Food blogger Nagi Maehashi from Recipe Tin Eats has shared a simple trick to achieve perfectly crispy homemade chips. Instead of just soaking peeled chips in water, she recommends adding vinegar to the water before boiling them for 10 minutes. This process draws out excess sugars and prevents the potatoes from disintegrating, resulting in a crunchy exterior.
The Trick
Nagi explained: "Fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside — and stays crispy well beyond the time it takes to eat the fries and, say, a big juicy cheeseburger. The ideal French fry!" She noted that the conventional method of soaking and double frying yields crispiness only when piping hot, but the vinegar method keeps chips crispy longer.
How to Make Crispy Chips
Ingredients:
- 1 kg Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cooking salt (or kosher salt)
- 1 litre vegetable or canola oil, for frying
- Fine sea salt to taste (optional)
Method:
Peel and slice potatoes into 6mm chips using a serrated knife for a rougher edge. Place chips in cold water to prevent browning. Drain and rinse, then transfer to a large pot with 2 litres cold water, vinegar, and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a colander, then spread on tea towel-lined trays to steam dry for 5 minutes.
Heat 3cm oil to 205°C in a deep saucepan. Fry chips in three batches, each for 50 seconds, adding with a 10-second gap between additions. Drain on kitchen paper and rest for 30 minutes. Reheat oil to 205°C and fry in two batches for 4 minutes until golden. Drain, season with salt, and serve immediately.
