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So lets talk about chips! Yes Chips the British contribution to world cuisine (apparently - according to a Fish called Wanda)

Or more specifically the cooking of chips.


Been considering swapping out deep fat fryer for one of these air-fryers. Far less oil in the process; far less fat in the end product; somewhat slower cooking time, but as it will only be preparing the chips that's not an issue as the oven will be doing the rest of the food anyway. In addition they don't seem to require as extensive a clean out compared to a greasy deep fat fryer basket. So all sounds on the up right?

Well here's the thing, what do the chips taste like? I've been trying some googling and eh most of the replies tend to be either "just as good but different" to "worse than oven chips". It's not helped that most information links these days seem to be a tiny series of bulletpoints (possibly just copied off the back of the product box) interspaced with ads and surrounded by ads and generally just word salad to ensure that you click an ad or three.


So has anyone here made the leap from fat to air? Don't really want to go spending £80 or more on a lump of machinery that ends up sitting in the corner gathering dust and being the local hang our for spiders.

Oven Chips. Deep Fat Fryer.

Job’s a good’un! That’s the way I do it. That’s the way Granny did it. And it’s worked out pretty well so far.

I got one of these a couple years ago and I don't regret it. The taste isn't exactly the same as if it was deep fried, but not by much. The best way I can describe it is: it tastes just a little bit like a baked potato. Personally I find those less greasy chips superior, because you can feel less guilty about eating them with mayonnaise.

Anyways, it does take a while to cook (somewhere around 35-40 minutes) but that's only a problem if you're really in a rush I guess. Once the cooker is started you don't have to do anything at all until it's done. And yes, cleanup is pretty easy. The inside of the machine still gets greasy (obviously) but no more than a proper deep fryer and not having to handle a tub of dirty oil is definitely a plus.

I'd never go to the effort of doing this myself, since it's just waaaay too much hassle, but.
Triple cooked chips, my friends. I realise these are odd times to be searching them out, but in the future should you ever find a pub doing these, do not hesitate.

I've an air fryer and make chips in them all the time, they're fine. they're SLIIIGHTLY drier then chips made in a deep frier (I imagine, I've never made home made chips in a deep frier so it could just be something I've ding) but yeah they're still very good, and yeah a lot less mess.

Maybe we're doing something wrong, but the wife bought one of air thingies, and IMO the fries that come out are absolutely horrible.

Thought you were talking about chips as in the USA snack food but saw your from the UK. After spending time overseas and in the UK I know what you mean. Any who, I'd highly recommend making chips or fries (if your in the states) with duck fat as the oil. They are heavenly if you've never tried this instead.

 Spartan 117 wrote:
Thought you were talking about chips as in the USA snack food but saw your from the UK. After spending time overseas and in the UK I know what you mean. Any who, I'd highly recommend making chips or fries (if your in the states) with duck fat as the oil. They are heavenly if you've never tried this instead.

While not duck, bacon fat is also good.

While probably technically not “chips” I’ll do home fries when cooking more involved breakfasts. Cook bacon. Reserve the grease. Use it to cook cubed potatoes. Season. Dice bacon, toss with potatoes, cheese; top with fried egg. Enjoy. Don’t tell your cardiologist.

I do baked potatoes in duck fat. They are, mint, innit?

Usually only after xmas - when I have the duckfat available. I usually oven roast a couple of ducks for chrimbo because my family never cottoned onto that turkey lark, and I find emu too hard to catch.

Why are British chips so thick? I feel like this throws off the crunch to core ratio. I'm not a fan of American fries, but I do like thinly sliced fried potatoes and if you get them thin enough they're practically all crisp.

 trexmeyer wrote:
Why are British chips so thick? I feel like this throws off the crunch to core ratio. I'm not a fan of American fries, but I do like thinly sliced fried potatoes and if you get them thin enough they're practically all crisp.

I'm a Brit that'll actually second you on this. I like my chips/fries on the crispy side, and traditional shops from the "chippy" are just a bit too thick and fluffy for me.

 trexmeyer wrote:
Why are British chips so thick? I feel like this throws off the crunch to core ratio. I'm not a fan of American fries, but I do like thinly sliced fried potatoes and if you get them thin enough they're practically all crisp.

To soak more vinegar or sauce.

Another vote here for cooking them in duck fat. The savoury fat from confit de canard is the best.

Come to think of it, you can improve damn near anything by frying it in duck fat...

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:

 trexmeyer wrote:
Why are British chips so thick? I feel like this throws off the crunch to core ratio. I'm not a fan of American fries, but I do like thinly sliced fried potatoes and if you get them thin enough they're practically all crisp.

To soak more vinegar or sauce.

Soak as in absorb? Or as a benefit of having more surface area?

Bit of both.

Sauce is an Edinburgh thing, and has also spread from there.

It’s thinner than ketchup, but thicker than vinegar. Just the right consistency to partially soak into your fish and chips, without really softening the batter.

Strange people in the north! And in the midlands they put gravy on their chips!

Nothing wrong with gravy. That's not just a midlands thing. North too.

At home I cook skin on chips on a baking tray in the oven with a drizzle of oil and S/P.

 Overread wrote:
Strange people in the north! And in the midlands they put gravy on their chips!

As with all things culinary, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!

Me, I crave sauce the way a Navigator craves spice.

It even allows me to fold space. Albeit that space being my belly, and the folding being monodirectional outward.

Best way I have found to cook the home fries is of course the least healthy lol..

Start with frying them in oil at 325 (163C) until almost cooked through. Remove from the oil and drain well. Turn the heat up on the oil to 375 (190C) and, once up to temp, fry again until golden and crispy. Remove from oil, salt, enjoy!

I prefer to use peanut oil, but others work well too. Doing the twice fried method results in a crispier outside but keeps the fluffy inside I have found


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, the best way I have ever had them served was a beer cheese poutine style from the Old Whiskey Mill in Port Townsend, WA. Beer cheese as the gravy and smoked pork belly. So good!

 Overread wrote:
Strange people in the north! And in the midlands they put gravy on their chips!

Then let's not start talking about the million different ways us Dutchies prepare chips in snackbars here:
Plain;
Plain with mayo and/or ketchup;
Special (mayo, ketchup and raw onions);
Peanut sauce;
Picalilly sauce;
Halfom ("halfway" - mayo and picalilly);
Oorlog ("war" - mayo, peanut sauce and onions);
Kapsalon ("hairdresser" - with shwarma or kebab, garlic sauce, chili sauce, salad, cheese on top, then in the oven for a few minutes);
Waterfiets ("water bicycle" - with two frikandellen (a mince meat sausage if you squint a bit) and often combined with the "special" ingredients);
Zigeunersaus ("gypsy sauce" - a thin, somewhat spicy sauce with various vegetables);
And my favorite:
Zoor vleis ("sour meat", a specialty of Limburg, a sort of beef stew made with vinegar.)

Plus a gazillion different meat-, rice-, egg-, or cheese-based snacks to order on the side - all deep-fried of course.
And I'm sure I've left some out.

We use an air fryer for all kinds of things, and it's absolutely awesome. Highly recommended!!