Give Frozen French Fries A Zesty Kick With This Cheap Seasoning Mix

We put ranch dressing on everything from mashed potatoes to amping up the flavor of a tuna salad. But did you know it's also the key to giving frozen french fries a zesty kick? We're not talking about slathering them in sauce (though you'd get a thumbs up all around from us if you did). We're actually talking about ripping open a pack of ranch seasoning mix and covering those frozen 'taters with the flavorful powder. Lots of home cooks concoct aromatic marinades or seasonings to rub on an array of meats, but french fries (especially the frozen kind) often seem to end up lower down the flavor pecking order. We think it's a missed opportunity to give a little sparkle to this dinnertime stalwart with little extra effort. Using a pre-made seasoning mix to gussy up frozen french fries is such a no-brainer that you'll wonder why you never thought of it before.

As much as we love their convenience and low cost, even the nicest frozen French fries can be a bit bland, so tossing them in a cheap ranch seasoning mix — cut with a little olive oil for extra richness and to help the seasoning stick to the spuds — could just be the perfect solution. Unlike home-made seasonings, it comes ready-made, so all those delicious spices and zesty herbs are in exactly the right proportions, saving us time as well as delivering instant flavor on a busy, busy weeknight. As a bonus, if we don't use it all, we can make up a bowl of dressing, too!

Proving that ranch really does go with everything, the seasoning mix works with frozen sweet potato fries, and it's amazing as a coating for frozen veggies baked in the oven. But why stop at ranch? You could try the same hack with leftover packets of ramen seasoning, too.

Bringing it back to french fries, there is one small question that arises with this hack: Do you season your fries before cooking or after? People are divided, with as many tossing their piping hot fries in a bowl of seasoning as those who coat them beforehand. How you choose to cook them can be a factor in your decision-making. Deep frying frozen fries, whether you've made them yourself or bought them from the store, can be tasty, but putting the seasoning on first could knock off that coating. Or, if your oil gets too hot, that ranch mix could burn and taste unpleasant. Air frying can be a lighter option for fresh french fries, but for the frozen kind they can lead to disastrous results. Our advice? Use the oven and get the mix on before cooking. 

Just as some people double-fry their potatoes for extra crispness, you can do the same with your oven and your pre-seasoned frozen French fries. We recommend cooking them for around 10 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, then whacking the temperature up to 475 degrees to give them a beautiful, golden-brown color. That zesty ranch seasoning won't have budged an inch, and you'll get flavorful french fries every time.