Home Made Chips -- Double Frites!
We emigrated to the West Coast of Canada in 1955. I quickly learned that as “Limeys”, we were slightly different from the families of my new Canadian friends. We talked funny (“Say watter, say watter.” “Wautta” – “Limey Limey Limey!” I learned to speak Canadian real quick, eh.) And we ate funny.
We almost never ate beef. Instead we had leg of lamb almost every week we could afford it. Nobody else ate lamb. And, my mum made chips. Now, my mum would be the first to admit she wasn’t the best cook – she grew up being an entrepreneur and her main concern was growing her capital, running a business. And, both of them grew up during, first, the Recession, then the War. There was still food rationing in the UK the year I was born. That generation of Brits had a different relationship with food – it was often scarce. So becoming a gourmet cook was not really on the agenda.
But chips, well….. Mum always had a Chip Pan. It was a regular aluminium sauce pan, about 6 – 8 litres, and inside it was a chip basket. She would fill it with Mazola Corn Oil (the only oil she would use), and it would sit in the cupboard without even a lid on. She only changed the oil once a year. Remarkably, I have no memories of the fat smelling bad, or even smelling. When I do it, the house often smells like a chip shop for hours afterwards and I find I can only use the oil five or six times before it is too smelly. And I have tried Mazola!
When I would come to visit, the in the later years, if she asked me what I wanted her to cook, it was always “Chips!” And she would do the other Evans strangefoodthing – Chips and Egg. When the chips were done, she would take the pan off the heat, and immediately break one or two eggs into the oil. She would leave them in for only about 30 seconds, and then lay them on top of the chips already on plates. Total greasy comfort food!
And the oil still didn’t seem to smell….
We almost never ate beef. Instead we had leg of lamb almost every week we could afford it. Nobody else ate lamb. And, my mum made chips. Now, my mum would be the first to admit she wasn’t the best cook – she grew up being an entrepreneur and her main concern was growing her capital, running a business. And, both of them grew up during, first, the Recession, then the War. There was still food rationing in the UK the year I was born. That generation of Brits had a different relationship with food – it was often scarce. So becoming a gourmet cook was not really on the agenda.
But chips, well….. Mum always had a Chip Pan. It was a regular aluminium sauce pan, about 6 – 8 litres, and inside it was a chip basket. She would fill it with Mazola Corn Oil (the only oil she would use), and it would sit in the cupboard without even a lid on. She only changed the oil once a year. Remarkably, I have no memories of the fat smelling bad, or even smelling. When I do it, the house often smells like a chip shop for hours afterwards and I find I can only use the oil five or six times before it is too smelly. And I have tried Mazola!
When I would come to visit, the in the later years, if she asked me what I wanted her to cook, it was always “Chips!” And she would do the other Evans strangefoodthing – Chips and Egg. When the chips were done, she would take the pan off the heat, and immediately break one or two eggs into the oil. She would leave them in for only about 30 seconds, and then lay them on top of the chips already on plates. Total greasy comfort food!
And the oil still didn’t seem to smell….
It wasn’t until I moved to Bristol that I started really making home-made chips. Over the years, I have tried various different methods. A chip-loving girlfriend once gave me one of those professional immersion-heater deep fryers, but the oil went manky too quickly and replacing 8 litres of oil was too expensive to do regularly. At one, I used a deep fry pan. As time has passed, I have moved to simply using a 6 ltr stainless steel sauce pan with a good pouring lip (important for making the cleanup process easier).
And, over the years, I have followed the various teevee cooks in the UK with their variations on the theme. I have done triple cooked fries. Double-cooked pommes frites. And even single cooked Limey chips. What has endured is the emphasis on at least double-cooking. ‘Double-frites’ is definitely the way to go. You need to double cook them to assure that you get that wonderful crispy outside/soft fluffy inside chip experience. It also helps to cook them briefly in water a first time, before double frying them, but only if you are making chunky chips. Thin or small chips will break up if cooked and handled too often.
So, although this note is long and full of tips, the process is actually very simple. Three steps: blanche the chips in water, blanche them in oil, fry in oil. Done!
I also have great memories of a Canadian version – shoestring chips! And have discovered a good way to reproduce them at home too – but that will come later.
And, over the years, I have followed the various teevee cooks in the UK with their variations on the theme. I have done triple cooked fries. Double-cooked pommes frites. And even single cooked Limey chips. What has endured is the emphasis on at least double-cooking. ‘Double-frites’ is definitely the way to go. You need to double cook them to assure that you get that wonderful crispy outside/soft fluffy inside chip experience. It also helps to cook them briefly in water a first time, before double frying them, but only if you are making chunky chips. Thin or small chips will break up if cooked and handled too often.
So, although this note is long and full of tips, the process is actually very simple. Three steps: blanche the chips in water, blanche them in oil, fry in oil. Done!
I also have great memories of a Canadian version – shoestring chips! And have discovered a good way to reproduce them at home too – but that will come later.
One consideration which never seemed to enter my mum’s recipe was the choice of potato. In Canada, there were basically two types (beyond new potatoes) – Yukon Golds, and Idaho Russets, if memory serves. In the UK there are dozens of types. Some are ‘waxy’, that is, they retain their shape and their texture is smooth and slightly hard. Some are ‘floury’, meaning that, when cooked, their flesh is powdery and even fluffy. In the UK the main chip tatty is the Maris Piper. This is a semi-waxy variety and I think its strength is that is responds well to the single frying method they use.
They best chips, in my estimation, however, are made from slightly floury potatoes. In the UK my favourite was a King Edward. These types of tatties do, however, need to be handled carefully. They cannot be cut too thin or they will not hold together. Likewise, when moving them about, especially from pan to drain and back again, they need careful handling. This isn’t that difficult to do, however, and it is now second nature for me.
And, the quality of the results really makes it more than worthwhile!
They best chips, in my estimation, however, are made from slightly floury potatoes. In the UK my favourite was a King Edward. These types of tatties do, however, need to be handled carefully. They cannot be cut too thin or they will not hold together. Likewise, when moving them about, especially from pan to drain and back again, they need careful handling. This isn’t that difficult to do, however, and it is now second nature for me.
And, the quality of the results really makes it more than worthwhile!
The recipe that follows is the most elaborate, involving one water cook and two oil fries. You can decide for yourself whether to include the first cooking or not.
Ingredients
It is simple, really. Potatoes and oil. Choose a floury potato of reasonable size (hard to get here in Norway).
Preparation
Ahead of time, prepare a sauce pan with boiling salted water (use lots of salt – very little gets absorbed) – enough water to comfortably hold the chips. And another sauce pan with oil – generally I use a litre of oil in a 5 litre pan to make enough chips for two people. Also, fill a large bowl with a colander or drain pan with cold water.
Take your potatoes and prepare them. Trim the ends off square and peel them. (Over the years, I have gone on, and off, of eating potato skins. Knowing what I do about how industrial farming harvests them, I no longer go out of my way to eat the skins). Cut the potatoes vertically into two or three chunky billets and then cut them into individual chips. If you cut the tatties at an angle, you get the best of both worlds – sharp crispy tips at one end, and fat steamy chips at the other (see image). Pop the chips into the cold water and hold them there until you are ready to dry them before cooking.
Cooking
If you are going to blanche the chips, you can transfer them directly from the cold water to the pan of boiling salted water without drying them in between. Let the water come back to a gentle rolling boil and then turn the heat down to maintain the gentleness of the boil. I generally leave them to simmer for about 5 - 6 minutes. Gently remove them from the water and lay on a bed of paper towels to drain and cool.
Ingredients
It is simple, really. Potatoes and oil. Choose a floury potato of reasonable size (hard to get here in Norway).
Preparation
Ahead of time, prepare a sauce pan with boiling salted water (use lots of salt – very little gets absorbed) – enough water to comfortably hold the chips. And another sauce pan with oil – generally I use a litre of oil in a 5 litre pan to make enough chips for two people. Also, fill a large bowl with a colander or drain pan with cold water.
Take your potatoes and prepare them. Trim the ends off square and peel them. (Over the years, I have gone on, and off, of eating potato skins. Knowing what I do about how industrial farming harvests them, I no longer go out of my way to eat the skins). Cut the potatoes vertically into two or three chunky billets and then cut them into individual chips. If you cut the tatties at an angle, you get the best of both worlds – sharp crispy tips at one end, and fat steamy chips at the other (see image). Pop the chips into the cold water and hold them there until you are ready to dry them before cooking.
Cooking
If you are going to blanche the chips, you can transfer them directly from the cold water to the pan of boiling salted water without drying them in between. Let the water come back to a gentle rolling boil and then turn the heat down to maintain the gentleness of the boil. I generally leave them to simmer for about 5 - 6 minutes. Gently remove them from the water and lay on a bed of paper towels to drain and cool.
As the chips approach being cool, heat the oil to a fairly low temperature. Generally, the first deep fry should be done in slightly less-hot oil. I believe the formal recipes indicate 160 F for the first fry and 180 F for the second. After a little experimentation, one gets a feel for this, and no longer need to test or use a thermometer. But before you get there it is useful to measure, measure, measure.
Again, insert the chips (carefully, for both the sake of the integrity of each individual chip, and also to keep the hot oil off your hands, clothes or the stove element) into the already hot oil. Once the oil begins to roil, turn down the heat somewhat and leave the chips in, again, for 5 or 6 minutes. They should be limp and look quite oily at this point. Perfect! Remove to fresh paper towels to drain and cool.
Again, insert the chips (carefully, for both the sake of the integrity of each individual chip, and also to keep the hot oil off your hands, clothes or the stove element) into the already hot oil. Once the oil begins to roil, turn down the heat somewhat and leave the chips in, again, for 5 or 6 minutes. They should be limp and look quite oily at this point. Perfect! Remove to fresh paper towels to drain and cool.
Remove to yet more fresh paper towels to drain. Flip them over a few times to help the towel take up the most oil clinging to the chips. Dust with salt (and if feeling creative, black pepper and shaved Parmesan) and serve immediately!
And enjoy some the best chips you can possibly have!
And enjoy some the best chips you can possibly have!
Ps. I store the oil in recycled 1 litre plastic bottles between use. When pouring it from the chip pan to the bottle, I run it through a fine metal strainer which happens to fit into a spout that I have. This way, I filter out all the small particles which can burn the next time the oil is used. Also, it is the left over burnt bits that flavour the oil as it sits on the shelf. So filter them out to get the maximum use of your oil.
Pps. As I get older, I think my nose gets more sensitive. Or I just get less tolerant of strong smells. This method minimizes the burnt-oil stench but even better, lately, is that I have discovered using the barbeque side-burner to cook chips. Cooking them outside guarantees that you get no deep frying smell in the house!
Pps. As I get older, I think my nose gets more sensitive. Or I just get less tolerant of strong smells. This method minimizes the burnt-oil stench but even better, lately, is that I have discovered using the barbeque side-burner to cook chips. Cooking them outside guarantees that you get no deep frying smell in the house!
