How do I make proper chips at home?
The double-fry that produces a fluffy inside and a crisp shell, the temperatures for each stage, and the soaking that removes surface starch.
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Time
- 50 min
- Read
- 3 min
- Safety
- warning
Short answer
Cut floury potatoes into 1cm chips, soak and dry them, then fry twice — once at 140 to 150°C to cook them through, and again at 190°C to crisp them. The two stages do different jobs and doing one of them well does not substitute for the other.
A good chip is two textures at once: a dry crisp shell and a soft floury interior. A single fry can produce one or the other but not both, which is why the double fry exists.
Safety
Step by step
- Use a floury potato.Maris Piper, King Edward or Rooster. Waxy potatoes will not go fluffy inside however you cook them.
- Cut them evenly, around 1cm square.Even thickness matters more than the exact size — mixed thicknesses means some are burnt when others are raw.
- Soak them in cold water.Half an hour, or up to a few hours in the fridge. It washes off surface starch, which otherwise makes the chips stick together and brown unevenly.
- Dry them completely.Drain, then a clean tea towel or kitchen paper, pressing firmly. Wet chips make hot oil erupt, which is both a safety problem and a soggy chip.
- First fry at 140 to 150°C.Five to eight minutes in small batches, until they are soft when pressed but still pale. This cooks the inside. They should not colour at all.
- Drain and cool them completely.On a rack, at least 30 minutes. This is what lets the surface dry out and form a shell. Cooled overnight in the fridge is even better.
- Second fry at 190°C.Two to four minutes until deep golden and audibly crisp. Small batches again — dumping them all in drops the oil temperature.
- Drain on a rack, not paper.Paper traps steam under the chips and softens the base. A wire rack keeps them crisp.
- Salt immediately.While the surface is still hot and slightly oily, so the salt sticks. Salted a minute later, most of it falls off.
- For an oven or air fryer version, still do two stages.Parboil for five minutes, dry, toss in oil, then 220°C or the air fryer for 25 to 30 minutes. Not the same as fried, but the same principle.
Tips
- The first fry cooks, the second crisps. Skipping either gives you half a chip.
- Cool completely between fries. The pause is doing work, not wasting time.
- Small batches. A crowded pan drops the oil temperature and gives greasy chips.
Common mistakes
- Frying once at a middling temperature — Too hot and the outside colours before the middle is cooked; too cool and the chip absorbs oil without crisping. The two-stage method exists precisely because no single temperature does both jobs.
- Putting wet chips into hot oil — Water flashes to steam instantly and throws oil out of the pan, which is the most common cause of kitchen oil burns. It also stops the surface drying and crisping.
If it doesn't work
Soggy
Cause: Oil not hot enough, or pan overloaded — Fix: Use a thermometer, fry in small batches, and let the oil recover between them.
Dark outside, raw inside
Cause: Single fry too hot — Fix: First fry at 140 to 150°C to cook through, then finish at 190°C.
Chips stuck together
Cause: Surface starch not washed off — Fix: Soak in cold water and dry thoroughly.
Greasy
Cause: Oil too cool — Fix: 190°C for the second fry, and drain on a rack.
Salt falls off
Cause: Salted too late — Fix: Salt them the second they come out of the oil.
Questions people ask
What oil should I use for chips?
Something with a high smoke point and a neutral flavour — groundnut, sunflower, rapeseed or dedicated frying oil. Beef dripping gives the traditional chip shop flavour. Olive oil is unsuitable at these temperatures.
Can I do the first fry in advance?
Yes, and it is the standard professional approach. Blanched chips keep in the fridge for a day or freeze well, and go straight into hot oil for the second fry from cold or frozen.