Topic: uk chippie chips

[gazman1976]

alright members do any of you know how to make home made chippie chips like the ones you can buy from your local fish and chip shop if so could you post an easy to follow recipe and cooking method please ??

Cheers in advance

Garry  ;D

[Mikka1]

Very easy stuff Gazman. Have you got a deep fat Chipfryer first. (No this isn't a music plug)  ;D

[George]

Very easy stuff Gazman. Have you got a deep fat Chipfryer first. (No this isn't a music plug)  ;D

Why not set out the complete method in one go (if you know) rather than release one nugget at a time?

[joshallen2k]

The best chips I ever made home followed the Heston Blumenthal method.

Roughly the method is this: cut up potatoes to desired chip size, boil in water, shake, cool completely, fry in fryer at approx 300 fahrenheit until starting to brown (takes a while at the lower temp), cool completely, fry at 375 fahrenheit until golden brown.

No doubt great chips, but a hella lot of work!

-- Josh

[chriswg]

Hi Gary

I don't want to sound too defeatist, but I don't think it is possible. You can recreate kebab shop style chips at home with the right kind of (solid at room temperature) fat to fry them in, but a proper chippie cooks thousands of chips with the same oil. I'm just not convinced you could do that at home.

I hope someone can prove me wrong, I'd also love to be able to do this but I've always hit a dead end when trying.

Chris

[Mikka1]

Good morning.

1. Longest non waxy tatties you can get.
2. Slice into chip pieces 1/2 inch thickness. Be careful to make sure they are all the same thickness.
3. Soak in cold water for an hour or so.
4. Put deep fat fryer on 375. If you don't have one then you can use a saucepan. Get a good thermometer that has a grip which clips to the pan side. Never walk away from an open pan with fat in it. Only fill a saucepan to just 1 3rd in oil.
5. Dry the tatties. A must. I used a lettuce spinner. It's like a spinning top which has a button on it which stops it immediately.
6. Put chips in preheated oil and cook for ONE MINUTE and remove. You can go a little longer but I've found they become a little soggy.
7. Let them sit for about 5 mins. Keep an eye on that oil.
8. Place chips back into fat and cook to desired color.
Remove and salt straight away

#8 is the talk point. Everyone has a favorite depth of color and crunchiness don't they?

If you want American fries you'll need to cut these at just over 1/4 of an inch all round. I've looked for a good cutter but cannot find one. Its time consuming but worth it for fries.

They never fail, honest. 

Why not set out the complete method in one go (if you know) rather than release one nugget at a time?

[Razor]

Hi Mikka,

I kinda go along with this method too. I also, soak the chips, thoroughly dry them and twice deep fry them.

I always use Maris Piper tatters.

Just one thing to add, the condition of the oil really determines the quality of the chip. New oil, no good, old oil, no good.  It has to be somewhere in-between to get the best results.

Incidentally, I went to Blackpool a week or so ago, and went in to a chippy/kebab shop.  They had about 10 deep fat fryer baskets of pre-fried chips in them, on a rack, waiting for the final fry. 

Kinda put me off a bit really

Ray

[Mikka1]

Hi Razor.
Yes this is important thanks for bringing it up.
Actually I made some oven chips once just to see if they would work from the first fry. Turned out pretty good really.
Cheers mate.  ;D

Just one thing to add, the condition of the oil really determines the quality of the chip. New oil, no good, old oil, no good.  It has to be somewhere in-between to get the best results.

[Malc.]

I have a customer who owns a chain of Chip Shops in Surrey. The family run business is two generations old and originates from Yorkshire. They cook in a traditional way using dripping. I have just got off the phone to him having spent half an hour discussing the chip shop chip.

There is a science as you can imagine, that goes way beyond that of cooking chips at home. That is not to say that a Chip Shop Chip, can't be cooked at home though. I asked this very question and the reply simply was "yes, you can".

The most important and crucial element is the potato, sounds obvious but is essential to getting the perfect chip. Three main varieties are desirable, the easiest to get and in at 3 is the Maris Piper. This is followed by the Victoria and then at 1, the Marquee. The discerning Chip Shop Owner would have his potato subjected to a Dry Matter Test where he would be looking to get a result of around 20 to 21 percent. This is the most crucial element of the potato as to high a content and the potato won't brown, to little and the potato will not crispen. There are of course other factors that are taken into consideration such as the potato being subjected to the cold, storage conditions, etc.

The potato is then processed which starts with the Rumbler to remove the the skin. Afterwhich it is added to a Rotary Chipper, which cuts the potato before being added to a water solution. The solution is a mix of Dry White and water. The Dry White is added to the water to stop the potato from going brown once drained from the water. This does not however, have any other effect on the potato in the cooking process. The potato is then allowed to drain and dry.

The first part of the cooking process is the blanch. It is important that the correct temperature is maintained which is 165 Celcius. Depending on the potato, this usually takes between 3-4 minutes with the end result being to soften the chip. Once blanched, the potato is left to go cold.

The final cook does vary from Chip Shop to Chip Shop and is usually based on the type of oil being used . Generally, good Chip Shop will use Palm Oil (which solidifies when cold) or Ground Nut Oil, which can cook at higher temperatures but Veg Oil is also widely used but can not be used too many times or at higher temperatures. With such oils the final fry is usually around 180C-190C with the cooking time around 2-3 mins. Dripping, a more traditional method, isn't widley used but can be heated to much higher temperatures allowing for a crispier chip. The final fry is done at 205 Celcius and usually takes around 1 minute.

To equate this simply for home cooking:

Peel, slice and soak potato for 30 mins, drain and dry using a Tea Towel.
Add chips to fryer preheated to 165C for around 3-4 mins until soft.
Remove and allow to cool.
Heat fryer to 180C-190C and cook until golden and crispy.

To maintain the temperatures better, cook in small batches and use a thermometer.

[Cory Ander]

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4480.msg41136#msg41136

And serve them with beef curry!