Home Made Oven Chips | Community Recipes | Nigella's Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How to make oven chips taste better? ›

Add herbs and spices for extra flavor.

"Add a bit of gourmet flair to your fries by sprinkling them with some garlic powder, fresh rosemary, seasoned salt, or fresh virgin-olive [oil] or truffle oil," Koeppe said. As well as adding flavor, a drizzle of oil can also help keep fries from sticking together in the oven.

The secret to a crunchy outside layer and a soft, fluffy centre is cooking your chips three times. “Boil the potato sticks in boiling water till tender, then cool and dry on paper towel,” Camillo says. “Next step is to fry them in a fryer at 150°C until lightly browned and allow to cool again.

If the oven isn't hot enough to brown the chips on the 'air-side', or if there's not space for the heat to circulate around each chip, they'll be unevenly crisp. Deep-frying also means the oil can penetrate the craggy, broken edges on all sides to make an extra crisp surface.

This is arguably the most important step in ensuring crispy chips. If your oven temperature is set too low (affected by altitude and your oven's particularities), the potatoes will not crisp up as intended. And finally, if you put too much oil on them or slice them too thickly, they can also become soggy.

Put oven chips on a large baking tray. Drizzle over vegetable oil and sprinkle over smoked paprika, smoked or regular sea sealt flakes, dried rosemary, a small pinch of cayenne pepper and garlic granules; toss well to coat. Bake the chips to pack instructions until golden and crisp.

Having hot oil is key to getting the potatoes not to stick to the tray and getting a perfect crisp skin. Toss the chips in the hot oil, salt, and place back into the oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes until golden. That's it – there isn't anything more to it.

The difference lies in their starch content and structure. Waxy potatoes are amazing for boiling as they keep their shape, but floury potatoes fry up crisper. Use a floury (also called mealy) potato such as Russet or Shepody for your chips and you'll have better success.

Spread a layer of store-bought kettle cooked potato chips on a baking sheet and sprinkle with finely grated Parmesan cheese (Pecorino also works well). Grind some black pepper on top, then do another layer. Think of it like making nachos: you want every chip to get at least a little bit of action from the toppings.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees, and preheat your oil for 10-15 minutes prior to adding the chips. Don't salt the oil, and don't overcrowd the pan, or the oven. Steam is the arch nemesis of the crispy chip. Cook the chips at a high temperature, and turn them halfway through.

Should you flip oven chips? ›

Turning and tossing chips halfway through cooking ensures that they are evenly cooked and perfectly crisp. You'll thank us when you take your first bite!

Turn the heat up under the oil and return one blanched chip to the oil as a guide again. Once it's floating and golden the temperature should be about 180°C, which is perfect for frying and will give you chips with those all-important crispy outsides and fluffy middles.

Give your chips an ice bath, and leave for 15-20 minutes if you have the time. This will wash off some of the starch – you'll see as the water goes cloudy. Starch on the surface of the chips locks in moisture and causes them to go soggy. Drain the chips and rinse under cold water, then dry thoroughly before cooking.

For chips, the best potatoes have a combination of waxy and floury qualities. King Edwards and Maris Pipers are great examples, combining these qualities so that the outer edges crisp up and hold their shape while the inside of the chip gets creamy and soft.

If you microwave your chips, they'll end up soggy and super-unappealing. The best way to reheat chips to make sure they stay lovely and crispy, is to do it in your oven.