Chip Shop Chips are a British institution & deep frying homemade chips just like your favourite chippy is very easy, just add salt & vinegar.
Creating perfect chippy chips is really very quick, all of the time is in preparation but cooking them takes just 10 minutes!
Oil, mainly. Traditional shops use beef fat as it can cook to a higher temperature, and lasts longer.
Perfect Chippy Style Chip Shop Chips RecipePrep Time:
Proper Chip Shop style chips are a thing of great beauty and possibly my most evocative food memory of growing up in the UK.
- 600g (4-5 medium sized) Floury Potatoes
- Malt Vinegar, to taste
- Salt, to taste
- Oil for deep frying
- Peel the potatoes and then cut them into 1cm (½”) thick chips. Dont worry about the roundness, keep aiming for 1cm size, the smaller chips go crispy which are my favourite.
- Soak the potatoes in cold water for 15 minutes, changing the water once during this time. Then remove the chips and dry them thoroughly.
- Preheat the oil in a deep fat fryer to 140°C or 285°F.
- Add your chips to the oil, and cook your chips until they are soft to the tip of the knife, which will take around 4-5 minutes.
- Remove the basket from the oil and turn the heat up to 190°C or 375°F and as soon as the oil has come to temperature drip the chips back into the fryer and cook for 2 minutes.
- Serve hot with loads of salt and vinegar!
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.
Perfect Homemade Chippy Chips
Spending 13 years living in the Hungarian countryside gave me plenty of time to yearn for, and find a way to replicate my favourite takeaway recipes at home.
Fakeaway dishes on my run deep and wide with everything from chicken chow mein to chicken balti and egg foo yung to buttermilk southern fried chicken burgers getting a look in.
But let’s face it… as a Brit the granddaddy of all takeaways is the local chippy!
So of course I have a recipe that aims at emulating those glorious “blonde” chip shop style chips.
They are remarkably easy to cook at home so long as you have a fryer. They cook in under 10 minutes and all of the work to make them chippy chips is in the preparation.
All you need to do is add loads of salt and vinegar and prepare yourself to feel really smug.
Especially if you treat yourself to a bit of food-safe newspaper print to get the memories (no matter if they are false memories) flowing.
Does the type of potato really matter?
Yes, it is the most important part of this recipe, if you do not get floury potatoes your chips will not turn out right. I use King Edwards or Maris Pipers, if you are in the US look for something like a Russet!
Why do you soak the potatoes?
Chip shop chips are always fairly pale in colour and the way to achieve this is to wash off the surface starch. Failure to do this will lead to much darker chips.
What fat should I use?
Many moons ago chip shops would have used hard fat, lard or more likely beef dripping. Honestly, dripping makes a huge difference but it is not particularly practical. I usually use sunflower oil or vegetable oil.
Do I have to use a deep-fat fryer?
Oil temperature is critical in this recipe and as a result, the best way to achieve a consistent temperature is by using a deep-fat fryer. You could use a chip pan or a large saucepan with a basket. But it is far more difficult to get a pan large enough to safely fry in and to manage the oil temperature.
Can I cook them in advance?
These chips can be frozen after the first cooking phase. Transfer them from the pan and soak up any excess oil on some kitchen paper. Then place them in a single layer on a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely. Place them in the freezer and freeze on the cooling rack before transferring to a bag. You can cook them straight from frozen for 4-5 minutes at 190°C or 375°F. But you must be careful because they will spit and splutter because of the additional moisture.
The only thing that chip shop chips “have” to be served with is salt and vinegar, failure to do so is an imprisonable offence!
After that, you can make your choice. My usual order would be Saveloy and chips with chippy curry sauce and mushy peas.
My wife would always go for battered sausage or jumbo sausage and mock my choice. This suits me fine because I could steal a bit of hers and she’d go nowhere near mine.
I will note that I have not mentioned fish… let’s face it the Brits are known for fish and chips.
Growing up fish and chips would have been an incredible indulgence and were generally well out of the budget for a rare chippy tea.
I do indulge now that I’m a grown-up though, and of course, I have a recipe for chip shop battered fish.
You can also use them to make salt and pepper chips.
Since returning to the UK I have discovered that folk up here in the “North” like their chips with gravy, which is just plain odd!
I only mention brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Deep fat fryer.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Vegetable peeler.
- Large bowl to soak the potatoes.
- Tea towel and or kitchen paper to dry the potatoes.
How To Make Chippy Chips At Home
FAQ
What do chip shops use for frying?
How do chip shops cook their chips?
What is best to fry chips in?
Why are chip shop chips not crispy?
What are chip shop Chips?
Chip Shop Chips are a British institution & deep frying homemade chips just like your favourite chippy is very easy, just add salt & vinegar!
What are the healthy alternatives to chips?
Starchy foods like potatoes when cut into thin slices and fried in oil, they retain a lot of oil and calories, hence making the chips energy dense and calorie dense food. Healthy alternative for chips are: 1) Home made sweet potato chips. 2) Pop corn. 3) Crunchy cucumber pieces. 4) Carrot pieces. 5) Healthy fruits like apple. 6) Mixed nuts. 7) Kale chips.
How are fried chips made?
The potatoes are sliced, rinsed, and boiled, and then drained and dried. Parboiling ensures the chips are cooked through with a fluffy interior. The chips are fried in batches, drained, and fried again until golden, ensuring they are crisp. Sprinkled with salt, they are addictive and taste great with burgers and fried fish.
What makes a good fried chip?
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. Peel your potatoes, if desired.