How to Make Chips Without a Deep Fat Fryer?

It has always been assumed that one cannot make chips unless there is a deep fat fryer involved. Well, that is not completely true because there are several ways that you can make chips at home without a deep fat fryer.

One of the reasons you may prefer chips prepared without a deep fat fryer is because they are usually free of the smell that comes off of reused fat in a deep fat fryer.

This article offers an easy guide that you can follow to make chips at home without a deep fat fryer. However if you make them and are not convinced, you may end up going back to the deep frying method. If so, check out our reviews of the latest deep fat fryers here.

What you need

The process requires that you use a large baking tray that is also non-stick. Ensure that your choice of baking tray is a good quality one that is heavy duty. Using a thin low-quality tray will cause uneven browning of your chips. Also, choose a tray with a tiny lip. This makes sure that your chips don’t flip off the edge of the pan when you are turning them inside the tray. As for the potatoes, ensure that you choose floury ones since they are always better when it comes to delivering crisp chips.

Once you have acquired the large baking tray and the preferred potatoes, do the peeling followed by cutting them into your preferred shapes. For small and skinny potato chips, slice the potatoes into small 1cm sticks but if what you want are the fat chips, then it is recommended to cut the potatoes into 2cm batons.

Cooking tips to consider

Research has shown that excess starch in potatoes affects the crisping process. Therefore, it would be a good idea for you to remove some of the starch before placing them in the oven. To do this, all you need to do is place the sliced potato sticks or batons in salted water and let it soak for a period of between 30 minutes and 1 hour. Once this time elapses, use a clean tea towel to dry off the water from the potato chips making sure that none of the moisture remains in the chips. It is important to do this as the moisture creates steam which inhibits the crisping process. Once you have confirmed that all the moisture has been removed from the chips, arrange them nicely in a bowl and spray/drizzle some oil over them. 

The choice of oil to drizzle over the chips also matters because it determines the coloration of the chips. It is recommended to use groundnut oil for its high smoking points prevents any burning of the chips. Once you have drizzled the oil on the chips, arrange them nicely on the large baking tray and ensure that you leave enough space between each chip. Overlapping chips do not usually achieve even cooking. Now place the tray in the oven and cook for 40 to 50 minutes. This is the time it is going to take for the chips to have a golden outside and tender inside. Make sure to use a spatula to turn the chips from time to time during the cooking as this ensures even cooking and coloring. After the 50 minutes are over, your chips will be ready to serve.

As you can see, the cooking process is not that hard. Just get the required equipment and everything else will be a walk in the park. However, it would be great if you spiced up your serving with a little bit if the unconventional seasonings. For instance, instead of table salt and may be vinegar, you can go for things like celery salt, thyme or rosemary.

About the Author Catherine Wheeler
