French fries are a common (I would say essential) part of any cookout, especially when paired with burgers or hot dogs. There was a time when the only French fries I could find in Aldi were their seasoned fries, which are tasty but also have some kick … or else I’d have to wait around for the occasional Special Buy. Of late, though, I’ve seen more variety in their Regular Buy French fry selection, including these.
Season’s Choice Crinkle Cut French Fried Potatoes come in a two-pound bag in the frozen Regular Buy section. The bag has a perforated top that can be torn open, allowing you to pour the fries out of the bag. It’s not resealable, but the hole created by the perforation is small enough that you can clip it or fold it shut easily enough. Be aware that these fries are high in sodium and don’t have a lot of nutritional value, although most people probably don’t expect French fries to be health food.
The bag contains three different cooking methods: deep fry, standard oven / toaster oven, and electric skillet. The deep fry method involves preheating the oil to 350 degrees, filling the basket 1/2 full of frozen fries, and deep frying 3 to 3/12 minutes before removing and spreading on absorbent paper. The oven instruction call for preheating the oven to 450 degrees, spreading the frozen fries on a dark, non-stick baking sheet or shallow baking pan, baking for 13 minutes, then flipping and cooking for 11-13 more minutes before serving. The electric skillet method involves heating 3 tablespoons of cooking oil to medium heat (350 degrees) before adding the frozen fries in a single layer, stirring to evening distribute the oil, covering and heating for 9-10 minutes (stirring frequently for uniform cooking), and finally removing and spreading on absorbent paper.
With both the deep fry and electric skillet methods, the instructions recommend non-hydrogenated liquid cooking oil. In all methods, users are instructed (to no one’s surprise) to serve immediately.
We cooked these up using the oven method, and they came out just fine. They’re crispy, have a nice French fry taste, and go excellently with ketchup or just a little salt. Pair them with your burger of choice and you’ve got yourself a meal. In our view, they taste as good as any national brand or store brand French fries we’ve ever had.
The Verdict:
Simple to make and good to eat, the Season’s Choice Crinkle Cut French Fried Potatoes are perfect for those times when you need good old-fashioned French fries. If you’re looking for more seasoning or punch, however, you can check out Aldi’s seasoned French fries.
These were just plain awful. Texture, flavor both odd. Mine burned super quick and turned black on edges without cooking anywhere else. Almost taste freezer burned but didn’t appear so. I bought them because they weren’t loaded with additives. Had way better frozen fries in my day.