How to cook French fries or chips is certainly not rocket science but there are a lot of elements to consider when thriving for perfection. Firstly you want large oval shape potatoes to achieve the best shape cuts. You want the right size cut, 1 centimetre or just under half an inch is the optimal size. Smaller and they will be too crispy containing more oil, larger they will be too moist and mushy in the centre. You don’t have to be extreme and use a ruler, it’s just a guideline, a little less or more won’t make any difference. For the oil, you can’t beat the taste of beef dripping, but for healthier reasons it’s best to use vegetables oils, I like Canola, peanut, sunflower oils. Why not mix beef dripping with canola oil? You can use the one you like, but the secret is that it has to be fresh. You can use it several times but the older it gets the faster it will reach smoking point resulting in darker fries with less crisp. Use a large pot and never fill the pot to more than half full. Use a good deep fryer that contains a large quantity of oil, otherwise make them in small batches to avoid the oil cooling down too quickly once you add the fries. I have included a chili salt recipe to bring them to another level, but if you’re a purist at heart, then simply use a fine salt. You can also blanch the fries then refrigerate or freeze them for later use. But if you want them straight away, let them cool down before the second fry. Note, never walk away from your fryer, if the oil overheats it will catch fire.