Living in a seaside town, the irresistible smell of chips is ALWAYS in the air. But sometimes I like to enjoy the salty, crispy, and mouthwatering snack without having to leave the house. 😆 (My favourite way to eat these, is absolutely smothered in meaty gravy!) This recipe took a little bit of experimenting to find the perfect balance of ease and similarity to the real thing. Oil – You can use any neutral oil that is suited for frying. Many traditional British chip shops use a product called DryWhite when making chips. The potatoes are peeled and cut and then soaked in a solution of Drywhite and water. It keeps the chips looking white and fresh during storage and stops them from darkening too much during frying. This is what helps to keep ‘chippy chips’ looking evenly golden. However, it’s quite a pain to buy and use for household use, so we had to figure out a way to recreate that golden crispy goodness without it. The first method we tested was double frying, this is where you fry the chips once at a lower temperature to make sure the chips are mostly cooked through, and then drain the excess oil off the chips and let them cool a little. Then you fry them again at a higher temperature to achieve that crunchy outside and a fluffy inside. This method did work well for keeping the inside of the chips nice and fluffy, however the outside of the chips got too dark. (We did also test the chips after the first fry – where the colour looks nice and light. Unfortunately they weren’t quite soft enough to eat after this initial fry.)
Double Fry Method
The second method we used was par-boiling, which, like the first method, is aimed at keeping the inside nice and fluffy, white, and the outside perfectly crispy and golden. You start by soaking the potatoes in cold water and vinegar for 30 minutes, then draining, and boiling for 8 – 10 minutes. Then you just fry once. We found this method worked best in getting closest to those chippy chips we know and love.
Par-Boil Method
Just splash on some tangy vinegar and a pinch of salt and there you have it. Fantastic chip shop-style chips! Stay updated with new recipes!Subscribe to the newsletter to hear when I post a new recipe. I’m also on YouTube (new videos every week) and Instagram (behind-the-scenes stories & beautiful food photos).
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