Triple cooked chips

During the first Covid lockdown in the UK, my husband and I really enjoyed cooking together, and experimenting with a lot of things we’d never cooked before. Triple cooked chips have always been something to create excitement when out in a restaurant. I’m personally normally more of a fan of skinny fries (french fries) than the typical chunky chips that are very common in the UK. But, when cooked this way, the chunky chips are amazing! Very fluffy in the middle, and crispy on the outside. These are truly the best chips / fries I’ve ever had! I think it might’ve been Heston Blumenthal who created this style of cooking for the chips, the man definitely knows what he’s doing!

large potatoes
vegetable oil
table salt

1. Peel and cut the potatoes to preferred size, however for these kind of chips it’s better if they are quite big.  Rinse under cold running water to wash the starch off. Place in a pot, sprinkle with salt, and cover with cold water. Cover with lid, and bring to gentle simmer. Cook until soft.
   
2. Drain the cooked potatoes, and when cooled enough so that you can touch them, transfer to a rack, then place the rack in to a freezer for an hour.
   

   
3. Heat the vegetable oil to 130°C / 270°F. If you don’t have a deep fat fryer, you can just use a pot that’s quite deep (this is what I use). Just be careful not to fill it too much with oil, as it can easily overflow when the food items are put in. At the same time, you do need to put enough oil that the food items are freely floating in the oil, and not having to stick to the bottom of the pan. Fry the potatoes in batches for 5 minutes  (each batch). It’s a good idea to check the temperature of the oil every now and then, as the food items will cool the oil when they are put in.
4. Drain the potatoes on a kitchen tissue to remove excess oil, then place back on the rack, and put the rack back in the freezer for an additional hour, or longer. Keep the oil in the pot, as you will need it again. At this stage, the chips are still looking pale in colour.
   
5. This time, heat the oil to 180°C / 360°F. Fry the potatoes for about 5-7 minutes, until golden and crispy, then serve immediately.
   

   

Author: luxlifefinn

Lover of good food. Fine dining as a hobby, home cooking as a passion. View all posts by luxlifefinn