Is It Better To Fry Or Bake Potato Skins?

If you're looking for a quick snack that's also filling and tasty, then you can't go wrong with salty, crunchy, savory potato skins. Obviously, texture plays an important role in the snack, so if you're making them at home, you want to make sure you cook them right. As such, the eternal dilemma arises of whether or not you should bake or fry your potato skins. As with any culinary debate, battle lines are drawn, and it's up to you to navigate which side to firmly put your foot down. 

If you prioritize texture, you may want to consider frying those potato skins. They can end up a bit mushy when thrown into the oven and baked. That's even if you don't make the simple mistake of including aluminum foil in the mix. There's nothing worse than biting into a soggy chip. If you want potato skins that have a solid crunch to them, deep frying is going to be your best bet. If done correctly, you'll have a nice golden brown exterior and a soft moist interior. Likewise, from a flavor point of view, fried potato skins also tend to taste better. 

Have you ever noticed that fries tend to be more flavorful and distinct than a baked potato? Well, the same principle applies to fried potato skins vs baked potato skins. This boils (no pun intended) down to a couple of factors. For one, fried potato skins typically taste better due to the oils used during deep frying. It mixes with the starches in the potato, giving it a stronger and more pronounced taste than you might notice in baked potato skins. 

Additionally, the Maillard reaction occurs while deep frying potato skins. It's what gives food that deep golden brown color when well-cooked. Essentially, this reaction happens when the sugars within the starch break down due to heat, which leads to a nice caramelization. While you still get a Maillard reaction when baking, the heat isn't as evenly dispersed, so the bottoms of your potato skins may end up cooking faster than the tops. If you're not careful, this could result in them burning. In comparison, by using oil, the potato skins all cook evenly, and you get a nice uniform color as a result. 

Of course, one advantage that baked potato skins have over their fried counterparts is convenience. If you're going to fry potato skins, you'll need oil and potentially a deep fryer. If you don't feel like spending time cleaning your kitchen, you may want to consider baking those potato skins instead. Unfortunately, it's almost impossible not to make some sort of mess when frying food since the heat will likely send oil flying. That being said, you can minimize your clean-up duty by using a large pot. You can also prevent an accidental splatter by using long utensils to flip your potato skins. 

Likewise, frying potato skins isn't foolproof, and there's still a chance that your potatoes end up soggy rather than crispy. To help avoid this, you should never add your potatoes to the pot before adding oil. If you do, your potatoes will come in contact with the oil before it has had the chance to heat up. This will make it soggy instead of crispy. Instead, let your oil heat before adding your potato skins. Likewise, it's important to consider the kinds of potatoes to use — if you have russet potatoes, your skins will likely end up crispier than other varieties.