how to cook chips in a deep fat fryer

A Guide on How to Cook Chips in a Deep Fat Fryer

Last Updated on January 10, 2023

Is there anything better than perfect home-cooked chips fresh out of the fryer? Doused with salt and vinegar, they are the ideal accompaniment to almost any meal.

Although there is just one term, the chip, this can mean many different things to different people. Whether you prefer French fries, fairly thick chips or something in between, we would argue that the best way to make the perfect chip is by deep-frying it.

Read on to find out our top tips for how to cook chips in a deep fat fryer!

The Right Ingredients

There are only a few things to get right regarding ingredients when making deep-fried chips, the best potatoes and the type of oil you use to fry them in!

The best type of potato to use for chips is either King Edwards or Maris Piper. Both have a fluffy texture but hold their shape well and crisp up wonderfully.

In terms of your frying medium, this comes down to personal preference. For example, some people feel that the best fat to use for frying chips is beef fat, but this has a lot higher calorie count than using a vegetable oil such as sunflower oil.

If you want to enjoy chips with a meal frequently, it may be that the best oil for deep frying chips is sunflower oil.

Having salt to serve with your fries is also a must! But there are many recipes for other food items you can serve up on top of your fries.

Preparation

If you get all of the equipment and ingredients ready to fry your chips, you will be prepared, and the process will be much easier.

Equipment

Below is a list of the equipment you might need when cooking chips:

  • Deep fat fryer
  • Bowl of cold water
  • Kitchen paper
  • Slotted spoon
  • Fryer
  • Sharp knife
  • Potato peeler

While you are preparing your potatoes ready for frying, turn on your fryer to ensure you have hot oil to cook with; otherwise, you will end up with soggy French fries, and no one wants that!

The Potatoes

Peel your King Edward or Maris Piper potatoes and then cut lengthways into uniform chip shapes, as this will help with all of your chips being cooked at the same time.

Once cut, place the potatoes into a bowl of cold water and allow them to soak to remove excess starch before frying. Leaving them for around 30 minutes should be plenty of time.

Once you have done this, pat dry the chips, as any water will cause your oil to spit, and this could cause burns.

Cooking the Perfect Chips

You don’t really need to follow a recipe to serve chips, but the standard way to make deep-fried chips is to fry them at a lower temperature to cook them through and then fry them again in very hot oil to get the perfect crisp. These are called twice-cooked chips.

Some well-known chefs and now pubs and restaurants serve chips that are triple cooked, which is where the chips are boiled first, before frying twice, but this is maybe a bit much to do at home when you just want easily cooked chips with your dinner!

The two most important things to get right when cooking chips are the temperature of the cooking oil and how long you fry them. Below we have set out some information on both:

Cooking Oil Temperature

The first time you place your chips in the oil, you are making sure that the potato is cooked through, so you do not want your oil to be too hot. The best temperature to fry chips for the perfect first cook is 130-160°C. The second time you place the chips into the deep pan, it is important to have hot oil as this is how the chips get that perfect crunch! 190°C is the kind of heat you need to achieve this.

Remove the chips from the deep fat fryer between fries with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper until you are ready to cook again. It doesn’t matter if they cool down this time as you will be heating them again.

Timings

If you want to know how long to deep fry chips, we recommend that they cook for 10 minutes initially, until they are cooked through but not browned. The second fry should take less time, 4-5 minutes, and you can remove the chips from the pan with a slotted spoon as soon as they are golden brown.

If you are cooking thin French fries, you may need to reduce these timings so that you don’t overcook them as they fry.

Serving the Perfect Fries

Once the chips are crunchy and golden and removed from the pan, allow them to drain off any excess oil and then serve immediately. The best condiments for French fries are a simple sprinkle of salt and vinegar, but if you want to recreate that chip shop feel, you could add grated cheese for cheesy chips, mushy peas, gravy or even curry sauce. Feel free to create your personalised recipe!

Chips may not be part of your daily diet, but there really is nothing better than crunchy fries as a side to your favourite dinner, and we hope that we have given you some great tips on how to cook chips in a deep fat fryer.

Suppose you don’t own one, no worries. You don’t have to have a deep fryer at home to make French fries. You don’t need much more than the humble spud, some oil, a deep pan, and a slotted spoon to drain your French fries.

A deep fat fryer, however, allows you to control the heat better. Make sure that the heat is not too high for the first dip and that you turn the heat up high for the second to make sure that you get that perfect crunch!

If you have questions about this topic or have your own tips to share, let us know in the comments section below. Moreover, check out this site for more cooking tips and buying guides.

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