How to cook perfect chips at home

13 May 2021

Traditional thick cut chips or skinny chips; straight chips, skin-on wedges or curly fries; served up with vinegar or smothered in brown sauce; dished out in polystyrene trays or tightly wrapped in yesterday’s newspaper; one thing is obvious, in the UK we all love chips.

Creating the chips we enjoy everywhere… from our favourite fast-food chain, high street chippie to high-end gastro pubs... we get through 1.6 million tonnes of potatoes every year in the UK. So here’s how to create the perfect chip at home.

First, choose floury potatoes such as Arran Victory, Red Rooster, Agri, Yukon Gold or the classic Maris Piper. You’ll need 300g per person. Wash and scrub your spuds.

Now it’s decision time - will you opt for a skin-on rustic option or peel then chip for the classic approach? Either way, once cut, allow your chips to soak in cold water for 10 minutes to remove the starch, then change the water and soak again for 5 more minutes - it's worth the extra stage, trust us.

Doing it three times

For the very fashionable three times cooked option bring your chips to a gentle simmer in a pan in fresh, salted water. When they are tender place them on a rack to dry out.

Once cool, place them in the fridge or the freezer for an hour, to remove more moisture.

Start here for twice cooked chips

Now select your oil… vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed, it’s down to personal preference. Or go all out and try duck fat or beef dripping if you are feeling extravagant.

Heat your chosen oil to 140°C in a fryer or deep pan and fry the chips in batches, watching them for 5-7 minutes, or until they are tender. (Always watch food when frying, don't leave the fryer unattended.)

When they're ready the oil will stop bubbling and the chips will be a very light golden colour... Don't overcook.

Remove the chips from the fat, drain any excess oil, tip the chips onto a cooling rack and leave them to cool.

At this stage, you can keep the chips in the fridge for up to two days – if you have the willpower!

When you can no longer resist the temptation, heat oil to 180°C and fry the chips again until golden in colour. This should take approximately 3 or 4 minutes. Then remove from the fryer, dry on an absorbent cloth, and sprinkle with fine-grained sea salt.

All that’s left now is to choose a dish and serve with ketchup, homemade mayonnaise, Béarnaise, vinegar, or just as nature intended.

Watch here to see how award-winning Fish & Chip shop owner, Colin Cromar, does it

Whatever you choose, we guarantee you’ll enjoy these perfect home chips… with relish!

> Return to main blog page