Supermarket chips

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andyA700

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

44 months

Tuesday 12th November
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We had our first supermarket chips (from the frozen section) ealier this year in Penzance, whilst on holiday. They were from Iceland and actually surprised me in a good way. A couple of weeks ago, I went to Waitrose and they had some triple cooked in beef fat chunky chips £3.95 for 400g. We had them with Sainsburys lamb shanks and brocolli and the whole thing was very nice. Yesterday, as a bit of a treat, we had fillet steak, green beans, M&S Bearnaise sauce and M&S Gatropub triple cooked chips, £2.99 for 600g. These have to be the best chips so far, probably better than anything I have had from a chippy or restaurant.
Please chip in with your own suggestions.

21TonyK

11,895 posts

216 months

Wednesday 13th November
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I deep fry all chips so the coatings don't really make any difference to me. Lidl frozen skinny fries are the norm for me. I'm not a big fan of chunky chips unless I make my own.

ETA: pic in "unpretentious food" thread

Edited by 21TonyK on Wednesday 13th November 20:02

vladcjelli

3,054 posts

165 months

Wednesday 13th November
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Don't want to sound like that guy, the air fryer evangelist waffling on about how great their air fryer is.

But they do make even the most average oven chips from the supermarket better than they ever have been when cooked in the oven.

YMMV but I stand by my statement.

As for recommendations, Aldis salt and pepper fries are always well received in our house.

Mobile Chicane

21,227 posts

219 months

Thursday 14th November
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Lidl 'Harvest Basket' beef dripping chips are rather nice.

The beef dripping is sprayed on, as opposed to cooked in. I wonder if the more premium offerings are produced differently.

andyA700

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

44 months

Thursday 14th November
quotequote all
vladcjelli said:
Don't want to sound like that guy, the air fryer evangelist waffling on about how great their air fryer is.

But they do make even the most average oven chips from the supermarket better than they ever have been when cooked in the oven.

YMMV but I stand by my statement.

As for recommendations, Aldis salt and pepper fries are always well received in our house.
We were seriously thinking about buying an air fryer, but haven't currently the room to fit it in. I will definitely be having the M&S chips again.

jonsp

942 posts

163 months

Thursday 14th November
quotequote all
vladcjelli said:
Don't want to sound like that guy, the air fryer evangelist waffling on about how great their air fryer is.

But they do make even the most average oven chips from the supermarket better than they ever have been when cooked in the oven.

YMMV but I stand by my statement.

As for recommendations, Aldis salt and pepper fries are always well received in our house.
With you on that. We always get Tesco Finest Triple Cooked Beef Basted Oven Chips. 15 minutes in the air fryer and they're lovely, not expensive either.

Only way to improve on these is the time/hassle of making triple cooked chips from scratch per Heston's recipe

oddman

2,774 posts

259 months

Thursday 14th November
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We don't have them very often but oven chips have come on leaps and bounds in the last 20 years. Sometimes a few french fries or chunky chips are just what's needed with a steak or a burger so really convenient to grab a handful out of the freezer.

Don't have an air fryer and deep frying is a faff so I put them in a lined baking tray much bigger than required and set the timer for about 1/3 cooking time and toss a couple of times.

Dusting with spices like smoked paprika can take them up a notch

droopsnoot

12,650 posts

249 months

Thursday 14th November
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I generally buy the Iceland oven chips, £2 for 1.25kg (used to be 2kg) and they're nice, nicer done in my air fryer than they were in the oven. 14 minutes with whatever piece of chicken or fish I'm having with them.

I have just finished a bag of Sainsburys "Stamford Street" (i.e. bargain range) ones and didn't like them at all - difficult to know how they could be so different given that they're basically cut-up potatoes. I only got them as I'd forgotten to get some Iceland ones and didn't fancy making a special trip back.

I may try to super-duper flash expensive ones at some point, see if there's any noticeable difference.

PH5121

1,990 posts

220 months

Thursday 14th November
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In our house the favoured frozen chips to go in the air fryer are Birds Eye Crispy chips, which cost around £2.50 for a 900g bag.
Not as good as chips cooked in a deep fat fryer, but a nice medium sized chip.

Riley Blue

21,624 posts

233 months

Thursday 14th November
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We shop far more in Iceland now that we've discovered their extensive chip range. As has been mentioned, their own brand chips (and far more besides) are equal or better than the 'big names'.

Edited by Riley Blue on Thursday 14th November 11:49

AndyAudi

3,258 posts

229 months

Thursday 14th November
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21TonyK said:
I deep fry all chips so the coatings don't really make any difference to me. Lidl frozen skinny fries are the norm for me. I'm not a big fan of chunky chips unless I make my own.
Beware the coatings deep frying, the “crispy l McCain ones really muck up your oil, I always check ingredients
These two are very different


WCZ

10,808 posts

201 months

Thursday 14th November
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air fryer is a game changer here, cook sweet potatos fries nightly with them now!

dunkind

285 posts

27 months

Thursday 14th November
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andyA700 said:
M&S Bearnaise sauce ……..
Please chip in with your own suggestions.
Shop bought béarnaise sauce = council!
You can make decent stuff in just five minutes.

MrJuice

3,667 posts

163 months

Thursday 14th November
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having eaten a few lifetimes worth of processed food already, I am trying my best to be healthy now

We had sweet potato wedges the other night. Coated in olive oil and cajun spice, oven for about 30 mins at 180. Very nice and reasonably healthy.

These were wedges that I made myself by peeling and cutting sweet potatoes.

twing

5,200 posts

138 months

Thursday 14th November
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Current favourites are Co-Op lattice jobbies. They're the only ones I get right in the air-fryer, lord knows what I'm doing wrong. Frozen chips are my only regular fail in it

vixen1700

24,151 posts

277 months

Thursday 14th November
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Harry Ramsden are the only frozen chips worth going for. lick

Jimjimhim

1,513 posts

7 months

Thursday 14th November
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An air fryer really does improve a frozen chip over cooking in an oven, if you can make space then it's worth getting one. Much much quicker too.

Mobile Chicane

21,227 posts

219 months

Thursday 14th November
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Jimjimhim said:
An air fryer really does improve a frozen chip over cooking in an oven, if you can make space then it's worth getting one. Much much quicker too.
Regarding 'space' it needs to be free-standing on a counter top, nothing above, where lots of air can circulate. Not underneath an overhanging unit.

A guy at work burned his kitchen down with a (presumably faulty) air fryer wedged into a tight space.

andyA700

Original Poster:

3,299 posts

44 months

Friday 15th November
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dunkind said:
andyA700 said:
M&S Bearnaise sauce ……..
Please chip in with your own suggestions.
Shop bought béarnaise sauce = council!
You can make decent stuff in just five minutes.
Thanks for that (un)helpful comment, I will go and harvest the tarragon - oh, hang on there isn't any. Let's see white wine (£8), shallots (£2), white wine vinegar (£3), tarragon (£2).
What an insulting, idiotic comment - "council".
Get back under your bridge.

zetec

4,632 posts

258 months

Friday 15th November
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McCain's skin on fries are always good out of the oven, pricy though unless on offer.