OT - Chips
 

I've never owned or..I think..eaten chips made in one
of these new fangled Chip Fryers'.
Leaving aside aspects of health and life expectancy.

Your advice is requested on these.
How does the Chip Fryer fried chip compare to;

a) The chippy chip? Must be better..surely!

b) The chips our mams made in a frying pan in days of yore?

Arthur.

In article ,
Arthur wrote:
Your advice is requested on these.
How does the Chip Fryer fried chip compare to;

a) The chippy chip? Must be better..surely!

b) The chips our mams made in a frying pan in days of yore?

Main benefit is safety - they can't boil over on their own as a pan can
due to having a thermostat. And if you cause them to overflow though
whatever reason, there's no flame or whatever below to ignite that oil.

Otherwise, the results they give are the same if you use the same fat or
oil in a pan.

--
*Re-elect nobody

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 21:43:49 UTC, "Arthur"
wrote:

I've never owned or..I think..eaten chips made in one
of these new fangled Chip Fryers'.
Leaving aside aspects of health and life expectancy.

Your advice is requested on these.
How does the Chip Fryer fried chip compare to;

a) The chippy chip? Must be better..surely!

I find they're very nice - and of course freshly made with just the
right crisp outer and soft inner!

The fryers are thermostatically controlled and therefore safer than the
old fryers.

We have a Kenwood, which comes apart for cleaning. Nearly all the parts
(body, lid, filter, basket and pan) can be put in the dishwasher,
leaving just the power pod (dial and cable, basically) to wipe down.
--
Bob Eager
begin a new life...dump Windows!

"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 21:43:49 UTC, "Arthur"
wrote:

We have a Kenwood, which comes apart for cleaning. Nearly all the parts
(body, lid, filter, basket and pan) can be put in the dishwasher,
leaving just the power pod (dial and cable, basically) to wipe down.
--
Bob Eager

How do you dispose of the oil?

--
M Stewart
Milton Keynes, UK
http://www.megalith.freeserve.co.uk/oddimage.htm

On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 23:13:55 UTC, "Malcolm Stewart"
wrote:

"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 21:43:49 UTC, "Arthur"
wrote:

We have a Kenwood, which comes apart for cleaning. Nearly all the parts
(body, lid, filter, basket and pan) can be put in the dishwasher,
leaving just the power pod (dial and cable, basically) to wipe down.
--
Bob Eager

How do you dispose of the oil?

Dunno...my wife does that. I think she pours it into an old Coke
bottle...

--
Bob Eager
begin a new life...dump Windows!

Malcolm Stewart wrote:
"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 21:43:49 UTC, "Arthur"
wrote:

We have a Kenwood, which comes apart for cleaning. Nearly all the
parts (body, lid, filter, basket and pan) can be put in the
dishwasher, leaving just the power pod (dial and cable, basically)
to wipe down. --
Bob Eager

How do you dispose of the oil?

You can always do an engine conversion on your car. IIRC there is some guy
in the USA who did this and now gets all his fuel free from his local
diners.

Don


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.777 / Virus Database: 524 - Release Date: 15/10/2004

In article , Arthur says...
How does the Chip Fryer fried chip compare to;

a) The chippy chip? Must be better..surely!

Probably.


b) The chips our mams made in a frying pan in days of yore?

Impossible.

--
Hywel

http://sponsorhywel.org.uk/

In article , Don Spumey says...
Malcolm Stewart wrote:
"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 21:43:49 UTC, "Arthur"
wrote:

We have a Kenwood, which comes apart for cleaning. Nearly all the
parts (body, lid, filter, basket and pan) can be put in the
dishwasher, leaving just the power pod (dial and cable, basically)
to wipe down. --
Bob Eager

How do you dispose of the oil?

You can always do an engine conversion on your car. IIRC there is some guy
in the USA who did this and now gets all his fuel free from his local
diners.

There's no conversion to do. Strain the chip fat through a pair of
ladies' tights (come on fellas - we've all got a pair) and add a bit of
diesel to thin it out a bit. It's still subject to tax, though, I think
at the same rate as petrol or diesel.

--
Hywel

http://sponsorhywel.org.uk/

Hywel wrote:
In article , Don Spumey says...
Malcolm Stewart wrote:
"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 21:43:49 UTC, "Arthur"
wrote:

We have a Kenwood, which comes apart for cleaning. Nearly all the
parts (body, lid, filter, basket and pan) can be put in the
dishwasher, leaving just the power pod (dial and cable, basically)
to wipe down. --
Bob Eager

How do you dispose of the oil?

You can always do an engine conversion on your car. IIRC there is
some guy in the USA who did this and now gets all his fuel free from
his local diners.

There's no conversion to do. Strain the chip fat through a pair of
ladies' tights (come on fellas - we've all got a pair) and add a bit
of diesel to thin it out a bit. It's still subject to tax, though, I
think at the same rate as petrol or diesel.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/england/1750734.stm

http://www.dawn.com/2002/10/22/int17.htm

Don.


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.778 / Virus Database: 525 - Release Date: 15/10/2004

"Arthur" wrote in message ...
I've never owned or..I think..eaten chips made in one
of these new fangled Chip Fryers'.
Leaving aside aspects of health and life expectancy.

Your advice is requested on these.
How does the Chip Fryer fried chip compare to;

a) The chippy chip? Must be better..surely!

b) The chips our mams made in a frying pan in days of yore?

Arthur.


On the other side of the coin, repeatedly used veg oil is the source
of damagingly high levels of oxidants. Oxidants cause some of our very
worst health problems.

Yes, crunchy chips is nice, but I'll stick to cooking them in a small
amount of fresh oil myself.

NT

In article , Don Spumey says...
Hywel wrote:
In article , Don Spumey says...
Malcolm Stewart wrote:
"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 21:43:49 UTC, "Arthur"
wrote:

We have a Kenwood, which comes apart for cleaning. Nearly all the
parts (body, lid, filter, basket and pan) can be put in the
dishwasher, leaving just the power pod (dial and cable, basically)
to wipe down. --
Bob Eager

How do you dispose of the oil?

You can always do an engine conversion on your car. IIRC there is
some guy in the USA who did this and now gets all his fuel free from
his local diners.

There's no conversion to do. Strain the chip fat through a pair of
ladies' tights (come on fellas - we've all got a pair) and add a bit
of diesel to thin it out a bit. It's still subject to tax, though, I
think at the same rate as petrol or diesel.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/england/1750734.stm

http://www.dawn.com/2002/10/22/int17.htm

http://www.angelfire.com/ak/egel/diesel.html

Top Gear also ran a Volvo (IIRC), unmodified, on cooking oil.


--
Hywel

http://sponsorhywel.org.uk/

On the other side of the coin, repeatedly used veg oil is the source
of damagingly high levels of oxidants. Oxidants cause some of our very
worst health problems.

Yes, crunchy chips is nice, but I'll stick to cooking them in a small
amount of fresh oil myself.

So do I, but I still get crunchy chips - what's the correlation?

Mary

NT

Hywel wrote:
In article , Don Spumey says...
Hywel wrote:
How do you dispose of the oil?

You can always do an engine conversion on your car. IIRC there is
some guy in the USA who did this and now gets all his fuel free
from his local diners.

There's no conversion to do. Strain the chip fat through a pair of
ladies' tights (come on fellas - we've all got a pair) and add a bit
of diesel to thin it out a bit. It's still subject to tax, though,
I think at the same rate as petrol or diesel.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/england/1750734.stm

http://www.dawn.com/2002/10/22/int17.htm

http://www.angelfire.com/ak/egel/diesel.html

Top Gear also ran a Volvo (IIRC), unmodified, on cooking oil.

Dunno why, but I have this mental image of hundreds of petrol mowers etc.,
spewing forth chip fumes next year ;-)

Don


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.778 / Virus Database: 525 - Release Date: 15/10/2004

In article , "Hywel"
says...
In article , Don Spumey says...
Malcolm Stewart wrote:
"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 21:43:49 UTC, "Arthur"
wrote:

We have a Kenwood, which comes apart for cleaning. Nearly all the
parts (body, lid, filter, basket and pan) can be put in the
dishwasher, leaving just the power pod (dial and cable, basically)
to wipe down. --
Bob Eager

How do you dispose of the oil?

You can always do an engine conversion on your car. IIRC there is some guy
in the USA who did this and now gets all his fuel free from his local
diners.

There's no conversion to do. Strain the chip fat through a pair of
ladies' tights (come on fellas - we've all got a pair) and add a bit of
diesel to thin it out a bit. It's still subject to tax, though, I think
at the same rate as petrol or diesel.


Making bio-diesel is a bit more complicated than filtering chip fat:

http://website.lineone.net/~supersno...onsoilFuel.htm

In message , Arthur
writes
I've never owned or..I think..eaten chips made in one
of these new fangled Chip Fryers'.
Leaving aside aspects of health and life expectancy.

Your advice is requested on these.
How does the Chip Fryer fried chip compare to;

a) The chippy chip? Must be better..surely!

b) The chips our mams made in a frying pan in days of yore?

Doesn't it all boil down to what the chips are fried in ?

Some oils have a lower boiling temperature and so don't crisp off the
chips

A chip fryer is just a means of heating the fat / oil

Get thee some good old chip fat if tha' wants good chips

.... of course it's not that simple, it also depends on the type of
potatoes used

--
geoff

In message , Malcolm Stewart
writes
"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 21:43:49 UTC, "Arthur"
wrote:

We have a Kenwood, which comes apart for cleaning. Nearly all the parts
(body, lid, filter, basket and pan) can be put in the dishwasher,
leaving just the power pod (dial and cable, basically) to wipe down.
--
Bob Eager

How do you dispose of the oil?

Google "bio diesel"
--
geoff

In message , Hywel
writes
In article , Don Spumey says...
Malcolm Stewart wrote:
"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 21:43:49 UTC, "Arthur"
wrote:

We have a Kenwood, which comes apart for cleaning. Nearly all the
parts (body, lid, filter, basket and pan) can be put in the
dishwasher, leaving just the power pod (dial and cable, basically)
to wipe down. --
Bob Eager

How do you dispose of the oil?

You can always do an engine conversion on your car. IIRC there is some guy
in the USA who did this and now gets all his fuel free from his local
diners.

There's no conversion to do. Strain the chip fat through a pair of
ladies' tights (come on fellas - we've all got a pair)

Speak for yourself

and add a bit of
diesel to thin it out a bit. It's still subject to tax, though, I think
at the same rate as petrol or diesel.


--
geoff

In message , Don Spumey
writes
Hywel wrote:
In article , Don Spumey says...
Malcolm Stewart wrote:
"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 21:43:49 UTC, "Arthur"
wrote:

We have a Kenwood, which comes apart for cleaning. Nearly all the
parts (body, lid, filter, basket and pan) can be put in the
dishwasher, leaving just the power pod (dial and cable, basically)
to wipe down. --
Bob Eager

How do you dispose of the oil?

You can always do an engine conversion on your car. IIRC there is
some guy in the USA who did this and now gets all his fuel free from
his local diners.

There's no conversion to do. Strain the chip fat through a pair of
ladies' tights (come on fellas - we've all got a pair) and add a bit
of diesel to thin it out a bit. It's still subject to tax, though, I
think at the same rate as petrol or diesel.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/england/1750734.stm

http://www.dawn.com/2002/10/22/int17.htm

Don.

So, how much methanol do you add ?

--
geoff

"raden" wrote in message
...


There's no conversion to do. Strain the chip fat through a pair of
ladies' tights (come on fellas - we've all got a pair)

Speak for yourself

Yes, I wondered about that too. I don't have a pair and Spouse doesn't need
a pair.

Mary

"raden" wrote in message
...
In message , Arthur
writes
I've never owned or..I think..eaten chips made in one
of these new fangled Chip Fryers'.
Leaving aside aspects of health and life expectancy.

Your advice is requested on these.
How does the Chip Fryer fried chip compare to;

a) The chippy chip? Must be better..surely!

b) The chips our mams made in a frying pan in days of yore?

Doesn't it all boil down to what the chips are fried in ?

Some oils have a lower boiling temperature and so don't crisp off the
chips

A chip fryer is just a means of heating the fat / oil

Get thee some good old chip fat if tha' wants good chips

Beef dripping.

... of course it's not that simple, it also depends on the type of
potatoes used

I don't know of any which won't chip but some are better than others. I've
found that Nicola, which are normally sold for salad, are excellent for
chips but they do need different conditions than, say, Duke of York.

Mary

--
geoff

In article ,
Don Spumey wrote:
Dunno why, but I have this mental image of hundreds of petrol mowers
etc., spewing forth chip fumes next year ;-)

Wouldn't try that. You need a diesel to run on chip oil.

--
*Why are a wise man and a wise guy opposites?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Arthur wrote:

I've never owned or..I think..eaten chips made in one
of these new fangled Chip Fryers'.
Leaving aside aspects of health and life expectancy.

Your advice is requested on these.
How does the Chip Fryer fried chip compare to;

a) The chippy chip? Must be better..surely!

b) The chips our mams made in a frying pan in days of yore?

Arthur.





Mother-in-law had a built-in deep fat fryer, possibly Domino (which I
think is made by Neff?). It's long gone and I never saw her use it.
Not for health reasons, if her current method of roasting spuds is
anything to go by - she uses and re-uses lard for spud roasting!!!


Richard

In message , Mary
Fisher writes

"raden" wrote in message
...


There's no conversion to do. Strain the chip fat through a pair of
ladies' tights (come on fellas - we've all got a pair)

Speak for yourself

Yes, I wondered about that too. I don't have a pair and Spouse doesn't need
a pair.

Have you checked his drawers?

--
geoff

In message , Mary
Fisher writes

"raden" wrote in message
...
In message , Arthur
writes
I've never owned or..I think..eaten chips made in one
of these new fangled Chip Fryers'.
Leaving aside aspects of health and life expectancy.

Your advice is requested on these.
How does the Chip Fryer fried chip compare to;

a) The chippy chip? Must be better..surely!

b) The chips our mams made in a frying pan in days of yore?

Doesn't it all boil down to what the chips are fried in ?

Some oils have a lower boiling temperature and so don't crisp off the
chips

A chip fryer is just a means of heating the fat / oil

Get thee some good old chip fat if tha' wants good chips

Beef dripping.

... of course it's not that simple, it also depends on the type of
potatoes used

I don't know of any which won't chip but some are better than others. I've
found that Nicola, which are normally sold for salad, are excellent for
chips but they do need different conditions than, say, Duke of York.

Well they will all make chips, but some are better than others

horses for courses, as they say

--
geoff

"raden" wrote in message
...
In message , Mary Fisher
writes

"raden" wrote in message
...


There's no conversion to do. Strain the chip fat through a pair of
ladies' tights (come on fellas - we've all got a pair)

Speak for yourself

Yes, I wondered about that too. I don't have a pair and Spouse doesn't
need
a pair.

Have you checked his drawers?

Daily.

And the cupboards - which is where he keeps his clothes. I mean, he's a man,
you wouldn't expect him to put away his own laundered togs would you?

Mary

--
geoff

"raden" wrote in message
...
In message , Mary Fisher
writes

"raden" wrote in message
...
In message , Arthur
writes
I've never owned or..I think..eaten chips made in one
of these new fangled Chip Fryers'.
Leaving aside aspects of health and life expectancy.

Your advice is requested on these.
How does the Chip Fryer fried chip compare to;

a) The chippy chip? Must be better..surely!

b) The chips our mams made in a frying pan in days of yore?

Doesn't it all boil down to what the chips are fried in ?

Some oils have a lower boiling temperature and so don't crisp off the
chips

A chip fryer is just a means of heating the fat / oil

Get thee some good old chip fat if tha' wants good chips

Beef dripping.

... of course it's not that simple, it also depends on the type of
potatoes used

I don't know of any which won't chip but some are better than others. I've
found that Nicola, which are normally sold for salad, are excellent for
chips but they do need different conditions than, say, Duke of York.

Well they will all make chips, but some are better than others

horses for courses, as they say

Where have I heard that before?

Mary

--
geoff

In article ,
Huge wrote:
They were brill. I'd forgotten how ****e oven chips are.

I knew that the one and only time I tried them. As are the standard
'canteen' chips that come out of a plastic sack ready to fry.

For good chips you need good potatoes and good hot oil or fat - depending
on preference. Fat will give the most taste.

--
*Don't byte off more than you can view *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"raden" wrote in message
...
In message , Arthur
writes
I've never owned or..I think..eaten chips made in one
of these new fangled Chip Fryers'.
Leaving aside aspects of health and life expectancy.

Your advice is requested on these.
How does the Chip Fryer fried chip compare to;

a) The chippy chip? Must be better..surely!

b) The chips our mams made in a frying pan in days of yore?

Doesn't it all boil down to what the chips are fried in ?

Some oils have a lower boiling temperature and so don't crisp off the
chips

What you cook them in affects the flavour. How you cook them affects the
crispness. Chips should be twice fried for the best results. About 6-7
minutes at 170C, followed by about 3 minutes at 190C, depending on how brown
you want them. The lower start temperature avoids sealing the surface,
which, by trapping moisture inside, produces soggy chips.

Colin Bignell

"nightjar .uk.com" nightjar@insert_my_surname_here wrote in message
.. .

"raden" wrote in message
...
In message , Arthur
writes
I've never owned or..I think..eaten chips made in one
of these new fangled Chip Fryers'.
Leaving aside aspects of health and life expectancy.

Your advice is requested on these.
How does the Chip Fryer fried chip compare to;

a) The chippy chip? Must be better..surely!

b) The chips our mams made in a frying pan in days of yore?

Doesn't it all boil down to what the chips are fried in ?

Some oils have a lower boiling temperature and so don't crisp off the
chips

What you cook them in affects the flavour. How you cook them affects the
crispness. Chips should be twice fried for the best results. About 6-7
minutes at 170C, followed by about 3 minutes at 190C, depending on how
brown you want them. The lower start temperature avoids sealing the
surface, which, by trapping moisture inside, produces soggy chips.

Spot on.

I don't know of any oil which doesn't reach 190 - some might nat be GOOD at
that heat but they'll all reach it.

Mary

Colin Bignell

In message , Mary
Fisher writes

"raden" wrote in message
...
In message , Mary Fisher
writes

"raden" wrote in message
...


There's no conversion to do. Strain the chip fat through a pair of
ladies' tights (come on fellas - we've all got a pair)

Speak for yourself

Yes, I wondered about that too. I don't have a pair and Spouse doesn't
need
a pair.

Have you checked his drawers?

Daily.

And the cupboards - which is where he keeps his clothes. I mean, he's a man,
you wouldn't expect him to put away his own laundered togs would you?

Just run that concept past me one more time ...

--
geoff

"raden" wrote in message
...
In message , Mary Fisher
writes

"raden" wrote in message
...
In message , Mary
Fisher
writes

"raden" wrote in message
...


There's no conversion to do. Strain the chip fat through a pair of
ladies' tights (come on fellas - we've all got a pair)

Speak for yourself

Yes, I wondered about that too. I don't have a pair and Spouse doesn't
need
a pair.

Have you checked his drawers?

Daily.

And the cupboards - which is where he keeps his clothes. I mean, he's a
man,
you wouldn't expect him to put away his own laundered togs would you?

Just run that concept past me one more time ...

See what I mean ...

Mary

--
geoff

On Sun, 17 Oct 2004 10:11:18 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
Huge wrote:
They were brill. I'd forgotten how ****e oven chips are.

I knew that the one and only time I tried them. As are the standard
'canteen' chips that come out of a plastic sack ready to fry.


Yesterday I found myself out buying Sunday Dinner and the store had no
potatoes.The car was running a bit sick so I didn't want to to go on anywhere
else so I took home a pack of frozen Mc Cains French Fries, (Like Mac D's
chips) they cooked very well in about 1 minute in an electric fryer, (deemed
to be cooked when the first few chips started to float) and were surprisingly
good.

For good chips you need good potatoes and good hot oil or fat - depending
on preference. Fat will give the most taste.

I've heard it said success with chips also depends on how long the potatoes
have been stored. Something to do with the starch changing over time. My
research so far has been inconclusive except in so far as to note that chips
made with new potatoes, when the first large new potatoes come available,
aren't much cop.

DG

going back many years before the "Nanny State", our chippy used lard to fry
the chips and fish in.

Never tasted better.

They too used the two fry technique. One to cook them, the other to brown
and crisp.

toad, still a svelte 10st 7lb. Never did me any harm.

In article ,
says...

For good chips you need good potatoes and good hot oil or fat - depending
on preference. Fat will give the most taste.
I've heard it said success with chips also depends on how long the potatoes
have been stored. Something to do with the starch changing over time. My
research so far has been inconclusive except in so far as to note that chips
made with new potatoes, when the first large new potatoes come available,
aren't much cop.

Hmm. Another instance where Fresh != Best.

I worked in a Pizza shop when I was a student, and the best Pizzas were
those that had had about 24 hours to 'prove' in the fridge. You'd take
them out and remove the tin seperator and, mmmm, the smell was like
uncorking a good bottle of wine. If we had a mad rush on and we needed
to make a second dough on the same shift, the resulting pizza tasted
like cardboard in comparison.

But we never, ever, froze them. Evil incarnate.



--
David J Rainey

On Mon, 18 Oct 2004 18:45:14 +0100, "to@d" to@d© wrote:

going back many years before the "Nanny State", our chippy used lard to fry
the chips and fish in.

Never tasted better.

They also served up in regular newspaper rather than the cleanroom
paper as they do now. Somehow I managed to survive, despite being a
great lover of chips from the chippy!

Andrew

Richard Savage wrote in message ...

anything to go by - she uses and re-uses lard for spud roasting!!!

recipe for a heart attack. Trouble is people dont care.... until they
get seriuosly ill, then they wonder what in blue hell they were
thinking, but its too late.

Its perfectly poss to make good chips without those risks.


NT

"to@d" wrote
| toad, still a svelte 10st 7lb.

10st 7lb isn't svelte if you're only 4' 6"!

Owain

In article ,
N. Thornton wrote:
anything to go by - she uses and re-uses lard for spud roasting!!!

recipe for a heart attack. Trouble is people dont care.... until they
get seriuosly ill, then they wonder what in blue hell they were
thinking, but its too late.

Think like everything, in moderation, it won't do you any harm. But not
something to have every day.

Its perfectly poss to make good chips without those risks.

I've not found roast potatoes any good in oil. Chips can be, though.
Personally, I have either boiled potatoes in their jackets, or baked. Less
work. ;-)

Chips or roast only once in a while.

--
*It is easier to get older than it is to get wiser.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"David J Rainey" wrote in message
t...


Hmm. Another instance where Fresh != Best.

I worked in a Pizza shop when I was a student, and the best Pizzas were
those that had had about 24 hours to 'prove' in the fridge. You'd take
them out and remove the tin seperator and, mmmm, the smell was like
uncorking a good bottle of wine. If we had a mad rush on and we needed
to make a second dough on the same shift, the resulting pizza tasted
like cardboard in comparison.

I've made almost all our own bread for 40 years and people come and love the
smell of baking. I believe they pump it into supermarket doorways to entice
people. But I hate it, I think it's the smell of spoiled alcohol which does
it.

But we never, ever, froze them. Evil incarnate.

When I make a batch of bread I always make some pizza bases and freeze them.
Bread of all kind is just as good as fresh if properly thawed.

The chip question is another matter. The F&C wholesalers sell chip whitener,
which is a sulphite I believe, to prevent the cut potatoes 'discolouring'.
The colour wouldn't matter and wouldn't be seen but 'purity' - even that
achieved by chemical additives - is the mantra.

It also means that the chips can be left lying around, uncooked, from one
day to the next.

When I worked in a Chinese restaurant I couldn't understand why the chips
stayed white from day to day. When I bought something from the F&C
wholesalers and was given a catalogue I understood.

I've never eaten commercial fish and chips since - the whitener isn't the
only undesirable nasty.

Mary



--
David J Rainey