**British Chef Reveals We’ve Been Cooking Frozen Chips All Wrong – The Crucial Oven Step We’re Missing**
Frozen chips are a go-to comfort side for countless UK households—whether served with fish, a burger, or simply as a late-night snack. Their convenience and speed have solidified their spot in freezers up and down the country. Yet, despite their popularity, a persistent problem plagues chip lovers: the chips are often disappointingly limp or soggy when cooked at home, a far cry from the crispy, golden standard dished up at restaurants.
Professional chef David Nayfield, who leads the kitchen at Che Fico, argues that this widespread chip disappointment is down to a common mistake many of us make when using our ovens. His advice could transform countless meals if followed closely. Nayfield believes everyone can achieve restaurant-worthy chips at home—so long as they avoid a single, significant error.
The heart of the problem, Nayfield says, is overcrowding. He cautions that stacking too many chips too close together on a baking tray, or similarly overfilling an air fryer basket, is the “biggest mistake” chip lovers can make. He explains that chips packed in tight will steam, not bake—robbing them of the crisp exterior and fluffy interior that we all crave. This basic oversight, he notes, is why so many home-cooked chips fall short of expectations.
To eradicate the problem, the chef stresses the importance of giving your chips plenty of room to breathe. “Spacing is absolutely essential,” he says. “Lay the chips out in a single layer with gaps in between—this is how you get that crunch we all want.” By ensuring each chip has space around it, heat can circulate properly, resulting in a more even and crispier bake.
Another point Nayfield raises is the importance of pre-heating. Putting frozen chips into a cold oven or air fryer can spell disaster by leaving them soggy or irregularly cooked. His recommendation is simple yet easily overlooked: set your oven or air fryer to a high temperature—around 200°C—before placing your chips inside. That initial blast of heat starts the cooking process correctly, sealing the outside for the desired crisp finish.
The debate over whether to bake chips in a conventional oven or opt for an air fryer also surfaces regularly. For this, some leading chefs lean in favour of the air fryer. Celebrated New York chef George Duran is one such proponent—he hails the air fryer as a “fast-track to crispy heaven” when it comes to chips. The appliance, he points out, not only cooks faster but offers a safer option than deep-frying, as it doesn’t require handling hot oil.
For those without an air fryer, however, all is not lost. Nayfield reiterates that proper techniques with a standard oven can still achieve excellent results—provided, of course, that chips are not allowed to cluster and that the oven is sufficiently hot at the outset. Turning chips halfway through baking is another tip that can help to ensure a consistently crunchy coating.
Such advice doesn’t just help with taste and presentation; it can also encourage food lovers to embrace home-cooking without resorting to takeaways for their chip fix. As households continue to hunt for ways to replicate gourmet experiences at home, small changes in technique could spell the difference between mediocre and marvellous results.
In summary, if your frozen chips currently come out lacklustre, consider reviewing your kitchen habits. The next time chips are on the menu, remember: spacious arrangements, a piping-hot appliance, and attentive turning could be all that stand between you and the perfect batch of homemade, crispy chips. It’s a straightforward solution for better results—one that home cooks across the UK may soon be adopting in droves.