The Best Air-Fryer Chips (Triple-Cooked Method)

The triple-cooked chip is the chip-shop chip elevated to a tiny edible architectural achievement. Heston Blumenthal popularised the technique at The Fat Duck two decades ago, and despite its silly-sounding name, the underlying logic is sound. Each stage does specific work that the others can't. The result is the crispest chip you can produce at home — properly crisp, not just "not soggy."

Why three stages. The parboil cooks the inside without colouring the outside; the first dry-chill develops a starchy surface skin; the first low-temperature air-fry sets that skin into a hard shell without browning yet; the second dry-chill deepens the dehydration; the final high-temperature air-fry caramelises the outside.

It takes about an hour total. Most of that is unattended chilling. Active hands-on time is 15 minutes across the stages. The chips themselves are the same Maris Piper / Yukon Gold approach as the standard British chip, just executed with more steps. Worth it for a weekend dinner or a Friday-night-in fish-and-chips meal.

The photo shows a generous platter of finished chips on a gold oval plate — chunky, golden, with proper shattered crackled surfaces and visible flaky sea salt. Mayonnaise on the side (this is mandatory). The chip that proves the case for chips as a serious dish.