THE PERFECT CHIP

 I've done us all a service by boiling (or frying) the Ashley Palmer-Watts interview down to something that, give or take a 'blast chiller' or two, we can all follow.

• Choose potato: one with 21 - 23% dry matter (Whatever that is)
• Pre-cut into 16mm diameter, square at the ends.
• Place in mixture of 5% salt to cold water – that's 15g of salt for three litres of water.
• Slowly to boil and simmer. The salt is to make the outsides crunchy, but the real trick is to keep boiling the potatoes for about three minutes longer than seems necessary.
• Ensure potato is visibly breaking up on the outside, so that when you come to fry it, the fat can work its way into the heart of the chip.
• Remove chips from water and place in blast chiller to remove excess moisture. Those without a 'blast chiller' (whatever that is), bung in fridge for half an hour to an hour depending on moisture content of potato, temperature of fridge and how full it is.
• First fry – in a blend of 30% beef fat to 70% vegetable oil at temperature of 130C for between four to 15 minutes depending on the potato. This is to create a 'membrane' round the outside of the chip.
• Remove chips from fryer and put back in blast chiller to remove further moisture.
• Final fry: turn up heat to between 180 and 190C until chips have slightly glassy sheen on the outside.
• Dollop on the Heinz.