When should fries be salted after cooking?

Salting fries immediately after cooking is essential for achieving the best flavor and texture. When fries are freshly cooked, they are hot and have residual moisture on their surface. This moisture allows the salt to adhere better, enhancing the fries' flavor. Applying salt right after cooking ensures that it dissolves slightly, which helps distribute the flavor evenly across each fry. As the fries cool, this salted surface forms a pleasant taste that complements their crispiness.

Salting before serving, while it may seem reasonable, can result in uneven distribution of salt and may not effectively enhance the flavor of fries that have cooled down a bit. Salting after cooling is ineffective because the salt won't stick as well when moisture is reduced, leading to bland fries. Salting during cooking isn't practical or effective since it doesn’t allow for the same level of flavor enhancement as salting directly after cooking.