Curly, crinkle, waffle, steak, shoestring, straight-cut. When Chowhound ranked thirteen varieties of frozen fries, the lineup included at least one offering from each of these iconic french fry shapes. Yet it wasn’t the shape of the fry that determined the top potato, so much as the seasoning, crispiness, and, to a lesser extent, price. (Although Arby’s Frozen Seasoned Curly Fries did rank toward the bottom due to their disappointing lack of spiral.)
Balancing out the worst store-bought fries, Roots Organic Farm Fresh Crinkle Cut Fries, which ranked last place, are Checkers/Rally’s Famous Seasoned Fries, which took first place. This straight-cut fry was judged to be a “powerhouse” of flavor, and a perfect pairing of crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside texture. Plus, it’s a reasonable price. While not the cheapest fry on the list, it delivered so strongly on the other counts that the slightly higher price was deemed absolutely worth it.
Besides Checkers/Rally’s Famous Seasoned Fries, many of the fries toward the top of the scale were strong contenders. So if you do prefer a curly or waffle fry, you have plenty of solid options.
A famous fry indeed
Besides the Arby’s fries, the Checkers/Rally’s Famous Seasoned Fries were the only fries on the list produced by a fast food company. The other options were more generic — Kroger, Trader Joe’s, Ore Ida, etc.
If you’re unfamiliar with Checkers/Rally’s, the company represents a combo of two fast-food, drive-thru concepts: Checkers, established in 1986, and Rally’s, a 1984 arrival. The two joined forces in 1999, and today, although the restaurants maintain separate names, their menus are identical. Their self-proclaimed “famous seasoned fries” (this is their name on the menu, not just from the freezer aisle), do indeed seem to be what Checkers/Rally’s is most known for. Customers have mixed opinions regarding the burgers, but the fries are a clear fan favorite.
What makes the fries such a standout? They’re more than just congruent bits of spud thrown into a fryer. Each fry is battered in a mix of flour, starches, and signature seasonings, leaving the consumer with a super-tasty fry that packs an extra crunch.
If you’re ready to cook up a batch of Checkers/Rally’s Famous Seasoned Fries at home, do them justice by adhering to these tips for cooking the best frozen french fries: Preheat your baking pan before tossing the fully frozen fries onto it, and turn up your oven temperature toward the end of the cooking time to get maximum crispiness.
