Fry Chips

Mmm, hot crispy chips and french fries - a heart's nightmare and a belly's delight!

Steps

 * 1) Decide if you want to use frozen potato chips (which are quicker) or making them from scratch. This method works for both types.
 * 2)  Making them from Scratch - select your potatoes, ideally they should be a variety called "floury" which have low water content. Ask someone at the store if its not easy to find. Russet Burbank is a good variety if you can find it.
 * 3)  Peel and cut your potatoes into chips with some recommendations here:
 * 4) * French fries are strips the length of the potato, but 1/2cm wide and tall.
 * 5) * Chips are 1.5cm wide and tall, also the length of the potato.
 * 6) * Wedges are usually in slices about 1 inch thick, then the slices in angled cuts so there is a thin end and a wide end.
 * 7) * You can be precise if you want, but its never essential.
 * 8)  Heat a pan of oil - peanut, canola or vegetable are good types as they can be heated quite high without burning.
 * 9)  For thick chips and wedges you want a temperature between 150 and 160C. You can test this by a thermometer or placing a scrap of bread to see how quickly it browns. It should bubble gently and brown within 1 minute.
 * 10)  For raw large chips & wedges, add them to the oil - you may rinse the chips first under water, but they must be patted dry with paper towel to avoid burns.
 * 11) Remove them when they are light golden - this can be about 5 minutes. This process is just to cook them through.
 * 12) For both french fries (raw), frozen chips and the first cooked chips from above, Reheat oil to 175C (this is when a cube of bread browns within 10-20 seconds) add chips and cook until crisp and golden.
 * 13)  Season, serve and enjoy!

Tips

 * The bigger the cut, the less fat they absorb.
 * If using frozen chips, defrost them first or they will take the heat out of the oil and won't fry.
 * Cook in batches for easier handling.
 * You can buy chip presses that will cut the potato for you!
 * Save the oil seperately for the next batch as it will have a chip flavour (which gets better). You might get 5 seperate reheats per batch of oil before you need to replace it.

Warnings

 * Take maximum care around hot oil.
 * Select a deep pan and fill the oil no more than half full to avoid overflowing.
 * Have the pot lid handy in case it looks like it may overflow and turn off heat immediately.

Things You'll Need

 * Oil
 * Deep Pan
 * Heatproof slotted spoon or strainer
 * Potatoes, or frozen chips (defrosted).
 * Paper towel for draining
 * Seasoning & sauces
 * A good appetite!