither of these solutions is particularly poor for preparing fries, there are better alternatives.

You don’t need to fry your French fries deep again because they’ve already been fried twice. Please put them in an air fryer after lightly oiling them with olive oil. The less, the better when it comes to oil on frozen fries; but, if you’re making fries at home, you’ll need to use a little bit of oil.

Whatever method you decide to prepare your fries, remember to use healthy oil and less salt. The salt content of most frozen fries is already high.

Which frozen fries are the healthiest?

Alexia’s frozen French fries are the healthiest since they are not fried in trans fats. Their sweet potato fries have less sodium and calories per serving than conventional potato fries. On the other hand, Cascadian Farm Organic French Fries are among the healthiest frozen French fries available.

When you think of deep-fried foods, the first thing that comes to mind is that they are unhealthy. But what if it is not entirely true?

Everything is healthful when consumed in moderation. Chocolate, fruits, ice cream, and yes, even French fries are all healthful options. What you need to do is choose the right product and eat in moderation. The number of calories, fat, trans fat and sodium levels are the most important factors to consider. When you think of French fries, you usually think of the sweet, crispy yellow classics.

What if I told you that one of the healthiest frozen fries isn’t yellow?

Alexia Sweet potato fries have 8 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, and 110 milligrams of sodium. For every 12 fries, just 160 calories are consumed (approx.).

When the healthiest fast food fries have a calorie count of 220 for every 2.5-oz, that’s not awful. But we’ll talk about that more lately. Also, keep in mind that the healthiest alternative is homemade French fries. In addition, when it comes to homemade French fries, sweet potatoes are another healthy alternative.

If sweet potatoes aren’t your thing, Cascadian Farm Organic French Fries are the next best thing. These fries include 60 calories per serving, 0 grams of fat and trans fat, and 15 milligrams of sodium.

You may also want to have a look at our list of the top frozen food myths.

Is it true that frozen fries are better for you than fast-food fries?

Frozen fries are generally healthier than fast food fries. This is due to the fact that most fast-food restaurants add additional salt and flavoring additives, and they may fry in lard or trans-fat oils, which may be avoided by checking the ingredient list on frozen French fries.

I’m sure it’ll come as a surprise to learn that McDonald’s serves the healthiest fries of any fast-food restaurant. This isn’t to say they’re the healthiest fries on the planet, and it simply means you’re less likely to have a heart attack if you eat fast-food fries. Keep in mind that portion sizes play a significant influence in this.

As a result, these are around the same price as a small order of fries.

The nutritional content of frozen fries from three distinct brands is broken down numerically below.

Calories

McDonald’s: 220
Alexia Sweet Potatoes: 160
Cascadian Farm: 60

Sodium

McDonald’s: 180mg
Alexia Sweet Potatoes: 110mg
Cascadian Farm: 15mg

Fat

McDonald’s: 10g
Alexia Sweet potatoes: 8g
Cascadian Farm: 0g

Trans fat

McDonald’s: 0g
Alexia Sweet potatoes: 0g
Cascadian Farm: 0g

McDonald’s is clearly not bad, but better options are available.

Which frozen French fries are the best?

Ore-Ida typically wins taste tests in terms of flavor and not necessarily healthful elements. Alexia French fries, on the other hand, which are healthier, frequently appear at the top of best-of lists. Finally, grown in Idaho, Super Crispy Crinkle Cut Fries are a superior-tasting brand.

As I previously stated, the Alexia brand is at the top of my wish list. It has the most excellent flavor and is healthful, and it’s a win-win situation! They also offer more than simply sweet potato fries.

McCain’s crispy fries are a good alternative if you don’t think they’re right for you. They’re only second to Alexia in terms of health, but their sweetness wins them over many folks.

Many people also prefer Ore-Ida, despite the fact that this brand has a high sodium content of 360mg and 200 calories. The salt content of McDonald’s fries is higher. Not only that, but they lack the flavor of some of the healthier alternatives. It’s hardly a win-win situation in that case.

In general, though, a homemade French fry, such as homemade sweet potato fries or avocado fries, is the best. Yes, fries can be created from more than just potatoes. I would strongly advise you to try some new fry recipes and experience the difference for yourself.

Did I answer all of your questions about whether frozen French fries are already fried?

As a result, we discovered that frozen French fries are fried in oil before being frozen and shipped to stores. We also looked into frozen fries in further detail. The following are the main points to remember from this article:

Making frozen French fries is a step-by-step process. Yes, French fries are cooked twice in oil before being sent to the store.

As for the oil used in the production of frozen fries - the majority of brands employ palm and vegetable oils. If you want to make your own fries, this isn’t the most refined oil to use, and canola or even sunflower oil should be used.

Frozen fries aren’t always unhealthy. It’s all about moderation and keeping an eye on calories, lipids, trans fats, and sodium. Knowledge is a powerful tool.

If you want to know the most fabulous frozen fries you’ll ever have - Alexia sweet potatoes and McCain crispy fries are the clear winners.