Chip chip hooray! (From Bournemouth Echo)

Chip chip hooray!

7:00pm Monday 9th February 2009 in

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WE love the aroma of chips because they smell of ironing boards, and as for taste, they are better up north.

That’s according to the Potato Council, which has conducted research into chip-related issues to co-inside with National Chip Week this week.

One study aimed to discover just why we are drawn into those delicious smells as we pass a chippy (and we’ve all been a victim of that).

Experts believe they have found what is behind the aroma – and it is a mixture of butterscotch, onion and ironing boards.

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Food scientists at Leeds University unravelled the smell of chips in the laboratory... as well as using human noses.

They broke down the smell into components using a process known as gas chromatography mass spectrometry.

An analyst sniffed the smells that could be detected by the human nose and recorded their type and strength.

The results showed chip aroma is made up of butterscotch, cocoa, onion, flowers, cheese and ironing boards.

The research was led by Dr Graham Clayton on behalf of the Potato Council.

He said: “Whether oven-cooked or fried, the humble chip doesn’t smell of just chips – the aroma is much more complex and probably explains why chips are everyone’s favourite.

“One might not expect to find butterscotch or cocoa aromas in chips, but it has to be remembered that these are one part of the overall aroma.

“Perhaps these findings will see chips treated like wine in the future – with chip fans turning into buffs as they impress their friends with eloquent descriptions of their favourite fries.”

The kind of potatoes, oil, cooking method and temperature all affected the aroma.

Dr Clayton said: “Lightly cooked or undercooked chips were found to contain three simple aromas including bitter cocoa.

“A little extra cooking was shown to produce a more complex aroma profile, with up to nine different aromatic notes.”

But taste, of course, plays a huge part in our love affair with chips, and according to another new survey commissioned by the Potato Council, the UK’s finest chips are served in the North of England.

The results revealed that 93 per cent of northerners said their chips were the tastier option – with one in three southerners admitting they agreed.

Overall, six out of 10 respondents said they thought chips in the North were superior to the southern equivalent.

And the results of the survey suggest it could all be down to local tradition.

While only a third of southerners said they felt any provincial connection to chips, twice as many northerners said they felt they were part of their regional heritage.

Yorkshire chef and chip connoisseur Brian Turner said: “Being a Yorkshire lad, chips were part of my upbringing and still remain one of my favourite dishes.

“As a chef I’ve eaten chips all over the world and still believe the very best chips are made in the North of England.

“I’m sure it’s the way we cook them, usually in dripping and what we serve them with – they always seem to taste best close to home.”

Although salt, vinegar and tomato sauce were universally popular accompaniments, the results showed clear differences between the way northerners and southerners enjoy their chips.

Those in the South were more likely to add mayonnaise to their chips while more “traditional” accompaniments such as gravy, brown sauce and mushy peas found favour in the North.

Favourite chip meals differed too, with northerners preferring chip butties and southerners opting for steak and chips, although fish and chips found favour with all.

The North and South of England have been divided on chips since the 1860s.

According to southerners, Joseph Malin opened the first fish and chip shop in Cleveland Street, London, in 1860.

But northerners claim that a man from Oldham known only as “Mr Lees” first served the dish in the local market before setting up a shop in 1863 where a sign declared: “This is the first fish and chip shop in the world.”

• National Chip Week runs until February 15.

In the best possible taste

HARRY Ramsden’s in Bournemouth let us behind the scenes to share its trade secrets.

Firstly, you need the right spud. And for chips it has to be the Maris Piper – or “the Fryer’s Choice” as it’s otherwise known.

This variety has just the right texture to be made into chips, owing to its water content (or lack of).

They have to be stored properly. Too cold and the starch will start to turn into sugar, meaning the chip will burn too easily.

Ten degrees is the optimum temperature to cosset your tatties. And make sure the storage area is dark and dry too.

Before and after chipping, the spuds get soaked and sloshed with plenty of water to remove as much starch as possible.

And then, perhaps the most important part of the process is to ensure the chips are totally dry before they are cooked.

In this way you get a dryer, crisper, faster-cooking healthier chip.

The spuds are fried at 160 degrees in vegetable oil, although at first the oil will drop in temperature when the chips are put in.

Then it’s just a case of shaking the pan gently until the chips reach a lovely golden colour, and serving immediately.