The 17th-23rd February 2014 is National Chip Week. At Smart Restaurants we are deciding what the best kind of chips are as there are just so many different varieties!
French Fries
French fries can be very nice tasting, but with the thinness of them, they can sometimes not be very filling and they also cool down rather quickly. French fries are best to be eaten straight away as they are not that easy to heat up. French fries can be found at many fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, along with other restaurants such as T.G.I Fridays. French fries can also be cooked at home in the oven or by frying them.
Takeaway Chips
Chips from a takeaway are generally thick cut and cooked in a large deep fat fryer, sometimes along with the other food that they fry such as the fish and the sausages. This can create a unique taste to the chips, but isn’t so good for vegetarians who may not like this thought. Chip shop chips aren’t that healthy either, as they do contain a lot of fat, however as a once in a while treat they are enjoyable. Depending on which chip shop you go to, some take pride in the fact that their chips are actually healthy and are cooked in a vegetable based oil, containing goodness.
Traditionally takeaway chips are served with a battered fish, sausage, pie or burger. Sometimes chips are served on there own, as people will fancy a few chips as a snack.
Homemade Chips
Homemade chips will differ on the person that is cooking them. They are usually cooked in a fat fryer for 10-15minutes. As they are home-made then the person cooking them can cut the chips either thick or thin. Most of the time it is easier to cut them thicker as this is also healthier as the fat is covering a larger amount of area rather than a thin chip which will absorb more fat. home-made chips can be quite healthy as you can be cooking them in vegetable oil rather than animal fat and you can also buy certain fryers that don’t make the chips absorb so much fat.
Oven Chips
Oven chips can vary on what type of chips you buy, you can buy thick cut chips, wedges or french fries. Oven chips are convenient as they are something that you can have in your freezer to cook a home-made takeaway along with frozen burgers. Some people do like oven chips and some don’t. Some think that they sometimes come out quite dry. It all depends on who’s eating it and what type of chip it is. The thicker the chip, the less like a takeaway chip it becomes. This is because they are being cooked on a baking tray at a very high temperature and they are not being cooked in something like fat. In some terms though, the oven chip could be considered the healthy option of eating a chip.
Restaurant Chips and Pub Chips
Depending where you go, restaurant chips can vary, but quite often they are served as thin cut chips, typically like french fries. Restaurants such as T.G.I Fridays, Frankie and Benny’s and Prezzo all serve thin cut chips. Pub chips are often thick cut, home-cooked chips. They will differ to chip shop chips as they aren’t so greasy. They are usually golden on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Depending on the size of the pub, more time can be spent on cooking the chips, rather than a takeaway shop where the demand will be much higher in the fact that the customer wants them then and there.
The National Chip Week Verdict!
Overall, where you decide to go for your chips all depends on how you like to eat your chips. If you want something tasty and quite greasy then it is best to go to a takeaway. If you want something light then its best to have french fries, either cooked at home or bought at a fast food restaurant. If you want a dry but fluffy chip then this would be an oven chip, or if you just want a bit of both and something cooked exactly how you want it to be, then its best to cook home-made chips using a frying machine. Chips are best to be enjoyed exactly how you want them to be.
