The Citrusy Secret To Making Your Frozen Fries Taste Like Heaven

Like many commercially produced, prepackaged foods, frozen french fries are convenient but can taste pretty meh. Is there a way to keep the convenience of frozen fries while also making them taste better? For the answer, Food Republic turned to Vivian Villa, a chef and product developer, who shared a tip for elevating frozen spuds to a truly heavenly bite. Villa's secret? The addition of a citrus ingredient like lemon juice.

"Any kind of acid provides a nice balance, cutting through the richness of a crispy fry," she explained. "Try mixing lemon juice and zest into fine salt or squirting fresh lemon around the inside of the bowl, allowing the fries to get kissed by the lemon juice without getting soggy — zest of lemon, salt[,] and pepper to finish."

No matter what type of french fries you're making, the inclusion of lemon adds the perfect zesty pop, lending brightness and providing a tasty balance to their crispy saltiness. It's a flavor match made in culinary heaven.

The point at which you incorporate the ingredient is important for achieving the best results. "For maximum lemon [flavor] on your fries, it's always best to add after the cooking process, as the high heat will destroy any [flavors] added beforehand," Villa advised. "Adding lemon juice to other seasonings ... or lightly dressing the bowl with the juice and zest (rather than the fries), then tossing to coat will ensure your fries will be crispy with that fresh lemon tang."

To lemon up your frozen french fries, Vivian Villa also shared an expert tip for getting the maximum amount of juice from a fresh lemon. "Twisting a fork into the lemon is the best way to release every last drop of juice," she advised, adding that you shouldn't "forget to zest the lemon [before] you [juice it]."

Lemon zest on its own, without the juice, can also provide the citrusy brightness your french fries need. You can simply toss your fries in zest and seasonings and enjoy. But whether you're using juice alone, zest alone, or a combination of the two, adding some fresh herbs into the mix — like parsley or rosemary — will further elevate your prepackaged spuds.

Some other ways to up your frozen fry game with a citrus twist include incorporating lemon into a dipping sauce. Making a quick aioli with store-bought mayo, lemon juice, and garlic yields a simple but scrumptious dip that pairs excellently with fries. While the real thing is always best, if you don't have a lemon on hand, simply shaking on a lemon pepper seasoning blend will also give you a nice citrus pop. Lemon pepper spice mixes generally contain real lemon elements like lemon peel and lemon oil.