Tips on How to “Respect the Chip”

The team at Simplot are obsessed with chips and none are more so than Australia’s Head of Culinary David White, who loves to share his obsession at Chip University in Tasmania.

One of the messages he impresses on foodservice operators is to ‘respect the chip’, and a key part of this is correct handling from delivery to fryer.

“If you treat your chips well, you are going to give the best possible product to your customers, and they will come back again and again,” he explains. “You’ll also have less waste and better yield per serve.”

Delivery Tips

As soon as they are delivered, open your carton and examine the chips. Check for ice crystals, excessive breakage, block freezing or partially thawed chips. If there are any issues contact your distributor immediately. Make sure you don’t stack heavy items on the cartons and store them straight away.

Keep ‘em Frozen

Chef David says the most important thing is to keep the chips at -18°C from delivery until you drop them in the oil. If they start to thaw and are re-frozen, they will build up ice crystals, which affects their crispiness. Defrosted chips are prone to breakage and damage.

The exception to this is Edgell Choice Chips, which are designed to be cooked from frozen or chilled, a benefit to operations with limited freezer space.

Use the Right Equipment

Commercial freezers are designed to withstand frequent opening and shutting, while domestic freezers – not so much. “The motor on a domestic chest freezer can’t really deal with frequent temperature change and takes a long time to get back down,” says David.

For best performance, store chips in a single layer on a perforated shelf in a commercial freezer until you need them.

Handle with Care

Simplot has researched the effect poor handling has on its Edgell chips. “You don’t want to throw them around,” David advises. “We’ve done the testing – if I dropped a carton of chips from waist height, 35% would break. And if I dropped it from head height, I can expect to lose 52% of those chips.

“Treating your chips with respect will give you the best yield per carton and the tastiest, crispiest product for your diners,” David adds. “What’s more, you’ll find they contribute more profit than any other food item.”

Edgell has a vast range of chips for every use case scenario, and a bank of innovative, crowd-pleasing recipes to take the hard work out of menu planning. Your distributor can also give great advice on storing and caring for your chips.