This thread was hilarious, I'm pissing my side just reading it back ;D ;D ;D

Good post Axe, thanks for taking the time to call them. My first thought was should a chippie chip be crispy? Normally they are pretty soft, not soggy but not crispy either. I'm going to try that method next time I cook them though. It sounds like a few people follow the same lines. It's great to have exact temperatures too, that will take away the need for any experimentation.

Regarding the chips they use. Only the really good chippies will peel and cut their own potatoes. Most that I have seen will buy in par cooked chips that come chilled. I bet a lot do buy in frozen but I bet they aren't anywhere near as nice as fresh.

Chris, it was no problem I am seeing him later in the week so had to call anyway. He's become a good friend over the years so he doesn't mind answering a few questions.

Crisp is not really the right word I know what you mean, though I would say that his chips are generally crispier than a typical Chip Shop. This is largely due to using the dripping and the higher temperature. For those really that interested, he had his chips tested by a Food Agency and they came out with less than 12 percent fat, not bad for a chip.

The Par Fry chips are the alternative and I have seen alot of chip shops use these. They are treated with CO2 to help preserve them and they must be kept chilled. Apparently, officials are trying to promote these more and more as part of a a directive against by-product waste. Chips made in the traditional way produce an awful lot of starch saturated water, which costs alot of money to remove in water treatment. now theres something I didn't know until this morning.

The key to good chip shop batter is Rice Flour for a really crispy orange coloured batter or Matzo Flour for that really golden yellow batter.

Chris, i'll ask him on Thursday when I see him and let you know. 

I can tell you straight away that he doesn't sell hamburgers but I will endeavour to find out what brand of sausage he uses. They use the same batter for everything which i'll also confirm tomorrow but I do know it has rice flour in it. I also know that the sausages are double battered i.e. dipped in batter and cooked, dipped in batter and cooked again. Talk about crunch!

As I mentioned, they cook using dripping. The cost of looking after dripping is higher than conventional oils and he has invested some considerable money into his ranges, which are digitally controlled. They even clean the dripping through a filter system. This is done manually using an external pump and filter system.

Dripping is used primarily to achieve a higher temperature. This is preferred as it ensures that the batter seals the fish very quickly to maintain moisture in the fish itself. As a result cooking times are reduced, batter is crispier and less oil saturates the product.