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Frying Frozen chips in the deep fat fryer questions

  • 08-09-2022 11:19pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,879 ✭✭✭✭


    Hi all, I am fed up with oven chips - I have dug out the old electric deep fat fryer out of the press and decided to go back to old school , I know they are not as healthy as oven chips or using the air fryer but I have hardly got a good physique anyway so I may as well enjoy life while I can and sod the cholesterol.

    So, got a back of frozen chips today from the shops - shall I bung them in the deep fat fryer from frozen or thaw them out first? ... I am getting off google "for that crispy outer covering chip taste put them in the fryer straight from frozen" but i am not sure I want them crispy, they are fatter than normal chips and I want to drench them in thick bisto gravy and I want them sort of soft and mushy , not crispy but do want them golden colour , not anemic and pale looking - so do I thaw them first for that? - and how do I thaw them out? - just out room temperature or thaw them in the microwave first?

    Question number 2 if you do deep fry chips in the fryer from frozen then what does that frost do to the cooking oil in the fryer over time does it break down the properties of the oil in the fryer making it not as efficient , apart from anything that 'splattering' you get when you put wet frozen chips in the fryer cannot be good anyway for a start?

    Plan for tomorrow evenings (Friday) evening tea - a nice chippy tea. So the chips done in the deep fat fryer but not crispy - 2 pieces of battered fish done in oven , mushy peas done in the microwave. then a nice covering of thick bisto Gravy all over the chips. But I want to get it right .

    Picture off the net as an example :


    Post edited by Andy From Sligo on


Comments

  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    I would seriously recommend a salad. That, or put the local fire brigade on notice.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 787 ✭✭✭mikewest


    If you want them mushy with the gravy on they need to start out crispy!

    Cook from frozen, don't overload the pan, oil as hot as you can to start (thermostat all the way up assuming it's an electric chip pan).as the frozen chips will drop the oil temp real quick. Cook till golden enough or crispy enough.

    The spattering is just water boiling off to steam really quick.

    For an extra treat, skip the fish, peas and gravy and just fry two or three eggs to still runny and serve with fresh cooked chips. Feck the cholesterol.

    Edit: forgot to say the water.or frost on the chips just boils off and doesn't affect the oil. Oh and don't reuse the oil too often.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,817 ✭✭✭Gloomtastic!


    And please do not have a few drinks before trying this out. The No. 1 cause of house fires (apart from people) is still chip pans I believe.

    Enjoy safely!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,526 ✭✭✭brick tamland


    If I was going to the hassle of deep frying chips at home, I certainly wouldnt be using frozen chips.

    Get some potatoes. Maris pipers are great, roosters fine too. Soak them in water for 20/30 mins, drain off water and fry away.

    If your feeling fancy you can do a double cook. Lower heat so they are almost cooked through. Then finish them off at a higher heat to get the couloured and crispy.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,388 ✭✭✭✭the beer revolu


    From memory, all frozen chips recommend cooking from frozen. I wouldn't defrost them - I think they'd end up a broken soggy mess.

    The higher the temperature of the oil, the crisper they will be. For a less crispy chip, fry at a lower temperature for longer.



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  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 4,754 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tree


    Cook the chips from frozen, then put them in a lunchbox with the gravy for five mins (it's also the best way to get mushy curry chips). If you go down the real spud route (while you've the fryer set up), do the low first fry (150) and let them cool and crisp up at 190, it's delicious.

    Most ppl's cholesterol is determined by their liver, so like, if it's high it's high anyway. And you can be fat like me have have low cholesterol :) Livers, they're great when they do what they're meant to.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,198 ✭✭✭✭Dial Hard


    AFAIK that's people (inexplicably) using an actual old-style chip pans with a basket on the stove. Deep fat fryers have a thermostat and are far safer.

    Having said that, if I was the OP and fancied a good old-fashioned chippy supper, I'd just go to the chipper and buy one. I can't believe anyone still has a deep fat fryer.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 71,061 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Yeah, 'chip pan fires' are people using baskets in pans, on gas generally (but not solely). My neighbours have a completely different kitchen layout (even the back door was moved) to any other house on the street due to the rebuild after one in the 80s!

    However you can get very significant splashing from frozen chips in a deep fat fryer so you need to become very aware of how many - or realistically, how few - chips you can do in each go safely.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 220 ✭✭put_the_kettle_on


    Don't use cooking oil, use beef dripping.

    As previous poster says, chip Maris Piper or King Ed's.

    Do first fry at at about 3/4 of max temp. Cook for a few minutes until the chips are mostly cooked but not coloured and lift the basket to drain the fat.

    Second fry is to finish cooking, colour and crisp. So turn heat to max and fry till golden. Drain, salt and enjoy.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,171 ✭✭✭spakman


    Never mind all the pricking around with thermostat and frying twice.

    Put them from frozen into the fryer and take them out when golden. Done!



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,879 ✭✭✭✭Andy From Sligo


    well ... it happened earlier on this evening and it was absolutely delicious!

    In the end chips out of the freezer straight into the fryer , no messing



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,879 ✭✭✭✭Andy From Sligo


    ooh, beef dripping sounds nice - what about Lard? ... that used to be nice frying stuff in that years ago



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 220 ✭✭put_the_kettle_on


    I only really use lard for making pastry, I'm not mad keen on its smell when it's hot.

    I use beef fat for frying for a few reasons, its high critical temperature meaning you can fry at high temps without it turning toxic. It's healthier for you than seed oils, and also because chips just taste so much better when cooked in it.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,388 ✭✭✭✭the beer revolu


    Perhaps deep fat fryers are better designed and safer now, but I learned the hard way that thermostats on deep fat fryers can break with disastrous results!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,879 ✭✭✭✭Andy From Sligo


    like what? - did they fail in the stuck on position?

    Certainly for years now they have had what are called thermal cut out non resettable devices , looks like a resistor. when that gets too hot out of range then it will cut power to the whole of the electric fryer . This is in addition to the normal thermostat



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,388 ✭✭✭✭the beer revolu




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,297 ✭✭✭Count Dracula


    Get some beef fat or dripping to fry your chips with.

    It is potato season, buy some Pipers which are a traditional chip favourite, have the fryer good and hot and if you like them crispy, dunk them several times after drying on your initial cook time. This cooks the outside only, making it nice n crispy.

    Take care with the fryer, they are perfectly safe to use with proper care and attention. Using fat to cook with should not neccessarily increase your cholesterol levels either.

    Enjoy.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,786 ✭✭✭Feisar


    I've found par boiling gives the best results at home but nothing beats proper chipper chips. The problem is the piddly bit of oil in any home setup isn't going to maintain heat when a load of chips are put in.

    First they came for the socialists...



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,717 ✭✭✭✭Muahahaha


    Plan for tomorrow evenings (Friday) evening tea - a nice chippy tea. So the chips done in the deep fat fryer but not crispy - 2 pieces of battered fish done in oven , mushy peas done in the microwave.

    If you're firing up a deep fat fryer for chips you should do the fish in it as well rather than oven baking the fish separately. Theres lots of good recipes online for an easy batter containing either beer or sparkling water which helps create bubbles and air pockets on the batter when it is deep fried. A half teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in the batter too really bubbles it up where it forms loads of nooks and crannies under deep frying. If you like crispy batter but delicate fish this works reallly well, like as good as what you would get in a good restaurant or gastropub. For me now its the only way to do proper fish and chips, I dont buy the supermarket frozen battered fish any more and now just use fresh cod, the taste difference is huge compared to the frozen stuff.

    The above is one of the the main reasons why I bought a deep fat fryer last year having not owned one ever. Id only use it around once a month at best but theres some dishes I cook like fish and chips and KFC style fried chicken where deep frying beats all other methods hands down. I also do falafel in it the odd time and intending to experiment with battered sausages soon, the grey crap the Italian chippers use as a sausage is awful and you could make far better at home with proper Irish sausages.

    And yeah feck the cholesterol, so long as you're not deep frying all the time theres nothing wrong with an indulgence as a treat.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,085 ✭✭✭bmc58




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  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 4,754 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tree


    And while you've batter made, it's hard to beat an onion ring.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 687 ✭✭✭Subzero3


    If the oil is not to hot they will soak up more oil and be soggy when u finish. Not nice.

    What u need to so is fry them as per instructions and when they are done place them into a bowl and cover them. The steam will soften them like from a chipper. they go soft from the covered bag along with the vinegar.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,717 ✭✭✭✭Muahahaha


    for sure, another food that lends itself really well to deep fat frying



  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    *Mod note*

    Ease up on the health judgement comments please. This is the food forum, not nutrition and diet. Posters are free to enjoy their food, regardless of the calorie content.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 433 ✭✭GoogleBot


    I bought Potato Chipper, Stainless Steel for 20 quid. Fresh chips so delicious and cost less.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,879 ✭✭✭✭Andy From Sligo




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,487 ✭✭✭Padre_Pio


    A chipper usually has two fryers.

    4 mins in the first to blanche then chips, then 4 mins in the second to get them crispy.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,553 ✭✭✭gameoverdude


    Toasted ham, cheese, onion sangich with frozen chips and beer.

    Bit of broccoli if you're a vegetarian.



  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]




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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,553 ✭✭✭gameoverdude


    Feck it. What's the point of safety.

    Enjoy your chips while locked.

    If you die you can't have chips. Enjoy them now.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,465 ✭✭✭✭Oat23


    +1 for beef fat. We used to get a chipper every week or two, but a mix of the price of a bag of chips going up and the fact most chippers in Sligo are crap led us to start making our own. Seed oils are pretty bad for making home made chips and you really need beef dripping for a proper chip.

    Frytex beef dripping is okay and quite cheap, but the packet is a bit misleading. It says "pure beef dripping" but it contains rapeseed oil. We started buying the James Whelan butchers beef dripping from Dunnes instead. It's about 2.5 times the price of frytex but makes great chips. When we're done we usually run the beef dripping through a cheese cloth to filter out any bits and then store it in the fridge. The package says it can be re-used up to 5 times, but you could quite easily use it at least 10 times if you filter it well after every use.




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 220 ✭✭put_the_kettle_on




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,817 ✭✭✭Gloomtastic!




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,465 ✭✭✭✭Oat23


    I'm not sure if you're hoping for a yes or a no here 😄

    It smells far less than seed oils. That was the thing that surprised me when we first tried the frytex a few months back. There was no lingering smell in the air afterwards (the extractor fan over the hob probably helps). The james whelan one does smell a bit beef-ier and you can tell it's better stuff, but it doesn't linger either. I can't smell the frytex one even if I stand over the pot for a sniff. Last time I used crisp n dry the smell was all over the house the rest of the night. I bloody hate it.

    Lard/beef dripping has a bad reputation but it's undeserved I think. Great stuff altogether.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2 Johna Fallon


    in my 50 years in the Catering Industry , I have never dropped frozen chips into a deep fat fryer,

    this results in clouds of oily steam destroying your kitchen, the oil breaks down very quickly, and chips take much longer to cook.

    leave frozen chips out for 15 or 20 minutes before cooking, No greasy steam ,oil lasts longer, and chips cook much more quickly,



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,979 ✭✭✭squonk


    I’ll have to dig out my cookbooks again but years ago I saw a great recipe for triple cooked chips in a Gary Rhodes cookbook. RIP Gary. He was a great chef. The gist was to cut your chips, then place them in water. Get tge starch off and then parboil them, let them dry and get into the deep fryer at 160°C for a few minutes. The timings are what I’m missing right now. The chips cook but are white on removal. Next, whack the heat in the fryer up to 190°C and fry the chips til golden. It produced great chips. The best part is that after the initial fry you can bag the chips once cool and freeze at that point. The upside then is that you then have a ready supply of chips in minutes as you only need to do the final fry at 190°C. I loved it because it produced better chips than buying frozen and, although the initial prep was a lot, it paid off down the line so you could easily get the keep done in a Saturday afternoon if you wished.



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