Potato strips were soaked in 3, 5 or 7% NaCl solutions (25 °C) previous to frying, to study the effect on oil uptake. Sensory responses indicated the best texture and lowest oil uptake at 3% NaCl solution for 50 min. Soaking had no effect ( P<0.05) on color ( L ∗, a ∗ and b ∗) or moisture loss during deep fat frying at 180 °C. Soaking significantly reduced oil uptake from 0.13 to 0.10 g oil/g dry matter and increased the measured texture parameters (hardness to penetrate both crusts, and both work and initial rigidity). Sensory acceptability was not different ( P<0.05) between the soaked product and a commercial sample.