Triple-cooked chips
 | |
| Course | Appetiser,side dish |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | England |
| Created by | Heston Blumenthal |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Potato |
Triple-cooked chipsare a type ofchipsdeveloped by the English chefHeston Blumenthal.Blumenthal began work on the recipe in 1993, and eventually developed the three-stage cooking process. The chips are first simmered, then cooled and drained using asous-videtechnique or by freezing; deep fried at 130 °C (266 °F) and cooled again; and finally deep-fried again at 180 °C (356 °F). The result is what Blumenthal calls "chips with a glass-like crust and a soft, fluffy centre".[1]
The Sunday Timesdescribed triple-cooked chips as Blumenthal's most influential culinary innovation, which had given the chip "a whole new lease of life".[2]
History[edit]
Blumenthal said he was "obsessed with the idea of the perfect chip",[3]and described how, from 1992 onwards, he worked on a method for making "chips with a glass-like crust and a soft, fluffy centre".[1]He researched thestarchcontent of different varieties of potato[3]and experimented with drying chips by microwaving,desiccatingor even individually pinpricking them.[1]Eventually, Blumenthal developed the three-stage cooking process known as triple-cooked chips, which he identifies as "the first recipe I could call my own".[1]
First served at Blumenthal's restaurantthe Fat Duckin 1995, triple-cooked chips have since become common in restaurants.[citation needed]
In 2014, theLondon Fire Brigadeattributed an increase inchip panfires to the increased popularity of "posh chips", including triple-cooked chips.[4]
Preparation[edit]
Blumenthal's technique[edit]
Previously, the traditional practice for cooking chips was a two-stage process, in which chipped potatoes were fried in oil first at a relatively low temperature to soften them and then at a higher temperature to crisp up the outside. Blumenthal's recipe involves simmering the potatoes first in water[5]for 20–30 minutes until they are almost falling apart and have developed many little cracks across the surface,[6]at which point they are drained and as much moisture as possible is expelled by placing them in either a freezer[7]or desiccator machine. This additional stage is designed to achieve three objectives. First, cooking the potatoes gently in water helps ensure they acquire a properly soft texture. Second, the cracks that develop in the chips provide places for oil to collect and harden during frying, making them crunchy.[8]Third, thoroughly drying out the chips drives off moisture that would otherwise keep the crust from becoming crisp. Blumenthal describes moisture as the "enemy" of crisp chips.[8]
The second of the three stages isfryingthe chips at 130 °C (266 °F)[7]for approximately 5 minutes, after which they are cooled once more in a freezer or sous-vide machine before the third and final stage: frying at 180 °C (356 °F)[7]for approximately 7 minutes until crunchy and golden. The second stage of low-temperature frying is as essential as the first, according to Blumenthal, as it makes "any starch left in the surface cells dissolve and combine to create a rigid outer layer that can withstand the higher temperature of the final frying".[8]This second stage is time-consuming, he acknowledges, but must not be omitted. "A single frying at a high temperature leads to a thin crust that can easily be rendered soggy by whatever moisture remains in the chip’s interior."[8]
Other chefs, such asJoël Robuchon,had previously[verification needed]used such a method of cooking chips in simmering water before subjecting them to a two-stage frying.[9]
Variations[edit]
Variations include using a refrigerator to cool the chips in between cooking times and the use of different temperatures, such as 140 °C (284 °F) for the first cooking and 200 °C (392 °F) for the second.[6]Triple-cooked chips cooked induck fatis another variation. Various cultivars of potato are used, such as sebago,[6]RoosterandMaris Piper.[2]
See also[edit]
- List of deep fried foods
- List of potato dishes
- List of twice-baked foods
- Pommes soufflées– a variety ofFrench fried potato.Slices of potato are fried twice, once at 150 °C (300 °F) and then again after cooling, at 190 °C (375 °F).[10]
References[edit]
- ^abcdBlumenthal, Heston(2008).The Big Fat Duck Cookbook.Bloomsbury Publishing.ISBN978-0747583691.
- ^abHeston Blumenthal (17 November 2013)."Triple-cooked chips, by Heston Blumenthal".The Sunday Times.Archived fromthe originalon 16 February 2017.Retrieved17 June2014.
- ^abBlumenthal,In Search of Perfection
- ^"Brigade blames 'posh chips' for rise in chip pan fires".London Fire Brigade.17 February 2014.Retrieved16 January2021.
- ^Fort, Matthew (29 April 2011)."Food for Fort: The quest for the perfect chip".The Guardian.Retrieved17 June2014.
- ^abcMoran, Matt (20 November 2011)."Matt Moran makes Heston Blumenthal's triple-cooked chips".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved17 June2014.
- ^abcStewart, Victoria (29 May 2013)."Hot chips: the 50 best chips in London".London Evening Standard.Retrieved17 June2014.
- ^abcdBlumenthal,Heston Blumenthal at Home
- ^Jeffrey Steingarten, The Man Who Ate Everything (New York: Vintage Books, 1998), 409
- ^"Pommes soufflées".Saveur-Bonner Corporation. 2009.Retrieved20 June2009.
Bibliography[edit]
- Blumenthal, Heston (2006).In Search of Perfection.Bloomsbury Publishing.ISBN0747584095
- Blumenthal, Heston (2008).The Big Fat Duck Cookbook.Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.ISBN0747583692
- Blumenthal, Heston (2011).Heston Blumenthal at Home.Bloomsbury.ISBN1408804409
Further reading[edit]
- Sanghvi, Vir (17 June 2011)."French fries: Holy Grail of cooking".Hindustan Times.Archived fromthe originalon 21 June 2011.Retrieved17 June2014.
- "Triple Cooked Chips Recipe".Channel 4.Retrieved17 June2014.
External links[edit]
