'proper' chips!! argh!

someonehadmyusername

didnt want to fork out £20 for deep fat fryer so decided to just use old pan as a chip pan and bought some veg oil

its driving me nuts!
i cant do it!
last night i made some but cut potatoes too small and they were all soggy etc
today i tried and they look gorgeous from outside but raw in middle

i have electric cooker settings 1 2 3 for hobs
what am i doing wrong
please help
x

owey

Put the chips in a pan and leave under a running tap to get rid of the starch, after that par boil the chips first in the water, then deep fry them .
You also need to make sure the fat is very hot :eek: .

someonehadmyusername

well, theres a statrt, i didnt rinse them first!
but my mum makes gorggeous chips without boiling first, how??
x

rchddap1

Proper chips...sigh. No-one can do it like my nan did. (don't know how though). They weren't chips....more deep fat fried halves of potatoes. Huge 'chips', but they were absolutely wonderful. memories....

needmoney

I just chip up the pots dab with kitchen roll to dry them off a bit.
The stove I have was here when I came and I hate it but I put the fat on highest setting to melt bung the chips in give them a turn, then turn the heat down to about half while they cook through then back up again to crisp and finish, if that makes sense to you. The Oil or fat must be very hot to start with as owey already said.

apprentice_tycoon

Slight variation on the above posts....heat the oil till hot but not the hottest, cook the chips until they are done through, poke them with the tip of a knife to check (you'll see the asbestos-fingered chip shop owners pinch them), lift them out for a moment or 2 while you heat the oil to the hottest then bang them back in to crisp up.

BWZN93

I just rinse mine! The best chips I made in a regular pan was in a very deep sided wok with a ton of oil that was on level 5 out of 6 on an electric stove (nearly hottest) - small pans dont seem to work and its always a good idea to put a lid on it, it helps the chips cook inside properly - I get em perfect every time (dont want to toot my own horn or anything though!!)

Jo xx

Edited: Dont forget to put enough chips in - I find that they dont cook properly in the middle if the pan isnt full enough of chips (not too many though!), if you arent making loads then dunk a (1 or 2) roast potato sized chunks in too - I dunno why it works, but thats always helped if im not making too many.

Nile

Can I make a safety post here? I've seen too many horror stories on the tv about house fires started by chip pans.:eek:

The chip pan should only be filled to one third of its capacity.

Never leave the chip pan unattended to answer the telephone or a knock at the door. A deep fat fryer has a thermostat to control the temperature, a chip pan doesn't.

Also, do you have a fire blanket in your kitchen?

If you don't and the worst should happen........don't attempt to move the chip pan.

Turn off the heat and smother the pan with a water dampened tea towel. Before you place the tea towel over the pan, first make sure that you roll the towel to cover your fingers and hands to prevent them getting burned.

Better still, buy oven chips or a deep fat fryer.

No offence is meant, I wouldn't want to read about an accident/fire in your home.;)

Spendless

Nile wrote:

Can I make a safety post here? I've seen too many horror stories on the tv about house fires started by chip pans.:eek:

The chip pan should only be filled to one third of its capacity.

Never leave the chip pan unattended to answer the telephone or a knock at the door. A deep fat fryer has a thermostat to control the temperature, a chip pan doesn't.

Also, do you have a fire blanket in your kitchen?

If you don't and the worst should happen........don't attempt to move the chip pan.

Turn off the heat and smother the pan with a water dampened tea towel. Before you place the tea towel over the pan, first make sure that you roll the towel to cover your fingers and hands to prevent them getting burned.

Better still, buy oven chips or a deep fat fryer.

No offence is meant, I wouldn't want to read about an accident/fire in your home.;)

From time to time our local Fire Station has given a voucher towards the cost of a deep fat fryer in exchange for taking in your chip pan.

Sheel

My Mum made the best chips ever. Well she was Belgian :rolleyes:

AFAIK she put the chips in cold water then dried them off. Not sure if she always did that or if she was just preparing them for later on Then she did the double fry thing.

Different potatoes will give varying results. Apparently the King Edward is the one to use for home cooked chips , with the Wilja second , although I think I used to use Maris Piper myself. Just found another site that says Maris Piper are best for chips along with Golden Wonder and Desiree , so take your pick

I would think the oil or fat you fry them in would make a difference to the taste also. I personally use sunflower oil.

Lucie_2

I'm with Sheel - soak the chips & then dry well before double frying. Once on a lower temp to cook & second time on a hotter heat to crisp/brown. I generally buy Maris Pipers too.
We only have HM chips about twice a year though.....too much faff (and fat)