homemade potato chips

[loeb]

I would like to breed some potatoes for homemade chips.. I have never made this at home, only french fries. Potatoes for chips should be floury or multipurpose ones? I don't know the difference, I guess I was always using dualpurpose ones to do everything.. But I know some of them are better for salad [I guess those are more "waxy"], and some better to make a mash [more floury I guess].

I was thinking about breeding something long, because that would be easier to slice, even if the slices would be rather small, I guess those are called fingerlings. Totally not popular here. Maybe some of Tom Wagner TPS are good for homemade chips making? or to cross for this..

Are you making chips at home? I know that this is not very affordable, but I just hate what I can get in supermarkets now:/

[rockhound]

Loeb~ I don't think you want a potato that is what I understand you to mean by "floury" for chips. The reason being, the first step after slicing is to soak the potatoes and that removes some starch.

[loeb]

Ok, this is good information. Removing the starch by soaking is preventing burning that starch in oil, or sticking slices together? I remember that chips potatoes should have high dry matter level, so I though that this is "floury". Well, I had to be wrong.

[Tom Wagner]

I am no expert on this subject by no means. That said, I can offer my experience in place of those who may not frequent this forum. I spent a few years with Frito-Lay as a potato buyer, field inspector, warehouseman, potato variety research/development and many years before and since as a practicing researcher for potatoes as a breeder. Over fifty years of grading potato varieties to grades of low to high gravities by using simple salt water to find floaters/sinkers. A cup of water with a couple of tablespoons of salt (varies) does nicely to find high starch clones. All potatoes sink in water as their specific gravities run slightly higher than water which is 1.000 and potatoes run from about 1.040 to 1.100 or higher. The higher the solids of a potato...the higher the salt content in the water to eventually float even the most dense potato. One can heft a potato tuber to estimate the gravity but the salt water trick verifies it. I am including some supporting data as follows:



The best way to talk potatoes is to show a picture worth a thousand words

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/OXFqB.png[/IMG]

Below is the same IMGUR image that shows data about chipping varieties from low gravities (low solids) to high. A quick summary is thus: High gravity (floury) potatoes use less oil, cook faster, contain less oil after frying, and gives you more chips of high quality. The table does not compare varieties with different levels of reducing sugars which need to be avoided due to the dark chips and poor taste after frying.



Below is a link to some good chipping varieties for Poland. I don't have most of those and Loeb will have to tell me about any of those he might grow. Keeping in mind most potato varieties are not great candidates for breeding due to poor pollen ...early abscission of flowers..etc.

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/PNWGR.png[/IMG]

The major chipping varieties grown in the United States include: Alturas, Andover, Atlantic, Chipeta, Dakota Pearl, Ivory Crisp, Kennebec, LaChipper, Marcy, Megachip, NorValley, Norwis, Pike, Reba and Snowden. This wide variety of chipping potatoes grown in the US allows production in varying conditions throughout the year. These different varieties have different storage, shipping and chipping characteristics, so it is important to analyze the information provided to ensure you get the very best potato for your needs. http://www.potatoesusa.com/products....ock%20Potatoes

I have grown all of the above varieties. Many of my improved chipping clones trace back to one or more of the clones listed.

One of the founding varieties that has produced some great potato chip varieties is Lenape. It has high gravities and low reducing sugars, thus producing great chips. The drawback is that it has high glycoalkaloids which renders the taste bitter and is unhealthy to eat. The progeny throws about half with low alkaloids…such as Atlantic…and would still be a great variety for future potato breeders. I have used Lenape many times in my breeding and have always selected for offspring with low alkaloids.

Here is a picture of a Lenape tuber planted yesterday….yes it is last year’s production …and note how well it has kept and the great sprouts…I will harvest new tubers this October/November. I only need about 70 days to get tubers from this late planting.



My SKAGIT VALLEY GOLD potato variety fries in less than 60 seconds compared to 95 to 180 seconds for some varieties. And Oh, What a flavor! Don't ask me about what kind of oil since I am very opinionated about the subject and it would take me hours to write up a dissertation on that.

Tom Wagner

[loeb]

That was great post.. I could easily get Irys or Dukat, but.. I have some TPS of Skagit Valley Gold, that I've planned to plant under artificial light now, or in spring. So I think breeding this to something other would be much more fun and much less trouble with flowering.. Short frying time is a bonus. I would try to cross it to some long potatoe, and maybe I will get something unique.. I will try chipping Skagit Valley Gold alone, for sure.
The salt floating test sounds great for amateur
Is there an easy method to select for low alcaloids? Just trying the spud? Raw or cooked? Or maybe other method..

When it comes to oil, this is tricky part, but I think I can find something.. We are not using canola. I don't like soy. I hate olive oil. What remains is sunflower, grapeseed[a little expensive here, so probably it will be rarely used to do this], rice and peanut oil. Sunflower can't be too hot or it will burn.There are some other great oils, but usually cold-press, so not too good for high temp frying, and rather expensive. I was thinking about animal fat too.

Animal fat was tradicionally used in Poland in the past for frying, before the "healthier oil" propaganda.. I am thinking of geese fat, because I have a plan to breed geese..Geese fat is very healthy, rich in zinc and silicas. It may sound strange to you, but I'm not going to keep those chips for months, just eat them fresh, so I don't need long keeping oil.

And there is always possibility to find how to make it without fat at all Just I'm not sure that would be tasty.
I like potatoe chips with just a little salt, nothing more. I don't know why it's so hard to find something like that ready to use:/ "Flavoured" - which I find yucky, usually.. are the main part of the market. And plain salted ones are usually not too tasty - they have too much salt, something wrong is with oil, or they are just not fresh enough. So, I decided to make some at home.

Tom, do you plan to put some TPS in your shop this year, that would make a really long tubers, that I could use to breed chipping potatoes? I have a vision of a long potatoe easy to handle while slicing, with rather small diameter, that I could slice at home, and fry even in a deeper pan. And I don't mind colourfull ones.

[wmontanez]

Loeb, taste them raw if they are bitter is high alkaloids...I had one last year grown from TPS it was so bad cooked that made me spit

As for frying works for me peanut oil. I also don't use canola and maybe is worth trying sunflower oil. If you slice them using a mandoline you can sprinkle oil, seasonings on them and put the oven to crisp

[loeb]

Ok So high alkaloids test resolved. Sugars remained, but I think it will be easily visible while testing

How long it takes to crisp them in the oven? and how high must be the temperature..

[wmontanez]

Read my post about pommes frites I bet you get good at this chips at home. I'll try that next

[loeb]

my first try. Good, crispy as it should be, but whyyy they have to be SO greasy ;D I have to work on this.
Baking so thinly sliced potatoes in oven is not working, they go oily-dry, transparent and super-thin. Not exactly what I want from chips.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by loeb

my first try. Good, crispy as it should be, but whyyy they have to be SO greasy ;D I have to work on this.
Baking so thinly sliced potatoes in oven is not working, they go oily-dry, transparent and super-thin. Not exactly what I want from chips.

Look good to me, grease and all.
A little black pepper and salt and they would be good to go.

How did you slice them?

I cant find a good mandolin here without ordering one.
Just in case, a mandolin is what you use to slice with not the one you play.

I dont know how they are named the same thing, they look nothing alike.

Worth

[loeb]

in Poland we call it szatkownica, from word szatkować that is used to name cutting vegetables [mostly, and usually cabbage] or something into little, thin pieces. In translation to english that would be called probably shredder. I have no idea why they call it mandoline in US
So I have very tradicional cheap cabbage shredder, with 3 blades, sharp as hell [first use-first blood, now I really watch out for my fingers..], and it cuts thin even hard vegetables like carrot or celery..

If I want just to make thin slices this one is the best, like above.

To cut potatoes into french fries I would use another type, cutter/shredder/slicer and best of them that I have used are from Borner company, german ones. But I'm not sure if they are sold in US..
http://www.swissmar.com/usa/products/borner.htm they are. check in your area. Those are not cheap here, but they are good and long lasting, my mom has one more than 15 years old,
still cutting good.

[Worth1]

Loeb,
I can get anything here (on line).
The stores here are pretty much a joke. they are over priced and/or sell junk from China most of the time.
One place had an olive oil bottle with the spout on the end for $25.00.
Now I have the spouts and wine bottles are free.
Total cost about $2.00
I dont mind spending money but I wont throw it away.

Thanks for the link.

Worth