When do fries go bad

Several things come into consideration when making this decision. Were they cooked? Were they uncooked? Were they frozen? Were they sitting at room temperature? Did you put them in the fridge or the freezer? As a general rule of thumb, a pack of cooked french fries will stay fresh and edible for 3 to 5 days if it is in the refrigerator. However, this time duration does depend on some factors. If you decide to remove frozen fries from the freezer and put thawed and defrosted french fries in the refrigerator, you can keep them there for 2 to 5 days.

After that, you must cook them immediately. Keep in mind that when they thaw they release a lot of moisture. This ca significantly impact the final texture of your fries, so do your best to avoid this scenario.

Also, remember that if you defrosted and thawed the french fries in cold water or a microwave, you should cook them and eat them immediately as their shelf life is significantly smaller. If you frequently take out the bag from the freezer to remove a portion of those fries and then return the bag to the freezer, you are frequently exposing it to the room temperature. If you know you only need a few fries at a time, not the whole bag, you can portion the whole bag into smaller containers.

This way you only take out a single serving at a time. If your room temperature varies between 40 degrees Fahrenheit and degrees Fahrenheit, the maximum safe time duration to leave your fries out on the counter is 2 hours. Once the bag has been removed, cook all of the contents or return any remaining fries to the freezer as soon as possible.

If the potatoes begin to thaw past the point of 40 degrees Fahrenheit, do not refreeze them. Crisp on the outside and piping hot on the inside, the ideal way to eat french fries is straight out of the fryer. Sometimes you're not able consume a full portion right away. When this happens, store any extra fries in the refrigerator so long as you can get them there within a couple hours of cooking. Wrap them in heavy aluminum foil or place them in an airtight container to ensure maximum freshness.

The fries will keep this way for three to five days without spoiling. An hour or two after cooking, even the highest quality french fries will start to get soggy.

This is especially true once the fries are placed in the refrigerator and exposed to moisture. To reheat leftover fries, use a heavy-bottomed pan coated with oil to -- essentially -- fry the potatoes again. How long do french fries last in the freezer? How long do french fries last at room temperature? Can you refrigerate cooked fries? How to tell if the french fries have gone bad?

How to store french fries to extend their shelf-life? Fill a pot with water and bring it to a rolling boil. Submerge the french fries in the boiling water for about 5 minutes.

It helps to deactivate the enzymes that are involved in the browning and spoilage of french fries during storage. Remove the partially boiled french fries and drop them in a bath of ice-cold water. This will halt the cooking process.

Then spread the fries in a single layer on a baking sheet or tray. The french fries should be placed as such they do not touch or overlap each other. If you boiled a large batch, you can place parchment paper over the first layer of fries and place the fries on top. Slide the tray in the freezer and let the fries pre-freeze for at least an hour. When the fries are frozen solid, portion them and toss them in an air-tight freezer bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible from the bag.