Your Fish Sticks Might Be Soggy From One Cooking Mistake

Whatever your age, fish sticks are a nice choice for a quick dinner protein, especially when rounded out with some greens and grains. However, nothing is more disappointing than pulling this fried finger food out of the oven or air fryer and finding that, instead of crisp and golden, they're rather soggy and limp, totally ruining your low-maintenance taco night. What did you do wrong?

If you put the sticks into your appliance of choice and then just walked away until they were done, that could be where you erred. Many frozen fish stick companies include in their oven directions the instruction to flip the sticks halfway through the cook time. This ensures both top and bottom sides receive the same blast of heat so they'll crisp up evenly.

Naturally, if you leave the fish sticks on the same side for the entire duration of baking (and even air frying, though this appliance does a better job of circulating the hot air all around), one side will get all the direct heat, while the other is pressed against the pan the entire time. That sad, bottom side may get cooked through, but it won't crisp up like the top. You've got to spread the love (heat) around.

Let's get this out of the way: If you're microwaving your fish sticks, you're doing it for convenience and brevity of cook time, not for a crispy texture. Plus, your microwave tends to heat them unevenly, leaving hot and cold spots that can make eating them less enjoyable. If you want that crunchy exterior, stick to an oven or air fryer. It's important with both appliances to lay down the sticks in a single layer — no overlaps or doubling up. You should also allow your appliance to preheat before popping in the fish sticks, as a hot interior will cook them much better than starting from cold.

Finally, air fryer baskets usually have perforated bottoms for good airflow, which is great if you're using one. If you're baking your fish sticks in an oven, you can place them on a wire rack, like this one by Spring Chef, set inside a pan. This allows hot air to circulate around all sides. Even with this method, you'll still want to flip them halfway through.

For the best results, make sure you're buying the highest-quality frozen fish sticks from the store. When they're done, dip those crispy sticks into some three-ingredient tartar sauce and enjoy the crunch you created.