I cooked potatoes 7 ways in my air fryer, and I'd make almost all of them again

• I made seven popular potato recipes in my air fryer, and I'd make nearly all of them again.
• The potato wedges and chips came out crispy and delicious.

Even though there seems like an infinite amount of ways you can cook potatoes, I used my air fryer to try out seven iconic recipes.

From classic baked potatoes to fried skins, read on to see how each of these dishes turned out, and which ones I'll make again.

I started with baked potatoes

I followed The Novice Chef's recipe for an air-fryer baked potato that requires just four ingredients — russet potatoes, oil, salt, and pepper — and it was by far the easiest one I tried.

This was just as easy as baking them in the oven

To start, I washed my potatoes with water, patted them dry, and pierced holes around every side with a fork. I then coated them with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

This recipe doesn't require any preheating or cutting — which I loved — so I simply placed the whole potatoes in the air-fryer basket and cooked them at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. I then flipped them and left them in for an additional 10.

I'd advise anyone attempting this recipe to be careful when taking the potatoes out of the fryer because they were scalding. I used tongs and could still feel the heat.

I loved how these cooked so quickly

Not only did this baked potato turn out as tasty as the ones I've made in a traditional oven, but also it cooked 20 minutes faster.

The interior was fluffy and soft, and the skin had a pleasant crispness that made it super palatable and less papery.

Although I'm normally of the belief that baked potatoes are vessels for elaborate toppings, I kept the fixings simple to remain fair, opting for a simple spread of butter and finely chopped scallions.

It was still absolutely delicious, and surprisingly, the simple salt-and-pepper seasoning was perfectly satisfying.

VERDICT: I'd totally make these potatoes exactly the same way again.

I tried making french fries next

When I want fries at home, I usually reach for the instant, frozen kind I can throw in my oven.

Although they generally turn out OK — albeit chewier than I'd prefer — they aren't quite worth the effort and 30-minute wait.

Thankfully, Food Network's air-fryer fries come together in less than half an hour, with only 10 minutes of actual cooking.

Chopping the potatoes was the most labor-intensive part

The hardest part was the prep work, but I say this as someone who isn't the best at chopping ingredients. The instructions say to cut the potato in half, then into quarter-inch slices, and eventually into quarter-inch sticks.

I tried to get mine as close to French-fry size as possible, but some pieces were still misshapen.

I then tossed the potato sticks into a colander, rinsed them with chilled water, and patted them dry, which is crucial want to avoid soggy fries.

After tossing them with a teaspoon of canola oil and a pinch of salt and pepper, I placed the fries in my air-fryer basket, ensuring no pieces overlapped.

I let them cook for 15 minutes at 380 degrees Fahrenheit, tossing them about halfway through.

These were OK, but I should've left them in a bit longer

They reminded me of In-N-Out's fries since they had a slight chew with a somewhat crunchy exterior, but a few pieces were a bit limp and soggy. It's possible I didn't let them dry for long enough after rinsing them.

I contemplated throwing them back into the fryer, but since the pieces were so small, I was worried I'd burn them.

VERDICT: I'd be willing to try the recipe again — perhaps even using sweet potatoes — but next time, I'd definitely cook them for a few minutes longer.

The potato chips seemed intimidating

I'm no stranger to making my own chips, but potato chips are a whole different ball game.

The food blog Momsdish describes this air-fryer potato-chip recipe as a wholesome alternative to the regular bags you'd find at the grocery store.

The recipe calls for yellow potatoes, but I only had russet on hand, so I figured it wouldn't make too much of a difference since I was air-frying them.

The prep work was surprisingly simple

The process was mostly simple. With a mandolin — I highly recommend using cut gloves or a special guard when working with this tool — I sliced the potato into thin discs. The recipe also says you can also use an extra-sharp knife.

I only used a single potato and got a solid amount of pieces. Depending on how many you have, you could make a lot of chips.

As with many other recipes, I soaked the potato slices in cold water for 20 minutes to remove the starch, which apparently is supposed to help them crisp up easier.

I then patted them with paper towels and arranged them on a baking sheet to air out. It took an additional 15 minutes for them to be decently dry, so be mindful of that when allocating time for this recipe.

If you're making a large batch to eat for several days, the waiting probably isn't a big deal, but it seemed like a lot for the small amount I was making.

I tossed them in a bowl with a very light drizzle of olive oil and sea salt and used my hands to distribute the mix onto each slice.

I had no trouble fitting all of the slices in my fryer basket since I made such a small batch, and I cooked them for 20 minutes at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

These chips turned out better than I expected

I was generally pleased with how well the chips turned out. They had a pleasantly golden-brown color and a nice, airy texture.

The only issue was that not every chip seemed to cook evenly. Some boasted a perfectly crispy bite, while others were only crunchy on the edges and chewy in the center.

But when I tossed the chips back in the air fryer and cooked them for an additional 10 minutes at 200 degrees Fahrenheit, they came out perfectly yummy, salty, and crispy.

My roommate and I devoured the rest of the bowl as soon as they were cool.

I genuinely didn't think these would turn out as good as they did, especially considering how little oil I used.

The touch of sea salt perfectly highlighted the natural potato flavor, though I could totally see myself making spicy variations with chili powder or paprika.

VERDICT: I would definitely make these again.

Plus, these are a solid deal considering chips can cost $4 at the store, and I paid that much for an entire 5-pound bag of potatoes. You also get to control the amount of salt and oil you use.

I was excited about the potato wedges

French fries are great, but wedges are really where it's at.

All Recipes user Soup Loving Nicole's air-fryer potato wedges come together in about 35 minutes, making them the perfect last-minute snack or side.

This recipe was pretty straightforward

I first preheated the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

I washed the outside of a russet potato, patted it dry, and cut it into eight even wedges.

I threw those pieces into a bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil, salt, black pepper, chili and garlic powder, and a few other seasonings since the recipe is totally customizable.

I cooked my coated wedges for 10 minutes, then flipped them to air fry for another five.

It took some serious strength on my part to not sink my teeth into these potato wedges the moment I pulled them out, because they smelled amazing.

The potato wedges were a huge success

The center of each wedge was super tender, like a baked potato, and the edges had a yummy, french-fry quality. It was the best of both worlds.

The seasoning blend was flavorful and nicely clung to each potato. They were certainly good enough to eat as is, but I added ketchup for a nice balance of salty and sweet.

VERDICT: These air-fryer potato wedges were so tasty that I ended up making a second batch later that week.

I moved on to the roasted potatoes

The Recipe Critic's roasted-potato recipe couldn't be easier since there's no peeling involved.

The prep work was very simple

I cut my two potatoes in half lengthwise, then I halved each of those pieces and sliced them into four equal-sized chunks.

Next, I tossed the potatoes in a bowl with olive oil, freshly minced garlic, salt, pepper, and a mix of dried Italian seasoning.

The instructions say to add the Parmesan cheese in this step, but I waited until the end because I was concerned about it burning.

I tried my best to make sure the pieces didn't overlap in the basket, then air-fried them at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. At the halfway mark, I used tongs to toss the spuds.

By the time they finished cooking, my house was filled with a garlicky potato scent, so I had a good feeling about these.

I sprinkled them with Parmesan cheese and dried parsley to serve.

The roasted potatoes turned out amazing

Between their hot, crispy exterior and melt-in-your-mouth touch of cheese and herbaceous seasoning, these roast potatoes hit the spot.

I was initially worried they'd be too dry, but the crust was just right and the inside was soft and flavorful.

The fresh garlic and sprinkle of Parmesan was a nice touch, and upgrade these from an OK snack to a sensational side.

In fact, they were some of the best roast potatoes I've ever had, and I didn't even use the Yukon-gold kind the recipe suggested.

VERDICT: This recipe looked like something that required way more effort than it actually did. I'd totally use my air fryer to make roast potatoes again.

I then attempted patatas bravas

I first tried patatas bravas in Spain several years ago and couldn't get enough of the crunchy texture and yummy, spicy seasoning.

Fast Food Bistro's air-fryer patatas-bravas recipe makes it easier than ever to recreate this iconic tapas dish at home.

I ran into some problems while cooking this recipe

I first peeled and chopped the potato, then let it soak for a decent amount of time before boiling the pieces for two minutes.

After boiling, I patted the pieces dry. The recipe doesn't specify how much time you have to wait, but I let them sit out for a good 10 minutes before coating them with olive oil.

The recipe says to preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and use a parchment liner in the basket.

However, I learned the hard way that you cannot make your own using regular parchment paper, which isn't the fault of the recipe blogger since there are special parchment liners for air fryers.

Thankfully, I was able to safely disconnect my air fryer, clean it, and start over.

For my second attempt, I just added the potatoes directly to the air-fryer basket and let them cook for 20 minutes.

To make the sauce, I mixed a combination of two kinds of paprika, salt, and flour in a bowl, then heated 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan on medium heat.

Once the pan was hot, I added the dry ingredients a teaspoon at a time. It started crackling, but the instructions say that's normal.

Using a silicone whisk, I continuously stirred the mixture until the flour seemed well incorporated. Finally, I slowly added vegetable broth while continuously mixing.

The recipe notes it's important that every ingredient blends, but there's no specification for how long to keep stirring. I kept at it for several minutes until the sauce thickened to a gravy-like consistency.

By the time the sauce finished cooking, my potatoes were just about ready.

The air fryer patatas bravas tasted like something I'd order from a restaurant

Despite the near disaster, I was impressed by how this turned out.

The potato chunks had a crunchy outside, with a slightly chewy, soft interior.

And the bravas sauce nicely soaked into every piece, but it wasn't as spicy as I anticipated. It mostly tasted like paprika, which wasn't bad, but I felt like it was missing something — maybe some tomatoes or acid.

VERDICT: I'm not in a rush to make these again any time soon.

Aside from the near-fire incident, they involved a lot more prep work — washing, peeling, soaking, boiling, and cutting — than the other recipes.

I made potato skins for my final recipe

Potato skins are usually not something I reach for, and I wasn't aware they sold frozen versions until I looked up this recipe from Foodtastic Mom.

It says the secret to making great potato skins is brushing them with bacon fat, which I omitted because I wanted to keep these as wholesome as possible.

I also used russet potatoes again, even though most of the recipes call for Yukon gold because of their softer flesh.

Preparing the potato skins required a lot of patience

I first pierced holes throughout the potatoes and microwaved them on high for five minutes to give them a precook, so the air fryer could direct its heat onto the skin.

I then let the hot potatoes cool in my refrigerator for 30 minutes, which I considered the most arduous part of this process. Between the heating and waiting, I was already nearly an hour in before even turning on the air fryer.

Once the potatoes were cool enough to handle, I sliced them down the middle and scooped out the interior. The blogger says to leave a bit on the skins, so I did my best to eyeball an appropriate amount.

I then brushed each piece with olive oil and rolled it in salt and pepper before popping them all in the air fryer, skin-side down, at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.

I sprinkled some shredded cheese inside the skins and let them air fry for an additional four minutes until bubbly, which was a bit tricky since my appliance doesn't have a window for me to see how things are cooking.

Thankfully, I pulled these out as the skins were a rich mahogany brown and the cheese formed a single clump.

I topped these with scallions, cilantro, and more pepper since I didn't have sour cream or Greek yogurt on hand.

The potato skins turned out better than I thought they would

I wasn't too thrilled about how these looked since the mass of cheese reminded me of a burger with a fried skirt. Plus I prefer my cheese soft and gooey.

But overall, these were pretty decent. I was genuinely impressed by how crunchy the skins turned out since there was no chewiness or papery feeling at all. They crumbled in my mouth like a cheese puff.

Although the skins had dull bitterness to them, it wasn't enough to be totally off-putting.

Some bites had a nice saltiness that was complemented by the cheese, which may be why the recipe suggests brushing the skins with bacon fat.

I paired them with a yummy Chipotle dipping sauce I had on hand, and the combo was absolutely incredible.

VERDICT: I feel like I discovered a totally new snack I can serve whenever I have guests.

Plus it's like getting two recipes out of one ingredient, since the skins can serve as the appetizer while the scooped-out filling can be used for mashed potatoes.

Next time, I'll wait until the very last minute to add the cheese and other fillings so it melts just enough without frying. I'd also like to try making them using Yukon-gold potatoes.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed these recipes

Every recipe is absolutely worth trying, and there's a good chance I'll make almost all of these again.

The roasted potatoes were so easy to throw together and tasted wonderful. The same can be said for the chips and skins, which tasted better than I thought they would.

I loved the wedges so much I've already made them twice, and although the french fries didn't turn out perfectly, I think the recipe has potential.

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