Tuesday 3 December 2013

Would you like fries with that ?!


When McCain asked us if we'd like to try out their new chips - Quick Cook French Fries that only need seven minutes in the oven (or five minutes in a fan-assisted oven) - I have to admit I was slightly sceptical. Could you really create proper chips from frozen in just a few minutes? Well, there was only one way to find out !

McCain  had come up with 10 ideas for meals in 10 minutes with their Quick Cook French Fries and asked us to pick one :

1. Ham, egg and McCain Quick Cook French Fries
These are such easy ingredients to pick up off the shelf and a classic teatime favourite. Chop some cooked ham, fry a few eggs and wait for your McCain Quick Cook French Fries to turn golden and crisp before serving. Serve with a crisp green salad. Ready in a jiffy!

2. Speedy pizza breads with McCain Quick Cook French Fries
You don’t have to spend hours waiting for dough to rise these days - simply buy some ready-made bases or some flatbread, top with your favourite sauce, cheeses and cooked meat and whip into the oven with your McCain Quick Cook French Fries. There is still plenty of time to prepare a side salad whilst you wait.

3. The ‘Cupboard Raider’ omelette with McCain Quick Cook French Fries
A delicious omelette can be prepared in no time at all, and with whatever leftover ingredients you can raid from the fridge! But sometimes you need something extra to fill those rumbling tums, so add McCain Quick Cook French Fries to round off that midweek dinner and really make a meal out of it. Cheese, eggs, a splash of milk and your favourite vegetables is all you need.

4. Cheat’s Roast Chicken with McCain Quick Cook French Fries
This is the ideal solution when friends unexpectedly announce they are coming for tea. Simply pick up a ready cooked rotisserie chicken from the hot-shelf, some salad and a bag of McCain Quick Cook French Fries. You’ll be able to serve all three together in fewer than 10 minutes.

5. Perfect indoor picnic with McCain Quick Cook French Fries
Tapas style dishes are all the rage, so do something unexpected at teatime with a pick ’n’ mix style meal for all the family to enjoy. Try some nice hot McCain Quick Cook French Fries, a ham selection, pickles, scotch eggs, mini cocktails sausages and a fresh green salad. Turn teatime into a picnic!

6. Hotdogs and McCain Quick Cook French Fries
They’re quickly becoming a feature of the UK’s buzzing restaurant scene, so tap into the hotdog trend at home. Pick up a pack of your favourite hotdogs and heat while the McCain Quick Cook French Fries cook in the oven. Serve with your favourite toppings - cheese, chilli, chopped onion, ketchup or mustard.

7. McCain Quick Cook French Fries with chilli topping
For a chilli revelation, try using a pan to heat up some quick cook or leftover chilli con carne and kidney beans, then pouring it all over some McCain Quick Cook French Fries with a side salad. Clean plates guaranteed.

8. Tuna steak and McCain Quick Cook French Fries
If you love steak and chips, try fish and fries! Get a griddle pan nice and hot and lightly sear some tuna steaks whilst waiting for your McCain Quick Cook French Fries to cook. Drizzle with soy or plum sauce and a handful of salad leaves. Enjoy!

9. Mexican Quick Cook French Fry Wrap
Heat lashings of refried beans and prepare some Mexican spiced cooked chicken whilst your McCain Quick Cook French Fries are in the oven. Wrap them all up together in a tortilla with a drizzle of salsa, sour cream, your favourite veg and sprinkle with cheese.

10. Avocado salsa, fried halloumi cheese and McCain Quick Cook French Fries
These are simple ingredients that work fantastically together and take no time at all to create. Put some McCain Quick Cook French Fries in the oven and heat a pan to fry the halloumi cheese (3 mins on each side should do it). Dice an avocado, chop some red onion and tomatoes, add a squeeze of lime and pop it in a side dish with herbs of your choice. Dish it all up and tuck in!


It was this last one that I went for as we'd never tried Halloumi before.


I chopped off some slices and fried them in a frying pan until they went slightly soft and golden. In the meantime, I whacked the chips in the oven and made up the salsa.


By the time that was done, the fries were ready. They remind me very much of the chips I make in the Actifry - they're slightly crispy on the edges but still remain quite soft, unlike deep-fried chips. For oven chips, they're not bad at all though - I often find oven chips give me indigestion for some reason, but these ones were fine. The fact that they are so quick to prepare is great news too. Usually, with the Actifry, it takes about half an hour so this is a great midweek alternative when I'm in a rush.


The halloumi was lovely and went really well with the fries. The avocado, tomato and red onion salsa was fabulous, with the sharp zestiness of the lime juice nicely offsetting the creamy saltiness of the halloumi. Yum !

RRP : £2.50 for 750ml

Disclosure : I received a bag of fries and the ingredients for creating one of the recipes in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

McCain Caribbean Wedges review

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