Fry Chips

A good fried chip is hard to beat. It is remarkably simple and yet unquestionably delicious -- with nothing more than a potato, oil, and a dash of salt. The devil, of course, is in the details, but even home chefs can perfect restaurant-quality chips.

Ingredients

• 1 lb (2.2kg) Russet, white, or petite potatoes
• ≥ 1-liter frying oil (peanut, vegetable, sunflower, or canola)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Steps

Preparing Your Chips

1. Peel your potatoes, if desired. If you're not going to peel them, rinse and scrub the skins to remove any excess dirt. You want to use potatoes with a low water content -- Russet are often the best, but white and petite potatoes can do in a pinch.
2. Cut your chips into your desired width and shape. Depending on your personal preferences you can cut the chips however you'd like. Note that thinner cuts lead to crispier fires, while thicker chips will retain more of their soft, pillowy interior:
   • French fries are strips as long as the length of the potato, roughly 1/2" (1.3 cm) thick
   • Chips are round 1/2" (1.3 cm) thick cross-sections of the potato, cut lengthwise through
   • Wedges are usually 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick, cut by creating 3 cuts through the end of the end of the potato in a star shape.
3. Rinse the potatoes and pat them dry with paper towels. This removes excess water, which slows down frying. The big goal when frying potatoes is to make sure they are crispy -- and excess water makes this difficult. Use paper towels to blot away as much water from the outside of the potatoes as you can.

Perfecting Double-Fried Chips

1. Heat 3-4 inches 7-10 cm) of frying oil in a thick bottomed dutch oven, using medium-high heat. Common choices include peanut, canola, and vegetable, as they have a light flavor and a high smoke point. If you have a deep fryer, set it to 400F/205C.
   • A candy thermometer is a great way to gauge temperature if you don't have a deep fryer.
2. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with layers of paper towels while the oil heats. Crispy chips are fried not one but twice. In between, you must cool the potatoes and drain excess oil -- thus the paper towels.
3. Heat the oil to 400F/205C and then add the chips, lowering the heat to medium. Without a thermometer, you can test the oil by placing a scrap of bread in the oil to see how quickly it browns. It should bubble gently and brown within 45 seconds. Once the potatoes hit, they will naturally lower the temperature of the oil to about 360F/180C. Keep it this way by lowering the heat to medium.
   • If using a deep fryer, reset the temperature to 360F/180C once the potatoes hit.
   • Make sure that the potatoes are completely covered in hot oil, stirring once but mostly leaving alone until done.
4. Cook the potatoes for 1 minute, then immediately remove to the paper towels. They should just be turning soft, with no more than a little golden coloring. Use a slotted or mesh spoon to pull the fries out, leaving the hot oil. Pat dry with paper towels.
   • You can cut the heat to the oil on the stove or deep fryer.
   • Try more than 1 minute if you like your chips/wedges fluffy in the middle not rock solid.
5. Let the chips cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. During this first fry, water molecules in the potato heat up and flee from the center of the chip, making it to the edges of the fry. As the potato cools, this water mixes with the starch and oil to form an invisible, gummy coating. This coating, which is cooked during the second fry, is the crispy, delicious exterior that makes the best chips.
6. Reheat the oil to 425F/240C. This means using your medium-high setting once more. Remember, a piece of bread dropped in the oil should be bubbling and browned in 20-30 seconds. If using a thermometer, note how the oil temperature once again drops to about 400F/205C. Try and keep it here.
7. Cook the cooled potatoes for another 3-4 minute, until golden brown. Once they look good to you, they are good to come out of the oven. Note that the fries tend to darken up just a little as they cool, so take them out 15-20 seconds before they are perfectly golden brown to get the best results.
   • Make sure, once more, that all the potatoes are covered in the hot oil as they cook.
8. Immediately cool and drain the fries on a new batch of paper towels. Again, get all the excess grease off, otherwise the fries will become gross and soggy. Once they are cool enough to eat, dig in.
   • If adding seasoning, toss it into the fries while they are still nice and hot -- this helps distribute the salt and seasoning more evenly.

Single-Frying Chips

1. Layer your potatoes in a deep, heavy-bottomed pot. A dutch oven or high-sided cast iron pan are your best bets, as they retain heat well and have big sides to prevent splattering oil.
2. Cover the potatoes with at least one full inch of your oil. This is cold oil, not hot, as this process heats up the oil and fries simultaneously. This simulates the double-fry method mentioned above. As the oil heats up it leaches moisture from the potato, which allows the later heat (once the oil is up to temperature) to actually fry the chip.
3. Cook for 15 minutes on medium heat. The oil will begin to bubble up around the fries, which is a good sign. These bubbles aren't actually oil, but escaping water molecules.
4. Mix up the fries with a wooden spoon and cook for another 25 minutes. You should be able to easily pierce the potatoes with a fork. This means they've softened enough to really start frying.
5. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook until golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. The bubbling in the oil should crank up significantly, and after 20-25 minutes you should notice that the fries are starting to get golden brown and delicious looking. A few more minutes and they'll be perfect.
6. Drain fries on a rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels and salt immediately. Remove the fries from the hot oil with a slotted spoon or wire strainer, then pat dry with paper towels. Don't let excess oil stick around -- it leads to soggy fries. Once you're done patting, season liberally with salt and serve.

Tips

• You can buy chip presses that will cut the potato for you.
• Save the oil separately for the next batch after it cools. You can get up to five separate reheats per batch of oil before you need to replace it.
• The bigger the cut, the less fat the potato will absorb.

Warnings

• Select a deep pan and fill the oil no more than half full to avoid overflowing.
• Hot oil will splatter if you place wet, cold potatoes in quickly. Patting them dry is essential.

Things You'll Need

• Oil
• Deep Pan
• Heatproof slotted spoon or strainer
• Potatoes, or frozen chips (defrosted).
• Paper towel for draining
• Seasoning & sauces

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Sources and Citations

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