How to make my baked sweet potato fries crispier??

[myriah]

I am doing my 1st catering job next week and am making baked sweet potato fries as a side sish. They are so good but I would like them to be crispier. Just a bit crispier. Can anyone please give me any tips? THANKS!!

 

[Sandyj]

Don't crowd them in the pan - then they steam instead of crisp!

 

[suzyQ3]

I second Sandyi's suggestion and would also say that a very quick run under the broiler might help as well. I do that with any dish I want to be a bit crispier.

 

[Cherry2000]

Most of the recipes I see that address the crispness issue talk about tossing the fries in cornstarch before cooking.

I haven't tried this myself yet, so I don't know for sure if it works or not. Might be worth looking into though.

 

[mudbug]

didn't one of the TV chefs recommend frying them for a couple of minutes, taking them out to rest, and then re-frying again to attain a good texture?

Might have been about regular french fries, but I don't see why it wouldn't work for sweet potatoes as well.

I think Sandy's right too.

 

[kleenex]

I think that was the way Emeril was making the fries or was it Alton Brown.

 

[Piccolina]

Not that sweet potatoes are an overly moist veggie, but with when I bake either sweet or plain spuds I dry off the pieces (slices, etc) with a dry tea towel before placing them in the pan. Before I bake the potato pieces (if I`m not super pressed for time) I heat up the fat (not much really) in the pan that the potatoes are to be cooked in. I just lay the pan on a couple of burners and lightly heat the fat (not smoking hot!) before I add in the potatoes. I use just a little butter and a tiny drizzle of oil as my fat. Once the potatoes are in the fat I make sure that they get tossed around in the pan and evenly coated (with fat and any seasonings) before popping them into my preheated oven. The outsides of my potatoes usually turn out nice and crispy

 

[VeraBlue]

didn't one of the TV chefs recommend frying them for a couple of minutes, taking them out to rest, and then re-frying again to attain a good texture?

Might have been about regular french fries, but I don't see why it wouldn't work for sweet potatoes as well.

I think Sandy's right too.

Yes, you can produce a crispier fry if you double fry a potato. It has to be from a fresh potato, and not frozen french fries, however. Unfortunately, this won't work with sweet potato fries because the sugar content is higher than white potatoes. Instead of crisping, the sugar carmelizes, making a softer, darker fry than desired.

Sweet potato fries are notoriously hard to hold. Most people opt to delete them from menus if they cannot serve immediately upon cooking. If you have to hold them, don't cover them or they will steam. If you can, try a minute or two under a broiler or use a good propane torch right before you plate them.

 

[suzyQ3]

I am doing my 1st catering job next week and am making baked sweet potato fries as a side sish. They are so good but I would like them to be crispier. Just a bit crispier. Can anyone please give me any tips? THANKS!!

So now, after reading several of the posts here, I'm a little confused.

Are you referring to a recipe for sweet potatoes that are baked, much like the kind of oven fries I make with russets. That's what I thought when I posted my suggestion.

Or is your recipe one that calls for real frying?

 

[Piccolina]

Hi Suzy, my recipe was for oven baking

 

[mudbug]

the sugar content is higher than white potatoes. Instead of crisping, the sugar carmelizes, making a softer, darker fry than desired.

good point, VeraBlue, and one I should have thought of!