CHiPs (and the price of spuds)

yeppydeppy

I feckin' love them in all forms, chunky fat ones, McDonalds skinny ones, SuperMacs regular ones and the ones I cook at home myself either from frozen or from potato's.
What I'd like to know is why are most chippers and take away's in Ireland so stingy with their portions?
I remember being shocked going to a chipper in England and getting a huge portion of chips for roughly the same cost as here.

So, is the cost of spuds ridiculously high here in Ireland and that's why the chippers are mean with the chips?

yeppydeppy

yeppydeppy wrote: »

I feckin' love them in all forms, chunky fat ones, McDonalds skinny ones, SuperMacs regular ones and the ones I cook at home myself either from frozen or from potato's.
What I'd like to know is why are most chippers and take away's in Ireland so stingy with their portions?
I remember being shocked going to a chipper in England and getting a huge portion of chips for roughly the same cost as here.

So, is the cost of spuds ridiculously high here in Ireland and that's why the chippers are mean with the chips?

Last time I got chips in a chipper I got enough to feed a family.

Like a lot of things in Ireland I suspect it boils down to just plain greed.

I tried to pay for a single pint in a city centre pub recently with a debit card. The fuss yer man made about it, wanted to charge me 10 euros and give me the change because he doesnt do tap transactions under 10 euros because of the service charge :rolleyes:

I know that has nothing to do with chips, but its an anecdote of how some people think skimping on little things helps their business or their profits.

Muahahaha

Would have said the standard bag of chips from Italian chippers is too big tbh, theres enough there for two people. irrc rubadub weighed a bag before and it came to something like 400-500g, half a kilo of chips is way too much for one person imo.

This is it

Wouldn't eat a full bag myself from the local but I don't think a bag would do two either. A large is perfect, I think it's €3.60, would do two people no bother.

I really fancy some chips now.

sammyjo90

It would all depend on if the chippers were actually buying in actual bags of spuds Or buying in pre skinned and precut ones. These would obviously have a higher cost.

My sister has a food van and she has said the price of a 10kg bag of spuds has gone up a couple of euro in the last year or two.

L1011

The potatoes used for chipper chips are mostly imported - from the UK - which will have an impact versus domestic grown varieties for one thing.

yeppydeppy

I still think we're getting ripped off, €3.60 for a bag of chips - I wonder what weight of spuds you can buy wholesale for that?
In the past I've ordered two large portions of chips and I'd still scoff the lot.

TheShow

Muahahaha wrote: »

Would have said the standard bag of chips from Italian chippers is too big tbh, theres enough there for two people. irrc rubadub weighed a bag before and it came to something like 400-500g, half a kilo of chips is way too much for one person imo.

agreed,
if we get chipper as a treat, we just get two bags between two adults and 3 kids, and still have some left over.

yeppydeppy

How much does a large portion from Supermacs weigh I wonder? Anyone at a loose end today?

Reviews and Books Galore

yeppydeppy wrote: »

I still think we're getting ripped off, €3.60 for a bag of chips - I wonder what weight of spuds you can buy wholesale for that?
In the past I've ordered two large portions of chips and I'd still scoff the lot.

That's only a little bit more than the cost of a bag of chips in Eastern Europe



I miss chips and greasy takeaways.

forestgirl

1)2 slices of really fresh bread
2)butter really fresh bread
3)put really fresh hot chips straight from bag onto bread
4)add a little ketchup
5)cut chip sandwich in half
6)down the hatch

Reviews and Books Galore

forestgirl wrote: »

1)2 slices of really fresh bread
2)butter really fresh bread
3)put really fresh hot chips straight from bag onto bread
4)add a little ketchup
5)cut chip sandwich in half
6)down the hatch

Man I love carbs on carbs.

TheShow

forestgirl wrote: »

1)2 slices of really fresh bread
2)butter really fresh bread
3)put really fresh hot chips straight from bag onto bread
4)add a little ketchup
5)cut chip sandwich in half
6)down the hatch

Mayo instead of kethcup, or better still some home made ailoi.

Reviews and Books Galore

Reviews and Books Galore wrote: »

Man I love carbs on carbs.

I was in a conversation with a friend of a friend who let it be known that they weren't allowed to have bread at the kitchen table when they were growing up in a wealthy suburb in Dublin as it was "too common", according to the auldone.

We were all shocked.....using a cut of bread to mop up the last bite and clean the plate was a rite of passage almost when we were all kids. When I mentioned a chip sambo, he was appalled because of the carbs overload. It got me thinking of the varying degrees of insanity I've seen on people's sandwiches down through the years....family members (and myself) included....

Spaghetti bolognaise on bread
Curry sambo
Stew sambo
Guy in my class used to have a mini steak n kidney pie on a roll in school
Lasagne on bread

Reviews and Books Galore

Deleted User wrote: »

I was in a conversation with a friend of a friend who let it be known that they weren't allowed to have bread at the kitchen table when they were growing up in a wealthy suburb in Dublin as it was "too common", according to the auldone.

We were all shocked.....using a cut of bread to mop up the last bite and clean the plate was a rite of passage almost when we were all kids. When I mentioned a chip sambo, he was appalled because of the carbs overload. It got me thinking of the varying degrees of insanity I've seen on people's sandwiches down through the years....family members (and myself) included....

Spaghetti bolognaise on bread
Curry sambo
Stew sambo
Guy in my class used to have a mini steak n kidney pie on a roll in school
Lasagne on bread

That's just strange. I guess capital cities do get a bit weird. There's a similar fit/social status obsession going in the capital city I'm living in.



Oh my god the lasagna on bread!!!! I remember that. epic.

odyssey06

Canteen in work used to serve lasagne with a slice of garlic bread. Many people got chips on the side...

the beer revolu

The Spanish folk love Tortilla de patatas in a bread roll.
We're not the only ones who like potato sandwiches.

the beer revolu

odyssey06 wrote: »

Canteen in work used to serve lasagne with a slice of garlic bread. Many people got chips on the side...

Lasagne, garlic bread, chips, spuds and veg!
Ireland.

yeppydeppy

the beer revolu wrote: »

Lasagne, garlic bread, chips, spuds and veg!
Ireland.

Not enough chips though!

TheShow

two spoons of spag bol or indeed lasagne inbetween two slices of buttered bread (real butter only, no fake rubbish) is a sweet delight!

anacc

Deleted User wrote: »

It got me thinking of the varying degrees of insanity I've seen on people's sandwiches down through the years....family members (and myself) included....

Spaghetti bolognaise on bread
Curry sambo
Stew sambo
Guy in my class used to have a mini steak n kidney pie on a roll in school
Lasagne on bread

I used to have mushy pea sandwiches. Open a tin of mushy peas and microwave them and make a sandwich with lots of butter.

Also, in college we used to go to the local deli and get a spicy wedges with mayo and cheese in a roll.

I also made sauteed mushroom and onion sandwiches with lots of garlic butter.

igCorcaigh

the beer revolu wrote: »

Lasagne, garlic bread, chips, spuds and veg!
Ireland.

I remember working in Athlone where people in the canteen ordered boiled potatoes with spag bol. Peeled the potatoes at the table and mashed them into the spag bol.

Midlands.

Boardnashea

forestgirl wrote: »

1)2 slices of really fresh bread
2)butter really fresh bread
3)put really fresh hot chips straight from bag onto bread
4)add a little ketchup
5)cut chip sandwich in half
6)down the hatch

Anyone got any keyboard wipes?...
I'm drooling

El Tarangu

igCorcaigh wrote: »

I remember working in Athlone where people in the canteen ordered boiled potatoes with spag bol. Peeled the potatoes at the table and mashed them into the spag bol.

Midlands.

I have a friend from Ballinasloe who does the same.

It should be noted though that the traditional way of eating pasta & pesto is with cubes of potato* mixed in, so 'potatoes with pasta' is perhaps more cultured than we thought :cool:

*haricots also, for completists

Thephantomsmask

The ultimate chip on bread feast is a mitraillette, Belgian friteries ftw

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitraillette

igCorcaigh

El Tarangu wrote: »

I have a friend from Ballinasloe who does the same.

It should be noted though that the traditional way of eating pasta & pesto is with cubes of potato* mixed in, so 'potatoes with pasta' is perhaps more cultured than we thought :cool:

*haricots also, for completists

Sliced potato on pizza is really good though, with garlic, fontina, rosemary and sea salt. No tomato.

the beer revolu

Thephantomsmask wrote: »

The ultimate chip on bread feast is a mitraillette, Belgian friteries ftw

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitraillette

The average Belgian chipper wipes the floor with any Irish chipper for the quality of the chips.
Never soggy, pale underdone chips in Belgium!

OU812

Deleted User wrote: »

the varying degrees of insanity I've seen on people's sandwiches down through the years <SNIP>

Lasagne on bread

Dont knock this.

Use batch bread for "strength", real butter, day old cold lasagne, little parm on top. Totally incredible.

Seriously. It's awesome eats.

RasTa

Sweet potato fries costing €5 always baffled me.

Sam Quentin

What's the best spud for the chip?

Muahahaha

RasTa wrote: »

Sweet potato fries costing €5 always baffled me.

yeah seems to be sold as a premium product here. Same in the supermarkets, they just stick it in a black bag and suddenly its posh and they charge 30% more than regular chips.

the beer revolu

Sam Quentin wrote: »

What's the best spud for the chip?

I think Maris Piper is generally accepted as the chip spud

satguy

Francesco's Takeaway here in Portlaoise,, €3 for a bag of chips,, more than one person can eat.

You have 4 slices of batch bread buttered at home waiting, you leg it home with the hot chips.
Quickly put hot chips on to the bottom half of a slice of batch and fold to make your chip sambo.

Repeat X 3

Happy Days.

Danzy

yeppydeppy wrote: »

I feckin' love them in all forms, chunky fat ones, McDonalds skinny ones, SuperMacs regular ones and the ones I cook at home myself either from frozen or from potato's.
What I'd like to know is why are most chippers and take away's in Ireland so stingy with their portions?
I remember being shocked going to a chipper in England and getting a huge portion of chips for roughly the same cost as here.

So, is the cost of spuds ridiculously high here in Ireland and that's why the chippers are mean with the chips?

Wages are higher here, weather is wetter.

Danzy

Danzy wrote: »

Wages are higher here, weather is wetter.

Some chippers and owners are just scabby c*****. How much is a big sack of spuds..... €6.50 for 7.5kg in tesco.

And how much cheaper would they be if you used two bags a day, so bought them in bulk from your supplier?...... Say €4 for, what, 7-9 bags of chips?

There's no excuse to be scaldy with the chips. Go to a decent chipper in England or even NI and see what freshly battered fish tastes like as well. The amount of chippers I've had to cross off my list after getting soggy, doughy batter on the inside is scandalous.

yeppydeppy

I sometime have an urge to have chips with lots of salt and vinegar and ice-cream - I've never really done it but something about it makes me want it. I say I've never really done it 'cause I have had McDonalds chips and a milk shake and that's similar if not the same?

L1011

Deleted User wrote: »

Some chippers and owners are just scabby c*****. How much is a big sack of spuds..... €6.50 for 7.5kg in tesco.

And how much cheaper would they be if you used two bags a day, so bought them in bulk from your supplier?...... Say €4 for, what, 7-9 bags of chips?

There's no excuse to be scaldy with the chips. Go to a decent chipper in England or even NI and see what freshly battered fish tastes like as well. The amount of chippers I've had to cross off my list after getting soggy, doughy batter on the inside is scandalous.

The 6.50 for 7kg potatoes (roosters, in this case) will make relatively poor chips, though. And they certainly aren't the type used by any chipper.

You'd be quite surprised to find that smaller food service places often pay more for raw materials than consumers pay in discounters for them. I know of a food truck operator that bought their veg in Aldi until the quantities got too high to do so!

There are far more costs too - for instance PL insurance for a venue that opens late at night and gets many pissed people in it is going to be quite high.

El Tarangu

igCorcaigh wrote: »

Sliced potato on pizza is really good though, with garlic, fontina, rosemary and sea salt. No tomato.

I've had sliced potato and truffle oil on a pizza, alright (there might have have been fontina also) - it was lethal, at any rate.

brick tamland

Are most Maris Pipes imported? Local pub bore has been on about how Brexit will be impacting chippers once it happens. We might see soon

L1011

Yes, and while there's other types you can use they will go up in price due to demand if there's an interruption to Maris Piper supplies

Smiles35

A tub of garlic sauce is a must with my bag of chips.

That has to be made fresh and can't be bought prepared from a supermarket as it is cream mixed with mayonnaise.

igCorcaigh

Smiles35 wrote: »

A tub of garlic sauce is a must with my bag of chips.

That has to be made fresh and can't be bought prepared from a supermarket as it is cream mixed with mayonnaise.

I don't like the stuff from the bottle put on kebabs. Especially when it mixes with the overly sweet chilli sauce from another bottle. Nope.

The kebab shop here used to have simple blitzed chillies as their chilli sauce. Stopped doing it now but was great.

This could be good. I like a bit of tahini in it though, and dill, lemon etc.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/yogurt-garlic-sauce-recipe-2355489

I'd rather keep decent sauces at home these days, to add on later.

yeppydeppy

Surely some landowner has considered the price of Maris Pipers increasing because of brexit and has planted a load of them?
Maybe we'll have to make do with some locally grown brand of spud? I don't care I'll still love them!

El Tarangu

igCorcaigh wrote: »

This could be good. I like a bit of tahini in it though, and dill, lemon etc.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/yogurt-garlic-sauce-recipe-2355489

Look up Ottolenghi's recipe for roasted aubergine salad; basically the sauce above with some saffron (though it's perfect without, too).

Divine, I could eat it every day.

Boardnashea

Otto's saffron dressing is divine. I just never thought I would see it referenced in a conversation about the price of chips!

sbsquarepants

Deleted User wrote: »

Spaghetti bolognaise on bread
Curry sambo
Stew sambo
Guy in my class used to have a mini steak n kidney pie on a roll in school
Lasagne on bread

I'm not a big bread eater by any stretch, a sliced pan lasts me for months, I only generally take a couple of slices out of the freezer for 4 things.

Boiled eggs and toast
Stew sambos
Shepherds pie sambo
Sausage sambo / Fry up