Deep Fried/Chips: Home made potato crisps/chips
Subject: Home made potato crisps/chips
Newsgroups: alt.cooking-chat,rec.food.cooking
From: pcm (pcm at ntlworld.com)
Date: Sat, 7 Oct 2000 18:22:57 +0100
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I plan to make some home made potato crisps, or chips as they say in the States.
Any suggestions on the best method of frying these and which oil to use.
Thanx,
pcm
From: Jill McQuown
Date: Sat, 7 Oct 2000 12:58:57 -0500
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I'd use peanut oil and deep fry the slices in batches in a kettle (even a wok should do) and lift them out with a frying strainer. Peanut oil has a very high smoking point so you should be able to get them nice and crisp and not add extra "oil" flavor. What are you using to slice the potatoes thin enough? A food processor blade? I'd be interested to know.
From: katrob at ihug.co.nz (Kathy Bloor)
Date: Sun, 08 Oct 2000 05:11:50 GMT
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Jill McQuown wrote:
>I'd use peanut oil and deep fry the slices in batches in a kettle (even a
>wok should do) and lift them out with a frying strainer. Peanut oil has a
>very high smoking point so you should be able to get them nice and crisp and
>not add extra "oil" flavor. What are you using to slice the potatoes thin
>enough? A food processor blade? I'd be interested to know.
Jill, I use a vege peeler to slice the potatoes. You don't get large slices, but the thickness is just right.
From: B. Green (tobgreen at home.com)
Date: Sat, 07 Oct 2000 20:43:12 GMT
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> I plan to make some home made potato crisps, or chips as they say in the
> States.
> Any suggestions on the best method of frying these and which oil to use.
Jill asks the same question that comes to my mind. I also wonder if you have deep frying cooking experience?
I assume you are referring to your spuds being sliced very thin...?
Potato Chips in much of Canada means French Fries; there are also Home Fries, Shoestring and Wedgies in my neighbourhood.
*Do not put wet product into hot fat or oil!*
Soak cut potatoes in cold water, washing excess starch out of them. Pat dry on a towel.
Heat oil to about 325F, though deep fat spud cooking is a bit of a science.
Depending on their size and how you want them textured (you use the word 'crisps'), you *could* start at a lower temp and bring the heat up to about 350F near the end.
Crisp would be with all moisture evacuated.
Too hot at the beginning might cause them to darken before they are ready.
For french fries, I commonly start at 250F, using Canola Oil, a bit cheaper than Corn. Corn Oil is nice too.
Depending on the spud, and the type and freshness of oil, they may not brown hardly at all.
When done, remove them from the oil with a big wire scoop or whatever, put them into a warm frying pan for a few seconds, lightly salt them immediately in that pan. Then dump them out onto paper towel on a warm plate or in a warmed bowl.
If you do them perfectly, they will be really nice the next day.
And if you're ever in Delta, B.C., try the Fish & Chips at Ocean Ave Restaurant, there's none better that I can find, though would be interested in finding some...
From: Rona Y. (prasantrin at hotmail.com)
Date: Sat, 7 Oct 2000 20:54:12 -0500
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> Potato Chips in much of Canada means French Fries
Huh? Where in "much of Canada" will you find people referring to french fries as potato chips or vice versa, except at British-style pubs or fish & chip places? IME, potato chips are always the thin rounds while french fries are always strips. Wedges would be, well, wedges and shoestrings are very thin strips.
From: hahabogus \(Alan\) (hahabogus at hotmail.com.invalid)
Date: Sat, 7 Oct 2000 22:28:38 -0500
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Rona Y. wrote:
> > Potato Chips in much of Canada means French Fries
>
> Huh? Where in "much of Canada" will you find people referring to french
> fries as potato chips or vice versa, except at British-style pubs or fish &
> chip places? IME, potato chips are always the thin rounds while french
> fries are always strips. Wedges would be, well, wedges and shoestrings are
> very thin strips.
Here! Here! I agree with Rona. Chips are potato chips unless fish is mentioned in the same sentence.
From: Mike Reid (gillardreid at mcmail.com)
Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2000 08:18:49 +0100
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Following up to hahabogus (Alan):
>> Huh? Where in "much of Canada" will you find people referring to french
>> fries as potato chips or vice versa, except at British-style pubs or fish &
>> chip places? IME, potato chips are always the thin rounds while french
>> fries are always strips. Wedges would be, well, wedges and shoestrings are
>> very thin strips.
>
>Here! Here! I agree with Rona. Chips are potato chips unless fish is
>mentioned in the same sentence.
Surely a British style place should be using the terms "crisps" and "chips"
From: Greg Zywicki (gzywicki at my-deja.com)
Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2000 17:05:04 GMT
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> Surely a British style place should be using the terms "crisps" and
> "chips"
Yes, but what does that have to do with Canada, eh?
From: The Reids (gillardreid at mcmail.com)
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2000 09:13:11 +0100
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Following up to gzywicki at my-deja.com:
>> Surely a British style place should be using the terms "crisps" and
>> "chips"
>> --
>> Mike Reid
>
>Yes, but what does that have to do with Canada, eh?
There was a reference to British style pubs.
--
Regards
Mike Reid
From: Greg Zywicki (gzywicki at my-deja.com)
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2000 12:24:57 GMT
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> There was a reference to British style pubs.
Aha - I see. No, the mention of Pubs was included to indicate that pretty much the only place in Canada that you'd hear "chips" in place of fries was in a british style pub. At least, that's aboot the size of it as far as I can tell. I could be oot to lunch, though.
Greg Zywicki, North of Canada, Detroit.
From: Madeline (madwen at mailbag.spammenot.com)
Date: Sun, 08 Oct 2000 12:08:43 -0500
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> I plan to make some home made potato crisps, or chips as they say in
> the States. Any suggestions on the best method of frying these and
> which oil to use. Thanx, pcm
When I was a tot, my grandfather used to make them for me and my mouth waters even now as I think about what a treat it was. He used only russets. slicing them very thin by hand with a carbon steel blade that he kept honed so it was razor sharp. i'd sit at the old wood kitchen table with my legs swinging to and fro, feet properly encased in little shite anklets and a pair of black mary janes, as I watched him drop the thinly sliced chips into hot lard. He used the same iron skillet he used to fry his steaks. When they were done, after only a few seconds it seemed, he'd drop them onto an old clean rag spread over some newspapers since we never had paper towels. My grandmama thought that was wasteful. He'd salt them immediately with coarse salt and I would eat them plain, dipped in a little coarse-grain mustard or sprinkled with a little malt vinegar. Enjoy.