Homemade chips are a timeless classic, but achieving that perfect extra-crispy, crunchy finish can be challenging. Cook and food blogger Nagi Maehashi of Recipe Tin Eats has revealed a straightforward step that everyone should try before frying their chips: adding vinegar to the soaking water.
Rather than soaking peeled chips in plain water, she recommends adding vinegar to the mix. Nagi said: "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!"
Why vinegar works
She continued: "The conventional way of making French fries involves firstly soaking the raw fries in water, followed by a double fry. This was (still is?) the way students were taught at cookery school and is still the default method used by many restaurants and pubs."
"This method will yield crispy fries when they are piping hot, straight out of the fryer. But the first problem is that within minutes, before they even hit the table, they start to lose crispiness."
Maehashi argues that it's time to abandon outdated techniques and embrace a fresh approach — soaking freshly cut chips in vinegar before cooking. Simmering the chips in water draws out excess sugars, stopping them from browning too rapidly and enabling a proper crunch during frying. The water also activates natural starches in the potato, producing a crispy exterior.
Nagi added: "Meanwhile, adding acid (the vinegar) to the water prevents the potatoes from disintegrating for the 10-minute simmering time required."
How to make crispy chips
What you'll need:
- One kg of Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes
- Two tablespoons of white vinegar
- One tablespoon of cooking salt (or kosher salt)
- One litre of vegetable or canola oil, for frying
- Fine sea salt to taste (optional)
Method:
Begin by peeling the potatoes and cutting them into 6mm chips, ideally using a serrated knife to create a rougher surface that crisps up more readily. Place the cut chips in a bowl of cold water to prevent discolouration while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Drain and rinse the chips under cold running water for a few seconds, then transfer them to a large saucepan with two litres of cold water, the vinegar and salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
Using a stainless steel slotted spoon, carefully lift the chips into a colander, then spread them across tea towel-lined trays and leave to steam dry for five minutes.
Next, heat 3cm of oil to 205°C in a deep, heavy-based saucepan. Divide the chips into three batches and fry each batch for 50 seconds, adding them in three portions with a 10-second pause between additions to prevent the oil from bubbling over.
Drain on kitchen paper and leave to cool for 30 minutes. Bring the oil back up to 205°C and fry the cooled chips in two batches for four minutes, or until golden and crispy.
Drain on kitchen paper, season with salt and serve straight away.
