Well OT - DIY chips (as in potatoes cut up into chunks and fried)

[Brian]

I cook baked potatoes in ours. Large ones I give a few minutes in the uWave, then into the air fryer.

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

I can remember over the years various gadgets, from Ktel or ronco, more recently JML and others, which supposedly peeled any potato, or which cut out chips from a potato with just two actions. Now I wonder how many of these inventions actually worked as demonstrated and did not have a rather obvious flaw, like getting clogged up and needing cleaning every few potatoes or maybe being rather dangerous to take apart or go blunt very quickly? I was unfortunate to have one of those vegetable chopper things that was totally useless after a few minutes. Brian

[newshound]

My son-in-law does very good "french fries" in his pizza and burger bar. They come frozen from a trade supplier. I'm pretty sure most of the fast food trade (including fish and chip shops) do the same.

[Brian]

I?m wary of such gadgets. Most things can be done with a decent ( sharp) knife.

I have a Mandolin*, that is good but you need to watch your fingers.

• even used in professional kitchens.

[RJH]

Give it a try in the air fryer. IMO in some ways better because the skin is crispy - for a few minutes. It tends to lose its crisp quite quickly.

[RJH]

I tend to keep a bag of frozen chips in the freezer - I only buy the relatively unadulterated uncoated type. Taste OK but bit papery. They do go crispy in the air fryer.

Biggest frozen potato success is mash - always make up a batch if I find myself with a potato mountain.

[David]

I'm a bit nervous about bits of the skin coming off and requiring filtering out of the cooking oil.

Minimal effort where possible, although skin on is easier than peeling.

Cheers

Dave R

[alan_m]

In my experience if the take-away only has a frier that only takes those small one/two portion baskets then the chips tend to be frozen and often the matchstick french fries type which cook quickly.

If the establishment has the full range frier with fat/oil draining shelves above then they tend to buy in potatoes and chip them on premises.

My pet hate is the take-away salting all the chips as a policy. My two local fish and chip shops have realised that many people don't use salt and ask everyone if the want salt and/or vinegar. I don't add salt to food and rather not have vinegar added to chips that are going to be wrapped up to take home as it can make them soggy.

[williamwright]

Strangely, sometimes better inside, although the skin loses its crispness.

Bill

[williamwright]

Round here you expect the salt and vinegar dispensers to be on the counter for them that want the food 'open'. While back I was in a chip shop with a mate, and he put a lot of salt on. The woman behind the counter shouted , "Oi, steady on! We have to pay for that!" Same chip shop, a few years later, I was parked outside on the street getting served. She came in and said, "Who's is that van? "Mine." Well shift it! I park there!" I haven't used that shop since. There's another one only a quarter mile out of my way. Not that I use chip shops much anyway because I can make far better chips and fish at home if I can only be arsed.

Bill

[Mr Pounder Esquire]

Slant chippy up the road is okay. Not cheap but I get two nosebags out of beef/mushrooms and chips. I just ring up and when I get there the grub is ready for me. Gotta keep out of that chippy as the weight is coming back on. I'm 70% f***ed now and can't quite manage my long walks. But shirley one chippy meal a week is acceptable? If the chippy was paki I would never use it. Live oooop North. Not in the shithole of South.

[Andrew]

And all the pesticides that have been sprayed all over them and injected into the ground to completely nuke it of all bugs and slimy things is concentrated in the skin of a potato.

[Andrew]

Does any chip shop use proper 'vinegar' these days ?. I thought they all used catering glacial acetic acid

[Andrew]

Pie in a bun :-)

[Tim Lamb]

I don't think spuds get much spraying. There might be pelleted slug control.

Big upset a few years back when someone's nylons were damaged by Sulphuric acid? used to kill off the haulm.

[alan_m]

Strangely my local chip shop has both, a brown malt and a clear catering acid. The shop also sells bottles of both types.

[Tim+]

You mean the shaws? ;-)

Surprised that nylon would be susceptible to sulphuric acid though.

Tim

[Tim Lamb]

You have been reading the Times!

Haulm in Hertfordshire. Includes the stems of beans, peas and grasses.

Probably Farmers Weekly about 20 years back. Something to do with a cross field public footpath.

Indeed.

[Tim+]

Nah. I?m just Scottish(ish). Never heard the word ?haulm? before.

Always good to learn a new word though. I shall use it in Scrabble now. ;-)

Tim

[ARW]

The slant chippy as you choose to call it actually called Happy Valley.