Frying Crispy Chips At Home: A Quick Guide

Making homemade chips is a fun and easy process. The key to achieving the perfect chip is to use a floury potato, such as Maris Piper, cut into evenly sized, uniform fries. This ensures evenly cooked chips with a soft and fluffy centre. The potatoes should be soaked for at least 30 minutes to remove excess starch, resulting in a crispier finish. When it comes to frying, the secret is to cook the chips twice at two different temperatures, first at 130°C and then at 190°C. This method, popularised by the Hairy Bikers, results in chips that are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Choosing the right potato

The key to making great homemade chips is to start with the right type of potato. A starchy, floury potato is best, as it has a soft, dry, fluffy texture, making it ideal for chips. Look for King Edward, Maris Piper, Rooster, Romano, Désirée, or russet potatoes.

Maris Piper potatoes are a popular choice for homemade chips as they have a soft, fluffy texture that results in evenly cooked chips with a crispy outer shell and a soft, fluffy centre. If you can't find Maris Piper potatoes, other similar floury varieties such as Rooster or King Edward will also work well.

When preparing your potatoes, peel them first unless you prefer a more rustic look and texture, in which case you can leave the skin on. Cut the potatoes into evenly sized, rectangular blocks or thick slices, and then cut these into sticks or batons. The ideal size is somewhere between fries and thick chips—if they're too thin, they might break, and if they're too thick, they won't cook through.

Once you've cut your potatoes, it's a good idea to rinse them in cold water and then soak them in a bowl of cold water for at least 30 minutes to help remove excess starch and prevent them from browning too quickly during cooking. After soaking, be sure to pat the potatoes dry before moving on to the frying step.

Preparing the potatoes

The first step to making homemade chips is to prepare the potatoes. The type of potato you use is important, as this will affect the texture of your chips. A starchy, floury potato is best, as it has a soft, dry texture, making it good for chips. Look for King Edward, Maris Piper, Rooster, Romano, Désirée, or russet potatoes.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into evenly sized, uniform fries. The size of the chips is up to you, but they should be somewhere between fries and thick chips. If they're too thin, they might break; if they're too thick, they won't cook through.

Once you've cut your potatoes, it's a good idea to soak them in cold water for at least 30 minutes. This helps remove excess starch, resulting in a crispier finish, and prevents the outside from burning before the middle is cooked. If you have time, you can even let the chips soak in a bowl of cold water for several hours or overnight.

After soaking, drain the potatoes and make sure they are completely dry. This step is important, as it will give your chips a crunchy, crisp texture. You can use a tea towel or kitchen paper to pat them dry.

At this point, you can also add a light coating of cornflour to your chips. This adds a little extra crispness. You can also experiment with different seasonings, such as garlic salt, chilli flakes, curry powder, or dried herbs like rosemary. However, if you're using chilli flakes or dried herbs, it's best to add them halfway through cooking so they don't burn.

Using the right oil

The choice of oil is crucial when making homemade chips in a fryer. You want an oil with a high smoke point, which means it can withstand high temperatures without smoking or burning. This is important because the oil needs to reach a relatively high temperature to fry the chips effectively.

A neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point is best. Good options include:

• Vegetable oil
• Rapeseed oil
• Sunflower oil
• Peanut oil
• Canola oil
• Refined safflower oil
• Olive oil
• Corn oil

If you want a more traditional flavor, you can use beef fat or lard, which will give your chips a fuller flavor. However, chips cooked with vegetable oils will be healthier and have less cholesterol.

It's also important to use enough oil. When heating the oil, make sure it reaches the correct temperature (around 160°C/320°F for the first fry and 190°C/375°F for the second fry) and that you have enough oil to fully submerge the chips.

Cooking methods

The key to making good homemade chips is to use the right potatoes and to cook them twice at two different temperatures.

Preparation

First, peel and cut your potatoes into evenly sized, uniform fries. The size of the chips is up to you, but they should be no thinner than fries and no thicker than thick chips. A food processor with a slicing attachment can be helpful for slicing the potatoes, but you can also use a mandoline slicer or a knife.

Next, rinse the chips in a colander under plenty of cold water to remove excess starch. Place the chips in a bowl of cold water for at least 30 minutes to soak. This helps to remove starch and natural sugars, resulting in a crispier finish and preventing the outside from burning before the middle is cooked.

After soaking, drain and rinse the chips again, then pat them dry with kitchen paper. Make sure they are completely dry to achieve a crunchy, crisp result.

Cooking

For this method, you will need a deep pan and a thermometer. Heat a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan half-full of sunflower oil to 130°C. Alternatively, use an electric deep-fat fryer heated to the same temperature.

Carefully lower half of the chips into the hot oil using a large, metal, slotted spoon. Stir carefully and fry for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through but not browned. Remove the chips from the pan and set them aside to drain on kitchen paper. Repeat this process with the remaining chips.

When you are ready to serve, reheat the oil to 190°C. Gently lower all the par-cooked chips into the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown. Remove the chips from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.

Seasoning

Tip the chips into a serving dish and sprinkle with salt and vinegar, or try something different like dried herbs, spices such as paprika and garam masala, or even melted cheese.

Tips

• Choose a floury potato like Maris Piper for a soft, fluffy texture.
• If you have time, it's worth letting the chips soak in a bowl of cold water for several hours, or overnight.
• Use a neutral-flavoured oil with a high smoke point, such as vegetable, sunflower, or rapeseed oil.
• Beef fat or lard produces a full-flavoured chip, and if cooked properly, the chip will be crisp and brown on the outside and soft within.
• Cook in batches to keep the oil temperature from dropping.
• Check the temperature each time before adding more chips to make sure the oil is hot enough.
• Never leave hot fat unattended.
• Always use a pan with a tightly fitting lid in case the oil catches fire.
• Have a damp tea towel to hand to smother any potential remaining flames.
• Never put wet potatoes into hot oil as the oil will spit.

Seasoning and serving

The seasoning and serving stage is where you can get creative and experiment with different flavours. The most classic chip seasoning is, of course, salt and vinegar. For salt, you can use regular table salt, or opt for something fancier like flaked sea salt or kosher salt. For vinegar, malt vinegar is a good option. Sprinkle the salt and drizzle the vinegar over your chips, tossing them gently to ensure an even coating.

If you want to get more creative, there are plenty of other seasonings you can use. For example, Cajun spice, garlic salt, chilli flakes, curry powder, paprika, or dried herbs like rosemary all work well. You can also try something more indulgent, like melted cheese. If you're using something with a strong flavour, like chilli flakes, it's best to add them halfway through cooking so they don't burn.

If you're serving your chips as a side, they go well with a variety of dishes, including steak and gravy, burgers, or fried fish. For a real treat, serve them with a juicy steak and a side of gravy for dipping. If you're serving them as a snack, they're delicious with a variety of sauces for dipping, like spicy bang bang sauce, BBQ sauce, or classic burger sauce. Or, for the ultimate indulgence, smother them in homemade gravy or upgrade them to poutine.

Whatever seasonings and toppings you choose, your homemade chips are sure to be a delicious treat!

Frequently asked questions