Comparative study of physico-chemical and sensory characteristics of French fries prepared from frozen potatoes using different cooking systems

The aim of this work was to provide a thorough evaluation of quality characteristics of French fries prepared from frozen potatoes using different home-cooking systems. French fries were prepared using deep-fat fryer, air-frying appliances, convection oven, and microwave oven. Two commercial frozen potato sticks, specifically intended for deep-fat frying and for oven cooking, respectively, were used for the cooking tests. The obtained French fries were analyzed for compositional parameters and for sensory properties by instrumental analyses (texture, color, and aroma) and descriptive analysis. Significant differences in physico-chemical and nutritional characteristics of the final products were observed, depending on both the raw material and the cooking system; analytical data were in good agreement with the sensory results. French fries obtained by oven cooking of apposite frozen potato sticks had sensory characteristics similar to those of deep-fat fried potatoes, with low acrylamide (about 50 µg/kg) and lower fat content (7.4–11.1 g/100 g compared to 14.5–17.1 g/100 g in deep-fat fried potatoes); on the other hand, oven cooking was the most expensive system in terms of energy consumption. Quality characteristics of French fries obtained by air-frying and microwave cooking were poorer, and these products had higher acrylamide content (up to 410 µg/kg in microwave cooked samples).