Food & Wine

How to make the best homemade chips

Close-up of fries

Blanche Clark

Posted September 19, 2023

Say goodbye to soggy chips and hello to crispy golden fries with fluffy potato within. Whether you’re serving up fish or burgers, or sitting down to watch the footy with a meat pie, follow our tips for making delicious homemade crunchy chips.

There are so many quintessential Australian experiences that go hand in hand with golden fried potato chips: fish and chips on the beach, piping hot fries at the footy, and parma and pomme frites at the pub. The hotter and crunchier the chips, the better. 

But getting those homemade perfectly crispy chips can be tricky. All too often chips cooked at home end up sad and soggy.

RACV City Club Executive Chef Jason Camillo says crispy chips come down to choosing the right potato.

“For chips you need a floury style. The best variety would be Russet Burbank, which are floury and quite large, giving you the biggest chips,’ says Camillo. 

Russet potatoes also have a relatively high starch content and high density, which means the oil won’t penetrate too deeply and make the chips soggy.

Camillo suggests cutting the chips into large 1cm x 1cm x 10cm sticks.

Hot tips for cooking the best crispy fries at home

How do you make chips crispy outside and fluffy inside?

The secret to a crunchy outside layer and a soft, fluffy centre is cooking your chips three times.

“Boil the potato sticks in boiling water till tender, then cool and dry on paper towel,” Camillo says.

“Next step is to fry them in a fryer at 150°C until lightly browned and allow to cool again.

Lastly, you’ll want to fry again at 180°C until golden brown and crispy, and season with pink Murray River salt.” too.

What’s the best oil for frying chips?

Camillo recommends vegetable or canola for deep frying food. “Extra virgin olive oil starts to smoke at a relatively low temperature, so it’s not ideal,” he says. “It also has a strong flavour.”

He suggests using a small deep fryer or 3-4 litres of oil in a 20-30cm cast-iron pot or saucepan with a reinforced base. 

For a more decadent chip, Camillo says follow the same instructions, as above, but shallow fry the chip in wagyu fat or duck fat for the last step. 

 

Russet potatoes

Russet potatoes are considered the best for fries and hot chips. Image: Getty

 

Can you use an air fryer for frying chips?

There is also another way you can fry chips that’s considered healthier. Like any fried food, chips can also be cooked in an air fryer.

Although you don’t need to use oil in an air fryer, a dash of cooking oil spray will help make the potato crispier.  

How do you test the oil temperature for deep frying chips?

If you don’t have an oil thermometer, you can use the handle of a wooden spoon. Dip it in the hot oil and if bubbles appear around the tip of the handle, the oil is ready. 

Or add a cube of bread. It will turn golden in about 35 seconds at 150 °C and 15 seconds at 180 °C.

What pie goes well with chips?

For the ultimate crowd-pleasing meal, try making Camillo’s Braised Beef and Guinness Pie to go with your chips.

“For the pie filling the best meat to use is either beef shoulder or chuck. However, I like to use beef cheeks for this recipe,” he says.

The base is short-crust pastry, and the top of the pie is normally a crispy, buttery puff pastry. 

You can buy ready-made puff pastry, but for a truly delicious treat, you can learn how to make puff pastry from scratch.

Chips made in air fryer

For a healthier meal, cook your hot chips in an air fryer. Image: Getty

 

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