What a bittersweet conclusion to the video, to have obtained the ideal potatoe chip only to run out of the principle ingredient. If only potatoes had some sort of self duplicating property, some mechanism by which one would be able to obtain more of the genetically identical potatoe. Some arcane or agricultural ritual that could give rise to an indefinate amount of said potatoe merely by investing time and minimal energy.
That was my thought as soon as they offered him actual potatoes of the right variety. (Assuming you can't buy them online, which you can.) Spending a few minutes looking around on the Web I see that Lay's uses a different brand called the FC5, which you can also buy. I suspect the Lady Claire is going to be harder to find in the USA than the FC5 variety.
@CarlosBunn I thought the same, but that won't alter the sugar content nor compound responsible for bitterness (according to the intro). Maybe other steps?
I know a local farmer that grew a variety called Saturna wich is used as the main potato by a local potato chip factory. So what I did was after they harvested the potatos from the field I took a little stroll and picked up a bunch of the ones the macines had missed or that had been dropped or that was simply to small, I stored them in our cellar over the winter and next year I grew myself a pretty good harvest of chip making potatoes. I kept the strand for a couple of years before I decided I prefered some other varieties.
Lady Claire is of the crisping variety. In Europe, the seeds can be purchased from Mejir potato. There are several other varieties with similar characteristics. E.G. Agria, Almera, Colleen, Courage, Fianna, Horizon, Lady Claire, Lady Jo, Lady Rosetta, Markies, and Mayan Gold. In the US, Yukon Gold and Russet are in the crisping variety.
I'm munching on Vegetable crisps The long slices of Parsnip are quite sweet. The beetroot crisp is top tier too We even have a limited edition Spiced maple flavoured Parsnip chip in the UK
@@alphafox4074 I mean most countries have chips, so you should be able to find a crisping variety pretty much anywhere... The seeds definitely ship worldwide but that seems a lot of effort... Growing your own spuds for chips? 😂
Great series with fantastic insights. Buuuut: Where is Alex who fights for an alternative that could be done with what is available? Finding potatoes with less starch, trying to wash them more often and drying/pre-cooking the in the oven, before frying them?
I'll always love Alex and what he produces, but the Driven Mad-Scientist Alex like in the Ramen Series or the Meatball series is the Alex that captured my heart.
Now I would expect at least one more episode for this mini-series, where Alex opens his laptop, gets to read more about this Lady Claire potato variety, and then hunt around markets in Paris for other types of potatoes that have similar characteristics to Lady Claire, but are available to the general populace.
@@sonodiventataunalbero5576 It really makes me wonder what kind of potatoes Andong used tho. My results at home have always been similar to Alex in his first video and I simply tried to use potatoes described as "mealy" or "starchy" but my results were bad
I think you need to continue this series. This version is only possible with that specific potato variety. My grandma made chips at home by drying the chips first. Like actual drying, putting it out in the sun and naturally dehydrating them. Then she would package them and give to family members. You’d then fry them, add salt, red chilli pepper, cumin, cilantro, and mix. It was perfectly crispy! I think that might be a much more reasonable method to try that is more attainable as compared to a specific potato variety. :)
The first video - then I followed through - was recommended to me after I posted my chips on a FB group. The ones I made at home were absolutely perfect and I made them in a microwave oven following chef John's directions. It did cost me a new capacitor for the oven, but until the device worked, I produced the best chips I've ever had!
Not sure if this is a sarcastic comment. Honestly Alex has changed the way we think of food. He has managed to break down the key principles behind the most iconic dishes of even widely accessible items like chips/crisps. It’s so easy to sit behind a keyboard and type a harsh/hateful comment. Sit back, admire the effort and knowledge you gain by watching this videos and ask meaningful questions. As far as “Fahrenheit” if you check the video closely there are few times that is was displayed.
this series on chips feels kinda contentless BS just for sponsors. I’m not a genius but I know there is no chance you can get industrial level chips by cutting potato by hand and throwing all the potato slices together at a random temperature sticking a piece of wood in the oil. It’s very basic technique
You can buy Lady Claire potatoes. They are sold commercially and you can grow your own. There are other varieties that work too, like Lady Rosetta, Saturna, Hermes, Verdi, Agria, Premiere, Endeavour, Ranger Russet, Atlantic, etc. If you like sweet potato chips (crisps), you might try Black Vine variety sweet potatoes.
@05:34 This reminds me of the guys who drove around Boulder, Colorado, collecting the disposed cooking oil from the restaurants. The cooking oil was to be distilled into the vegetable-based diesel fuel. Many restaurants gladly gave it away as they did not have to pay the disposal fee. The guys admitted that the cooking oil from the Chinese and Thai restaurants tended to be so rancid and had so much food particles and stench that they couldn't use it for distilling. They knew which restaurant to avoid based on how the cooking oil looked and smelt.
Honestly, it’s not an awesome flavour for the well-heeled crisp lover. You want ultimate crisps? Track down a bag of Lays Spicy Crayfish crisps then come back and tell me how your world has suddenly found new meaning.
@@stitchingrealms i also suspect he was told explicitly not to do that since they were a gift to him and most likely proprietary so it would be illegal to grow your own. but maybe not!
Since I got a house and space to garden, I've learned SO MUCH about varieties of each plant and its wild. There's hundreds of varieties of each fruit and veg and they have qualities that suit so many applications and unique flavors. Such a fun rabbit hole.
Alex I mentioned this in the previous video but you may have already recorded this new video. The secret wasn’t shown on camera but was mentioned by the factory people. After harvesting the potatoes are stored. Sometimes for weeks and months to let the potatoes dry out. McDonald’s store their potatoes out in the desert in low humidity before processing their potatoes for French fries. Now the variety may help as well but you could experiment storing your potatoes as well. Or to speed up the process after slicing and washing the undried potatoes you place them in a food dehydrator. They would make an interesting video to make chips at home and why it will be easier to just buy them from the supermarket.
My guess would be that the increments between degrees Fahrenheit are smaller than degrees Celsius, meaning that most kitchen thermometers are more accurate when using Fahrenheit. Other than that, I couldn’t tell you what the difference would be.
@@AcaTeachanging between Fahrenheit and Celcius will only change the perceived resolution. It makes absolutely no difference in the measuring accuracy. The absolute accuracy isn't that great of these kinds of thermometers. Basically: resolution ≠ accuracy.
I wonder if you can improve a regular variety with some processing up front, say vacuum or partial vacuum desiccation, something that would be too much for a factory but possible on a small scale. That is select the nearest variety with similar properties and dry them, and fry twice (or some such) similar to the triple cooked Chip (fry)
Grow the last potato (if you haven’t already eaten it 😂)!! 🙌 Then you’ll have a never ending supply of potato chip potatoes 🥔 Love your videos and dedication as always!! 😁
In Germany the only way to get Lady Claire potatoes is industrial orders of a 100 kilo minimum order size. So theoretically possible if you group buy with others.
i had no idea potatoes had simple sugars i always thought it was the starch that converted to sugars under pressure when you fry them. because you can place a mason jar filled with potato starch and pressure cook it in a water filled pressure cooker to make syrup. you can also grind up potatoes and let the natural enzymes in the potato turn the starch into sugars under the right temperature overnight. i know you can turn rice into sugar syrup with barley in a couple of hours at the right temperature this one is mind blowing because people figured this out and have been doing it for thousands of years.
As an idea, from a homecook perspective: If the starchcontent of regular potatoes is too high, wash them, like you would with rice. If they are too moist.. maybe stick them in an dehydrator for some time, to get some of the excess moisture out. Could you give that idea a shot?
I'm calling it RIGHT NOWWW, the next epesode of this series is going to of him planting and making chips out of the potato that he showed at the end of the episode. I think, he actually knew what he was doing and was teasing it. Like a forgotten character coming back from the dead to save the main character.
or adding a bit of sauce, like soy or watchyorsister sauce while hot, bit of salt after (pepper and smoky paprika and probably garlic, ginger, onion and something green like thyme/sage/rosemary/parsley/basil)
@@kyokoyumi it was a joke. I can spell it. and it's just woster sauce. The original is good, the replicas not so much. Took me a while to figure out what to use it for. Quite good on toasts, especially crumpets with butter, occasionally on fries and chips.
When watching you go through the steps of making the chips, my mind kept imagining the equivalent processes on each machine back at the factory. Really cool!
I really enjoyed that. It was the potato variety for sure! Apparently Rooster (in supermarkets in the UK) has a high enough dry matter content to try. Why did you only quote temperatures in Fahrenheit instead of Fahrenheit and Celsius? I didn't think F was used much in Europe.
I’ll let you in on a little secret… but Alex you can’t tell anyone. You found the perfect potato for your homemade chips but… The oil you use that the factory uses due to its low cost doesn’t make for the best possible potato chips… Try using lard instead of oil and tell me what you think. Love your work
I have never been to Belgium, but I've heard that the Belgians make the best french fries in the world. And I've heard that they fry them in horse fat.
But what about dehydrating them before frying them to reduce the moisture content
9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1
You can also achieve a good result with a regular potato, the kind you can buy at any store, by slicing it and then, before frying, blanching it in boiling water for 3 seconds, then drying it and frying it. This cooks the sugars and prevents the potato from burning, leaving it perfect.
in my country there are some guys that move with like a like a bike or something like that they move around and make some really really good chips that are way bigger and also taste better than the store bought ones they are so large andalso so crispy and very pale they cut it and make it all in front of you
@@jonanderson5137 same thing the other way around, for that matter. Problem is that if he shown a 160° thermometer, chances are bg that the Americans wouldn't see or even understand the °C 😀
-32 cause the Fahrenheit starts lower, then x5/9. interestingly 320 is double. 5/9 is almost 5/10 which is ½. so I guess you can calculate quickly a rough estimate. adding 10% before then halving. or halving then adding, pretty close. so like 320-30=290, half is 145 then 10% is 14, 159 was my guess.
What a great mini series on a food we take so much for granted. You should conclude this with your very own seasoning :) . Maybe see how easy cornflakes are next. Thank you for the great content :)
Alex, I always enjoy your videos and at the same time I wonder why anyone would go to such lengths to make Potato chips or dry pasta when you can buy them for much less then it would cost to fly to a chip factory. You are a mad scientist!
Alex: I'm presenting food hacks to make the impossible EASY for everyone also Alex: you can't make them because you don't have the speshul potatoes lol
If you have access to a garden plot, you could grow aome Lady Claire potatoes of your own. The seeds for that variety as well as some others that fall into the "crisping" category are available for sale. Perhaps you should look up the various crisping varieties and see if some are available locally. If so, a potato-chip cook-off of the available choices would be a great follow-up video.
Hey Alex I think I might have a solution for what you want while using regular potatoes. Why not lacto ferment the potato chips? Lacto fermentation removes the sugar content from the potato but ads a vinegar flavor to it. Then find a way to neutralize the bitter flavor or bitter compounds, using something else.
This is actually an example of a situation where Fahrenheit is superior to Celsius. The difference between 1° c is more than the difference between one degree Fahrenheit so it's essentially a higher resolution measurement. So if you're trying to maintain a staple temperature then Fahrenheit would be a better measurement to use.
That reminds me about my air conditioner remote, which it has Fahrenheit/Celsius switch and under Fahrenheit mode it has almost down to 0.5 degree C stepping on the signal, compared to Celsius which only has 1 degree C stepping.
Every time you talk about frying the potatoes, I think about how every bag of potato chips I see at the supermarket enthusiastically advertises itself as "baked, not fried!"
There must be a closest one that is not perfect, but maybe just good enough? and available for regular folks? This cannot end here! You've got me all excited for home made chips now 😄
I know I’ve told you about ‘Wise’ potato chips. They make several flavors but mt favorite ones are the garlic-onion flavor, to die for. These chips are made in Pennsylvania.
I feel like this series needs to continue until you can figure out a way to duplicate these results with a potato that anyone can buy at the grocery store. There must be some way to remove starch and sugar from regular potatoes.
There is. You just need to ferment the slices of potato. A simple ferment with some unwashed cabbage leaves or something to kick it off for a day or two will reduce the sugar content and keep the crisps from burning. I've done it many times. I thought that's where Alex was going with this.
Totally fascinating! I have tried making crisps but they were a disaster. Your latest video has persuaded me and I will try again. Getting the right potato will be an issue Walker's Crisps informed me that 'Our British-grown potatoes are carefully chosen for their texture, how well they store, and whether they can be grown in large numbers. Our main varieties are Lady Rosetta, Hermes, Saturna, Brooke and Arsenal. Don't look for these in the shops though, they're only used for crisps! Disappointing yes? Ocado sell Speciality potatoes so maybe begin there after Maris Piper. From your video, I will cut slices 3mm on Mandoline, and fry in small batches for 3 mins at 320F.
Several years ago, I worked with a farming operation in Northern California that grew this type of potato. They simply referred to them as chippers so I'm not certain exactly what variety they were. I did know they were specifically for industrial potato chip factories. I think what's just as odd as how well these potatoes work for making chips this way, is how strange they taste when trying to use them otherwise, like baked potato or mashed, etc. as you would for dinner. Another thing I learned is how surprisingly superior fresh dug-from-ground normal baking potatoes taste when compared to what's commonly available in US grocery stores. What comes to you at a grocery has usually been in specially controlled storage for many months.
5:20 - the heating & cooling degrading the oil; this is a really interesting takeaway! This sounds like another great case for frying in smaller batches and lower volumes in oil - I wonder what the degradation curve is like by how wide the temp sway range is, whether having a huge thermal mass of oil to fry small amounts of food actually becomes more economical, and if this holds true for product releasing particulates into the oil too.
Having not sprouted the potatoes seems like an oversight of great proportions. Growing a few for the future would have been my move. Great series, as always!
I've been through this process myself too. It might be worth looking at treatments to allow the use of retail potatoes. For example, washing several times, then soaking in salted water (which will actually remove some of the water trapped inside the potato cells by osmosis).
Glad I wasn't the only one that had issues with getting some actual crunch out of my last batch of kettle chips and sweet potato chips when I tried making a batch... The latter were especially challenging due to the moisture content - I should probably have soaked them in salt water to dry them out a bit... also wasn't aware just how big a role the spud plays in the end result... impressive!
Question. Why did you not just fried the potato slices at a lower temperature for longer so they can develop a ever so slightly light brown edge, then letting them drain on paper towels, before placing them into a dehydrater?
would love to see you continue seeing if there is a way you can get close to these results with different potatoes etc. AND i think now there is also the question that needs to be answered, (even though i much prefer the classic ones) what about the oven bakes chips?
This might be the most interesting "deep dive" you've ever done. I always assumed making chips was straightforward (even tho I never tried on my own). Now that I know how much work goes into the process, I have a new appreciation for the whole industry.
Never went down the potato crisp rabbit hole, but did dive into the french fry one. In the end it is more practical and cheaper in money and time to buy commerical. But if you have the time and drive i would suggest hitting your local produce wholesaler or produce market and see if you can get the variety that your recipe requires. Make sure to make a list of suitable varieties incase the seller done not sell the specific variety you want, they should be able to advise you if they are any good.
I loved the video as always alex! I love your dedication to perfection, which i feel i also share with you when it come to food. amazing job. And if you're a smart man, and i'm sure you are. plant a few, and you got unlimited homemade potato chips!
Great series! Well done! Its inspired an idea.. Say you used a regular potatoe from the supermarket but dehydrated it in the oven before frying? Might help the texture from turning chewy and reduce the time it takes to become crispy therefore reduce the caramelization?
Nous on fait des chips aussi à la maison. D'abord on les passe au desydrateur pendant 1h après mes avoir tranchés/lavés. Ensuite on les fait frire, soit à la friteuse soit de plus en plus au air fryer. Mais la déshydratation c'est la clé pour faire des chips à la maison :)
such a lovely watch! This would be more satisfactory if you could find the right variety in the supermarket - I can't be satisfied with the idea that the average person won't be able to make the same of crisps at home, if they wished. the technicalities only became a notion for competition to measure perfection so there's definitely some variety. I'm a kettle chip girl (the UK has great kettle chip varieties tbh) but even then, for the same reason you mention that's why I can't be satisfied - there's a way for everyone to be happy.
I mean, you could use the drying contraption you built for the pasta videos with regular potato, other than that, we'll be waiting for your potato planting and harvesting series!
What a bittersweet conclusion to the video, to have obtained the ideal potatoe chip only to run out of the principle ingredient. If only potatoes had some sort of self duplicating property, some mechanism by which one would be able to obtain more of the genetically identical potatoe. Some arcane or agricultural ritual that could give rise to an indefinate amount of said potatoe merely by investing time and minimal energy.
That was my thought as soon as they offered him actual potatoes of the right variety. (Assuming you can't buy them online, which you can.) Spending a few minutes looking around on the Web I see that Lay's uses a different brand called the FC5, which you can also buy. I suspect the Lady Claire is going to be harder to find in the USA than the FC5 variety.
We did not plant one in the garden. I repeat. We did not plant one in the garden...
@@FrenchGuyCooking FrenchGuyGrowing
@@FrenchGuyCooking Ahhh! So you had three extra.
Of course 😉😉
Would love an additional mini episode to see if you can find an equivalent/close to potato that gets similar results from the market.
I suspect drying them first is key
10 min is pretty mini already
Possible to buy similar potatoes wholesale.
I wonder if taking something like a russet potato and drying them for 5 or 10 minutes in the oven on a very low heat would dry them out enough
@CarlosBunn I thought the same, but that won't alter the sugar content nor compound responsible for bitterness (according to the intro). Maybe other steps?
It was the potato! It reminds me of the problem you had with Robuchon's three michelin star mashed potatoes!
so, what did you end up using ? it's supposed to be made with rate du touquet i think, right ?
I know a local farmer that grew a variety called Saturna wich is used as the main potato by a local potato chip factory. So what I did was after they harvested the potatos from the field I took a little stroll and picked up a bunch of the ones the macines had missed or that had been dropped or that was simply to small, I stored them in our cellar over the winter and next year I grew myself a pretty good harvest of chip making potatoes. I kept the strand for a couple of years before I decided I prefered some other varieties.
Lady Claire is of the crisping variety. In Europe, the seeds can be purchased from Mejir potato. There are several other varieties with similar characteristics. E.G. Agria, Almera, Colleen, Courage, Fianna, Horizon, Lady Claire, Lady Jo, Lady Rosetta, Markies, and Mayan Gold.
In the US, Yukon Gold and Russet are in the crisping variety.
interesting, you can buy both yukon gold and russet at the grocery store.
@@kjohn5224 that's why I listed them... There are many more which I've never seen on the shelves...
I'm munching on Vegetable crisps
The long slices of Parsnip are quite sweet.
The beetroot crisp is top tier too
We even have a limited edition Spiced maple flavoured Parsnip chip in the UK
Thanks alot, I have been trying to find more varieties. I hope they can ship worldwide.
@@alphafox4074 I mean most countries have chips, so you should be able to find a crisping variety pretty much anywhere... The seeds definitely ship worldwide but that seems a lot of effort... Growing your own spuds for chips? 😂
Great series with fantastic insights. Buuuut: Where is Alex who fights for an alternative that could be done with what is available? Finding potatoes with less starch, trying to wash them more often and drying/pre-cooking the in the oven, before frying them?
I'll always love Alex and what he produces, but the Driven Mad-Scientist Alex like in the Ramen Series or the Meatball series is the Alex that captured my heart.
@@chiyo721I can’t wait for more ramen series
The key to a potato chip is a proprietary potato breed. Got it. 😂
pretty much
Nordak potatoes
It’s not secret or hard to source
Yeah
same with fries tbh
Fahrenheit!?!?? Common, what happened to Celsius, didn't the French come up with that!!!!
Anders Celsius from Uppsala Sweden!
I was wondering the same
Not sure if the dot has decimals but Fahrenheit adds precision.
Also got triggered. >_>
@@jonaslundholm right, my bad. As a swede maybe I should know that 🤔😂
Now I would expect at least one more episode for this mini-series, where Alex opens his laptop, gets to read more about this Lady Claire potato variety, and then hunt around markets in Paris for other types of potatoes that have similar characteristics to Lady Claire, but are available to the general populace.
Andong at "My name is Andong" made thin potato chips with store bought potatoes in a video 3 yrs ago
@@sonodiventataunalbero5576 I swear man, people always sleep on that guy
@@CockatooDude yeah right? I love his channel
I was about to comment a similar thing. It's not like Alex to just give up so easily. Allez, mec!
@@sonodiventataunalbero5576 It really makes me wonder what kind of potatoes Andong used tho. My results at home have always been similar to Alex in his first video and I simply tried to use potatoes described as "mealy" or "starchy" but my results were bad
the way you say "crunchy" and "crispy" gives it extra meaning. :)
I think you need to continue this series. This version is only possible with that specific potato variety.
My grandma made chips at home by drying the chips first. Like actual drying, putting it out in the sun and naturally dehydrating them. Then she would package them and give to family members. You’d then fry them, add salt, red chilli pepper, cumin, cilantro, and mix. It was perfectly crispy! I think that might be a much more reasonable method to try that is more attainable as compared to a specific potato variety. :)
The first video - then I followed through - was recommended to me after I posted my chips on a FB group. The ones I made at home were absolutely perfect and I made them in a microwave oven following chef John's directions. It did cost me a new capacitor for the oven, but until the device worked, I produced the best chips I've ever had!
Fahrenheit?? What???? Alex, you are dissapointing me.
If he starts using inches, I unsubscribe 😂
Why so much hate for Fahrenheit? Can’t we just agree that -40° is -40°?
Not sure if this is a sarcastic comment.
Honestly Alex has changed the way we think of food. He has managed to break down the key principles behind the most iconic dishes of even widely accessible items like chips/crisps.
It’s so easy to sit behind a keyboard and type a harsh/hateful comment.
Sit back, admire the effort and knowledge you gain by watching this videos and ask meaningful questions.
As far as “Fahrenheit” if you check the video closely there are few times that is was displayed.
this series on chips feels kinda contentless BS just for sponsors. I’m not a genius but I know there is no chance you can get industrial level chips by cutting potato by hand and throwing all the potato slices together at a random temperature sticking a piece of wood in the oil. It’s very basic technique
@@fabriziob969 100% agree.
You can buy Lady Claire potatoes. They are sold commercially and you can grow your own. There are other varieties that work too, like Lady Rosetta, Saturna, Hermes, Verdi, Agria, Premiere, Endeavour, Ranger Russet, Atlantic, etc. If you like sweet potato chips (crisps), you might try Black Vine variety sweet potatoes.
I am feeling like this was a good intro into the potato series. Peruvian people will expand your concept of a 🥔
Behold, the first time anyone ever had a full bowl of whole chips. No crumbs in the bottom. It is truly magnificent
Why use temperatures in ºF ? Surely ºC is what you would use in France and the rest of Europe ?
Probably bought an american thermometer haha. Not sure why you would do that though
@@vandermannmusic Public oriented prod
because of the viewers?
@@CrystalStearOfTheCas Ah, yeah. Make sense :)
well if you have a recipe you're gonna follow it, if I see get 1kg of something i'm getting 1kg of something not converting that to pounds
@05:34 This reminds me of the guys who drove around Boulder, Colorado, collecting the disposed cooking oil from the restaurants. The cooking oil was to be distilled into the vegetable-based diesel fuel. Many restaurants gladly gave it away as they did not have to pay the disposal fee. The guys admitted that the cooking oil from the Chinese and Thai restaurants tended to be so rancid and had so much food particles and stench that they couldn't use it for distilling. They knew which restaurant to avoid based on how the cooking oil looked and smelt.
DO NOT introduce prawn cocktale flavouring to this guy or we're going to get a 23 episode series 😳😳😳
Honestly, it’s not an awesome flavour for the well-heeled crisp lover.
You want ultimate crisps? Track down a bag of Lays Spicy Crayfish crisps then come back and tell me how your world has suddenly found new meaning.
you say that like it's a bad thing :)
@@ZisoRegondo where can i get this
Nah prawn cocktail 100% better
Cheese & Onion, or Bacon for the ultimate flavour. Praw Cocktail flavour is made from Beezlebub's scrotal excretions.
I found myself smiling the moment you put that potato in your mouth and everything looked perfect. You’re videos are magic!
If there's only one left, you are obligated to plant that one perfect chips/crisps spud in your garden.
I have a sneaky suspicion that was his intention all along...
@@stitchingrealms i also suspect he was told explicitly not to do that since they were a gift to him and most likely proprietary so it would be illegal to grow your own. but maybe not!
@@lockeisback That's also a thought that crossed my mind.
Since I got a house and space to garden, I've learned SO MUCH about varieties of each plant and its wild. There's hundreds of varieties of each fruit and veg and they have qualities that suit so many applications and unique flavors. Such a fun rabbit hole.
Waiting for you to start growing your own for a series next year.
Alex I mentioned this in the previous video but you may have already recorded this new video. The secret wasn’t shown on camera but was mentioned by the factory people. After harvesting the potatoes are stored. Sometimes for weeks and months to let the potatoes dry out. McDonald’s store their potatoes out in the desert in low humidity before processing their potatoes for French fries. Now the variety may help as well but you could experiment storing your potatoes as well. Or to speed up the process after slicing and washing the undried potatoes you place them in a food dehydrator. They would make an interesting video to make chips at home and why it will be easier to just buy them from the supermarket.
Alex, why do you use Fahrenheit for the temperature of the oil?
My guess would be that the increments between degrees Fahrenheit are smaller than degrees Celsius, meaning that most kitchen thermometers are more accurate when using Fahrenheit. Other than that, I couldn’t tell you what the difference would be.
@@AcaTeachanging between Fahrenheit and Celcius will only change the perceived resolution. It makes absolutely no difference in the measuring accuracy. The absolute accuracy isn't that great of these kinds of thermometers. Basically: resolution ≠ accuracy.
You've could tried frying them in a superior frying oil, like tallow, suet, bacon grease or even duckfat.
Nice video, like everything you do!
I wonder if you can improve a regular variety with some processing up front, say vacuum or partial vacuum desiccation, something that would be too much for a factory but possible on a small scale. That is select the nearest variety with similar properties and dry them, and fry twice (or some such) similar to the triple cooked Chip (fry)
Ya kw kw
I imagine the trouble after the drying is the sugar content of regular potatoes he would have to find a variety with low sugar content at least
@@ThexAristotle I wonder if you can lower the sugar with soaking and washing the slices with Water.
Reminds me of the episode on Purée ! You couldn’t get it until you understood that the variety of potato was the key to the equation. Great job !
Now you know which potato to plant in your garden 🥔😏
@ThePursuitWOD but in a comment he said that he didn't plant one 😭
What was name if this variety again?
@@ValNaUnd sarcasm perhaps? :)
@@vke6077 maybe, maybe not ig we wont know
Grow the last potato (if you haven’t already eaten it 😂)!! 🙌 Then you’ll have a never ending supply of potato chip potatoes 🥔
Love your videos and dedication as always!!
😁
gonna be honest, i was not expecting dj khaled
This was the collab we needed
Ohh man what an unpleasant surprise, I can’t think of a more insufferable person, but I haven’t watch the video so we'll see
@@iiMvD WE DA BEST POTATO CHIPS.... DJ ALEX
In Germany the only way to get Lady Claire potatoes is industrial orders of a 100 kilo minimum order size. So theoretically possible if you group buy with others.
Beyond question one of the best channels on TH-cam. Alex, you are killing it, my man.
i had no idea potatoes had simple sugars i always thought it was the starch that converted to sugars under pressure when you fry them. because you can place a mason jar filled with potato starch and pressure cook it in a water filled pressure cooker to make syrup. you can also grind up potatoes and let the natural enzymes in the potato turn the starch into sugars under the right temperature overnight. i know you can turn rice into sugar syrup with barley in a couple of hours at the right temperature this one is mind blowing because people figured this out and have been doing it for thousands of years.
I would love a series on sfogliatelle
I was asleep while I was watching the video and I woke up to the crunch at the end lol. That is a success indeed Alex, keep up the good work!
As an idea, from a homecook perspective:
If the starchcontent of regular potatoes is too high, wash them, like you would with rice.
If they are too moist.. maybe stick them in an dehydrator for some time, to get some of the excess moisture out.
Could you give that idea a shot?
Came to say the same. He could even try using his pasta dryer
the high sugar content would still be a problem, together with that substance that turns them to bitter
Store the potatoes at 60-70F to get more starch less sugar. That will help the browning.
How can you remove sugar? Fermentation! 😊
I'm calling it RIGHT NOWWW, the next epesode of this series is going to of him planting and making chips out of the potato that he showed at the end of the episode. I think, he actually knew what he was doing and was teasing it. Like a forgotten character coming back from the dead to save the main character.
It’s nice if you can powder your salt in your spice grinder. It sticks better.
or adding a bit of sauce, like soy or watchyorsister sauce while hot, bit of salt after (pepper and smoky paprika and probably garlic, ginger, onion and something green like thyme/sage/rosemary/parsley/basil)
I use the finely ground salt for popcorn. In my supermarket, they also have different flavors of popcorn salt. They would work for potato chips also.
@@laszlobandi6456 Lmao watchyoursister sauce. Said "wooster-sher" spelt Worcestershire. I believe in you, friend :)
@@kyokoyumi it was a joke. I can spell it. and it's just woster sauce. The original is good, the replicas not so much. Took me a while to figure out what to use it for. Quite good on toasts, especially crumpets with butter, occasionally on fries and chips.
When watching you go through the steps of making the chips, my mind kept imagining the equivalent processes on each machine back at the factory. Really cool!
I really enjoyed that. It was the potato variety for sure! Apparently Rooster (in supermarkets in the UK) has a high enough dry matter content to try.
Why did you only quote temperatures in Fahrenheit instead of Fahrenheit and Celsius? I didn't think F was used much in Europe.
Your enthusiasm for flavors and textures is contagious!
Greets from Germany!
I’ll let you in on a little secret… but Alex you can’t tell anyone.
You found the perfect potato for your homemade chips but…
The oil you use that the factory uses due to its low cost doesn’t make for the best possible potato chips…
Try using lard instead of oil and tell me what you think.
Love your work
I have never been to Belgium, but I've heard that the Belgians make the best french fries in the world. And I've heard that they fry them in horse fat.
Beef fat drippings for the win
The clothes pin thermometer rig is why I love your videos. Please never stop being you
But what about dehydrating them before frying them to reduce the moisture content
You can also achieve a good result with a regular potato, the kind you can buy at any store, by slicing it and then, before frying, blanching it in boiling water for 3 seconds, then drying it and frying it. This cooks the sugars and prevents the potato from burning, leaving it perfect.
Came to post the same thing, boil first, let dry, then fry gently... always works for me
The next one is on Ketchup? Really? I'm in!
You are clearly well read on Tolkein to get the quote right in the first video of this series.
One left is ideal. You can now grow them for yourself.
Alex, would be interested to see you dive in into the science of different varieties of potatoes and what is the best potato for different dishes!
in my country there are some guys that move with like a like a bike or something like that they move around and make some really really good chips that are way bigger and also taste better than the store bought ones they are so large andalso so crispy and very pale they cut it and make it all in front of you
Simply unveiling the secrets of the industry. Excellent video. I’ve watched the entire series.
320 Fahrenheit ? What happened to understandable units ? 160°C for everyone else confused.
There's just more Americans watching, pal.
Unit conversion won't hurt you😂
@@jonanderson5137 same thing the other way around, for that matter. Problem is that if he shown a 160° thermometer, chances are bg that the Americans wouldn't see or even understand the °C 😀
@@jonanderson5137 The only ones who should convert units are the ones not using the same ones as the rest of the world.
-32 cause the Fahrenheit starts lower, then x5/9. interestingly 320 is double. 5/9 is almost 5/10 which is ½. so I guess you can calculate quickly a rough estimate. adding 10% before then halving. or halving then adding, pretty close. so like 320-30=290, half is 145 then 10% is 14, 159 was my guess.
What a great mini series on a food we take so much for granted. You should conclude this with your very own seasoning :) . Maybe see how easy cornflakes are next. Thank you for the great content :)
Why on earth do you use Faranheit instead of Clesius. U from Europe man, be proud ❤️.
It's to be kind to the Americans. Europeans are smart enough to convert back to Celsius but the Americans would be completely helpless otherwise.
Alex, I always enjoy your videos and at the same time I wonder why anyone would go to such lengths to make Potato chips or dry pasta when you can buy them for much less then it would cost to fly to a chip factory. You are a mad scientist!
Alex: I'm presenting food hacks to make the impossible EASY for everyone
also Alex: you can't make them because you don't have the speshul potatoes
lol
If you have access to a garden plot, you could grow aome Lady Claire potatoes of your own. The seeds for that variety as well as some others that fall into the "crisping" category are available for sale. Perhaps you should look up the various crisping varieties and see if some are available locally. If so, a potato-chip cook-off of the available choices would be a great follow-up video.
Need to freeze it and double fry it. It’s a game changer Alex.
the smile as you're tossing them while sitting down, i love it
Just a random idea but maybe you could try partially dehydrating regular potatoes before frying.
Would the heat of a dehydrator make the bitter problem worse? Kick-starting the Maillard reaction on the sugars?
Maillard reaction starts way above the temperature used for dehydration
Hey Alex I think I might have a solution for what you want while using regular potatoes.
Why not lacto ferment the potato chips? Lacto fermentation removes the sugar content from the potato but ads a vinegar flavor to it. Then find a way to neutralize the bitter flavor or bitter compounds, using something else.
Who gave France our Fahrenheit technology?!
That would be the Germans - specifically Daniel Fahrenheit, notable physicist.
This is actually an example of a situation where Fahrenheit is superior to Celsius. The difference between 1° c is more than the difference between one degree Fahrenheit so it's essentially a higher resolution measurement. So if you're trying to maintain a staple temperature then Fahrenheit would be a better measurement to use.
@@chadMbroYou could use more digits with Celsius just fine, plenty of thermometers allow .1C.
That reminds me about my air conditioner remote, which it has Fahrenheit/Celsius switch and under Fahrenheit mode it has almost down to 0.5 degree C stepping on the signal, compared to Celsius which only has 1 degree C stepping.
@@meneldal yeah for sure. Just depends on the thermometer you're using. Some don't have that
Every time you talk about frying the potatoes, I think about how every bag of potato chips I see at the supermarket enthusiastically advertises itself as "baked, not fried!"
What mandoline is that?`I need one.
yeah the specific model of him is also interesting for me
It’s a Bron Coucke. They aren’t cheap, but we’ve had one for years and they’re the best.
From what I can find it looks like it's one made by the brand "Bron Coucke", I'm not sure about the specific model name.
There must be a closest one that is not perfect, but maybe just good enough? and available for regular folks? This cannot end here! You've got me all excited for home made chips now 😄
These special potatoes sound healthier than normal ones😮
The timer you use in your video is nice... is that available somewhere like Amazon? if so can you provide a link to the one you are using?
CELCIUS PLEASE! The 19th century is over!
But Lay's were made in 'merica 😂
I know I’ve told you about ‘Wise’ potato chips. They make several flavors but mt favorite ones are the garlic-onion flavor, to die for. These chips are made in Pennsylvania.
Poor Lady Claire, she must have looked like a potato
I would love one more episode on trying to make these with another variety of potatoes with your new-found knowledge.
Nah another video using beetroot
Thank me later
I feel like this series needs to continue until you can figure out a way to duplicate these results with a potato that anyone can buy at the grocery store. There must be some way to remove starch and sugar from regular potatoes.
There is. You just need to ferment the slices of potato. A simple ferment with some unwashed cabbage leaves or something to kick it off for a day or two will reduce the sugar content and keep the crisps from burning. I've done it many times. I thought that's where Alex was going with this.
Totally fascinating! I have tried making crisps but they were a disaster. Your latest video has persuaded me and I will try again. Getting the right potato will be an issue Walker's Crisps informed me that 'Our British-grown potatoes are carefully chosen for their texture, how well they store, and whether they can be grown in large numbers. Our main varieties are Lady Rosetta, Hermes, Saturna, Brooke and Arsenal. Don't look for these in the shops though, they're only used for crisps! Disappointing yes? Ocado sell Speciality potatoes so maybe begin there after Maris Piper. From your video, I will cut slices 3mm on Mandoline, and fry in small batches for 3 mins at 320F.
Alex, you need to try Miss Vickie's kettle chips. They are in North America and they are better than regular potato chips
he said he doesnt like kettle chips
They are terrible. Don't waste your time.
deli chips from australia are just better
Several years ago, I worked with a farming operation in Northern California that grew this type of potato. They simply referred to them as chippers so I'm not certain exactly what variety they were. I did know they were specifically for industrial potato chip factories.
I think what's just as odd as how well these potatoes work for making chips this way, is how strange they taste when trying to use them otherwise, like baked potato or mashed, etc. as you would for dinner. Another thing I learned is how surprisingly superior fresh dug-from-ground normal baking potatoes taste when compared to what's commonly available in US grocery stores. What comes to you at a grocery has usually been in specially controlled storage for many months.
Back to the old Alex. Great video refreshing to see. And a sponsor that isn't terrible too!
5:20 - the heating & cooling degrading the oil; this is a really interesting takeaway! This sounds like another great case for frying in smaller batches and lower volumes in oil - I wonder what the degradation curve is like by how wide the temp sway range is, whether having a huge thermal mass of oil to fry small amounts of food actually becomes more economical, and if this holds true for product releasing particulates into the oil too.
I would love a series about how to make the perfect sorbet.
Having not sprouted the potatoes seems like an oversight of great proportions. Growing a few for the future would have been my move. Great series, as always!
Spoke too soon! Sprout that bad boy and you got a monopoly on homemade supermarket chips!
I've been through this process myself too. It might be worth looking at treatments to allow the use of retail potatoes. For example, washing several times, then soaking in salted water (which will actually remove some of the water trapped inside the potato cells by osmosis).
Glad I wasn't the only one that had issues with getting some actual crunch out of my last batch of kettle chips and sweet potato chips when I tried making a batch... The latter were especially challenging due to the moisture content - I should probably have soaked them in salt water to dry them out a bit...
also wasn't aware just how big a role the spud plays in the end result... impressive!
Pleassseeee do another video and track storage over time, best way to store to keep homemade ones crispy
Question.
Why did you not just fried the potato slices at a lower temperature for longer so they can develop a ever so slightly light brown edge, then letting them drain on paper towels, before placing them into a dehydrater?
would love to see you continue seeing if there is a way you can get close to these results with different potatoes etc. AND i think now there is also the question that needs to be answered, (even though i much prefer the classic ones) what about the oven bakes chips?
This might be the most interesting "deep dive" you've ever done. I always assumed making chips was straightforward (even tho I never tried on my own). Now that I know how much work goes into the process, I have a new appreciation for the whole industry.
Never went down the potato crisp rabbit hole, but did dive into the french fry one. In the end it is more practical and cheaper in money and time to buy commerical. But if you have the time and drive i would suggest hitting your local produce wholesaler or produce market and see if you can get the variety that your recipe requires. Make sure to make a list of suitable varieties incase the seller done not sell the specific variety you want, they should be able to advise you if they are any good.
Super smart keeping one potato left. Now he can cut it up and replant it and grow the perfect potato for chips!
Love that you used the Brest sea salt for this. Flawless.
I loved the video as always alex!
I love your dedication to perfection, which i feel i also share with you when it come to food.
amazing job.
And if you're a smart man, and i'm sure you are.
plant a few, and you got unlimited homemade potato chips!
Great series! Well done! Its inspired an idea.. Say you used a regular potatoe from the supermarket but dehydrated it in the oven before frying? Might help the texture from turning chewy and reduce the time it takes to become crispy therefore reduce the caramelization?
You make potato chips look like a gourmet snack. 🤔
Hey Alex, our whole family love watching your videos and my daughters wish to visit your studio next time we come to Paris! 😄
yes alex i am zeinab 7 years old and my sister laila 6 years old and we reaaaaaaaaaaaaly want to visit you in your studio in paris 😊😊
Nous on fait des chips aussi à la maison. D'abord on les passe au desydrateur pendant 1h après mes avoir tranchés/lavés. Ensuite on les fait frire, soit à la friteuse soit de plus en plus au air fryer. Mais la déshydratation c'est la clé pour faire des chips à la maison :)
I was hoping for the DJ Khaled sound bit everytime you started a new batch, and boy did you deliver 😂😂
That made me so happy I can't even explain 😅😂
such a lovely watch! This would be more satisfactory if you could find the right variety in the supermarket - I can't be satisfied with the idea that the average person won't be able to make the same of crisps at home, if they wished. the technicalities only became a notion for competition to measure perfection so there's definitely some variety.
I'm a kettle chip girl (the UK has great kettle chip varieties tbh) but even then, for the same reason you mention that's why I can't be satisfied - there's a way for everyone to be happy.
What kind of vegetable oil did you use?
What would the chips taste like with different oils even lets see beef or meat sourced oils.
Man, when it's potato season, try growing that last spud. Also, you should make a video on seasonings like salt and pepper or cheese and onion
I mean, you could use the drying contraption you built for the pasta videos with regular potato, other than that, we'll be waiting for your potato planting and harvesting series!
i think store bought potato chips are far too accessible for me to try this- but i appreciate that you went ahead to do it anyway!