Triple Cooked Chips
The history of chips in Britain is intertwined with the development of the potato as a staple food. I cover this more in depth in my creamy mashed potato recipe. Potatoes were introduced to Britain in the late 15th century, but it wasn’t accepted widely as a staple food right away. The records show that it wasn’t until the late 18th century when the first fish and chip shops were opened in London during the 1860s by Eastern European Jewish immigrant Joseph Malin, and by John Lees in Mossley, Lancashire. That would suggest to me, that chips were a culinary custom long before the first shops were opened or else people would of been sceptical.
According to Dundee City Council, they claim that chips were first sold by a Belgian immigrant, Edward De Gernier, in the city’s Greenmarket in the 1870s.
So what history shows us, is that it is not always clear and it could very well me more about the claim for fame of those times by the people who wanted importance of the day than it being historically accurate in truth.
Famous mentions
Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities (1859) mentions the use of chips, “husky chips of potato, fried with some reluctant drops of oil”.
In Oliver Twist in (1838) he mentions “fried fish houses”, but it does not mention they also sold chips, or whether it was only fried fish being sold at the time.
As a boy, the great film director Alfred Hitchcock lived above a fish and chip in London, which was the family business.
According to Professor John Walton, author of Fish and Chips and the British Working Class, the British government made safeguarding supplies of fish and chips during the First World War a priority: as quoted, “The cabinet knew it was vital to keep families on the home front in good heart, unlike the German regime that failed to keep its people well fed”.
During the Second World War, fish and chips – a staple of the working class, remained one of the few foods in the United Kingdom that wasn’t subject to rationing. Prime Minister, Winston Churchill referred to the combination of fish and chips as “the good companions”.
Early Fish and Chip Shops
Early “chippy’s” which is modern British slang for a fish and chip shop, had only very basic facilities. Usually these consisted principally of a large cauldron of cooking fat, heated by a coal fire. If you are ever in the North East of England, there is a great museum that takes you back to the 1800s pf life in Britain, called Beamish museum, where you can still enjoy fish and chips cooked in this way by a coal fire, called Davy’s fish and chips in the pit village. I have been several times over the years and must add, they taste delightful to. They have opened a 1950s village now to, which has a more modern chippy in the street, but I have not been to see it finished yet because it was still being built.
British fish and chips were originally served in old newspapers, but because of technological advancements and people not buying as many newspapers today, you often find them served in a folded cardboard box, but you still find the odd place selling them out of plain paper.
If you would like to try your hand at making your own fish and chips at home, here is a link to my delicious light and crispy, beer battered fish and chips recipe here
To conclude
Rounding off our talk about chips, a beloved dish by many here in Britain and enjoyed worldwide. The tradition of eating chips with fish on Fridays, is still prevalent today in our society. Especially on Good Friday, where you can expect queues out the door in every chip shop up and down the country. Chips, however are more than just something you have with fish here in Britain. Its an identity, something we have as a side with many of our meals and a very affordable option to provide sustenance and nutrition. So without further ado, here is the recipe you have been waiting for… I’m hungry now and really fancy some fish and chips.
Triple-cooked Chips
Ingredients
- 1 kg Maris Pipers
- 1 kg Solidified Beef Dripping Or 2 litres of groundnut or vegetable oil
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper
Instructions
- Wash and peel the potatoes. (Or leave the skins on if you want)
- With a sharp chef knife, trim the potato into a block, cutting off the edges from each side. This helps give you more even sized chips.
- Slice through the potato lengthways into long chunks, and then cut through those slices while they lay flat.
- Rinse the potatoes several times in clean water to remove any of the excess starch.
- Add them to a large enough saucepan with a lid, fill with water to cover and add a large handful of salt.
- Cover the saucepan and bring to a boil on a high heat.
- Once the water is boiling, turn the heat down to medium-high, and remove the lid.
- Allow to cook for around 10 minutes. You want the outside edges of the chip to be just breaking apart but unable to push a fork right through the potato.
- Drain and layer the par-boiled potatoes, evenly over a wire wrack tray and allow to cool. Put them into the fridge until they are cold.
- Once cold, pre-heat your deep fat fryer onto 140℃/284℉ and cook the chips in batches if you have a smaller fryer like me. If you are using a larger fryer, then add more, but don't overcrowd the fryer or they will become greasy.
- At this stage you are frying them until they look dried out and have a little colour to their edges.
- Drain and evenly layer onto a wire rack. Allow to cool and put into the fridge until they are cold.
- Once cold, pre-heat your fryer to 180℃/356℉ and again, in smaller batches, if required, add a handful of chips at a time. This part will take the least amount of time and they will turn golden and crisp on the outside immediately.
- Drain each batch into some kitchen paper.
- Season with sea salt and pepper to your taste and enjoy the pleasures of seriously good triple cooked chips!