Fry chips are thinly sliced pieces of potatoes that are made specifically for the purpose of eating crispy chips. If cooked in the right way, fry chips can provide a light snack without all of the fillers that normal potato chips have. Usually fry chips are deep fried within oil, although they can also be baked in an oven for a healthier option.
Cooking Fry Chips in the Oven
Cook time usually is around 30 minutes, and there is no preparation time to cook fry chips. You will need nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray, four to five large potatoes, preferably the baking kind cut into ¼ strips, and a seasoning blend of your choice to season to taste. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, and spray the cookie sheet using nonstick spray oil; season the potatoes thoroughly before placing them on the baking sheet. Bake them in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, flipping them over every 10 minutes. Bake the chips until they are golden brown and crispy on all sides. You can even create your own seasoning for your fry chips.
Oven Chips Compared to Fried Chips
For healthier home eating, baked chips are more beneficial and nutritious for the body than fried chips. In a study done in 2010 by the Department of Food Engineering at the University of Mersin, students compared the cooking methods of baking and frying. They used potato chips with a thickness of 1.4 mm. Both the fried and baked potato chips were analyzed for acrylamide. Acrylamide is a human carcinogen and a chemical that is found in some foods when they are fried or roasted. Acrylamide forms from sugars and the amino acids naturally present in raw foods when heated at high temperatures. When the potato was fried, it increased the acrylamide levels because of the temperatures used for frying. With the baked potato chips, the acrylamide levels depended on the temperature the chips were baked at. Baking at the same temperature as the fried chips brought the acrylamide levels to double the fried, but slow cooking in the oven reduced the acrylamide levels to nearly half of what they would be if fried. Acrylamide in the body can be dangerous, and reducing the amount you get from the foods that you eat can be beneficial to your health.
Nutritional Value of Fry Chips
Depending on the way you cook the fry chips, whether they are baked or deep fried can alter the nutritional values of the fry chips that you eat. The seasoning and sauces placed on the fry chips also make a difference. A lot of sodium is involved when using salt and ketchup over fry chips. Overall, potatoes are a healthy vegetable to eat with minimal salt and when they are baked rather than fried in oil. Placing the right seasoning on the fry chips and baking rather than frying can overall reduce the amount of sodium, fat and carbohydrates that you take in when eating them.
Fry Chip Recipes
When baking fry chips, you can use several recipes. You can slow bake the chips to a light golden brown or cook them longer for a crunchier appeal. Seasonings and dipping sauces can also be made to compliment the fry chips. Depending on your tastes, you might find baking instead of frying more enjoyable. Some fry chip choices include hot sauce and ranch dressing mixed together for the fry chips to be dipped in; thyme and oregano, salt and pepper, garlic powder, salt and chicken seasoning; and chili and cheese.
References
- Help Guide; Healthy Recipes; Maya W. Paul; November 2010
- Ace Fitness: Oven fried Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes
- "Journal of Food Science"; Effect of Cooking Method (Baking Compared With Frying) on Acrylamide Level of Potato Chips; TK Palazoglu et al.; January 2010
- Calorie Counter; Calories in Chips (Deep Fried Potatoes); 2008
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