hey bud. for the perfect chunky chips use maris piper or maris bard potatoes. cook on 160c until soft about 6-8 minutes. lift out & allow to drain. turn up the heat to 180c then cook them again until they reach the desired crispiness. this usually takes 30 seconds. i used to run a fish an chip shop. for homemade battered use cold water, plain flour a pinch of salt. you can substitute 30% of water for beer . yum. batter your fish and cook on 180c for exactly 3 minutes. battered sausages you can use frozen ones dip them in batter and fry on 180c for exactly 6 minutes. you're welcome enjoy
It is important to use the correct potatoes (King Edward, Maris Piper, Desiree) and to soak them for some time to remove excessive starch. Make sure they are dry before they are fried, and fry them a second time at a higher heat so they are golden brown and crisp outside, and fluffy inside. A sprinkle of sea salt over them before you munch helps to enhance the taste. I appreciate your natural of delivery - far more appealing than other presenters - SPOT ON!
Come on pal, I didn't even do your reasarch how to make propa chips before making the video, 🤦 not to mention the fact that you commited to actually buying the device to make em! 🤦🤦🤦
You know you're getting older when kitchen/home appliances make you excited. 😂 I turned 43 on the 8th just gone, and yup, I get excited about new appliances. 👀😄
When I had a deep fat fryer this was my method for cooking chips. First cook at 130c for about 8 to 9, this softens the potatoes but doesn't colour the outside minutes. remove the chips and set the fryer to 190c. Replace chips and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. The second fry colours the chips and crisps them while keeping them soft and fluffy inside. It is better to use a waxing potato for chips
100% what Harry says BUT you can blanch at 130, leave to cool then put in the freezer for an hour. Take them out and pop into the oil at 190. Give it a try
I use a cheap £40 frier and beef dripping instead of oil. Instead of par-boiling I set the temp to 100C (this is below the lowest marking on the dial) and cook the chips till they are cooked through (a skewer goes through easily). This is the same as par-boiling really except using fat instead of water. Then I remove the chips, raise the fat temp to 190C and fry till browned. Perfect results. You can even make decent 'roast' potatoes using this method.
Nice tip there John... We used to buy the tins of Baby New Potatoes... Simply drain them and pat them dry... Then deep fry them until crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside... They are delicious my friend. 😋👍
I used to use a deep fat fryer, before getting an air fryer. I don't think you can beat the chips from the deep fat fryer. The type of potato made little difference. I didn't parboil them, but I did soak the chips in cold water for about 30 minutes to remove the starch, which helps in getting crispier chips. Once soaked, I'd pat them dry and then put them in for the first fry, but I think that it was for only about 6-7 minutes. At that point they were only just starting to go a golden brown. You then leave them to cool, before putting them in at the higher temperature for 2-3 minutes I believe. It was the second fry at the higher temperature that added the colour to the chips. You should probably test the temperature of your oil, as I think it must be hotter than what the display was saying. They shouldn't go that dark at 160C for the few minutes you cooked them. I wouldn't worry about parboiling. I've seen chip shop staff peel and cut the potatoes and then fry them, but they never parboiled them. Have you seen them do that? I would only do that for an air fryer where it can be harder to completely cook the inside of the chip before the outside is done. I've actually started twice cooking air fryer chips at different temperatures, so that I can make sure the insides are cooked before browning them at the higher temperature. I used to do deep fat fried chips a couple of times a week, and I also did fried chicken once a week (which is lovely). The only problem was that over a couple of months I put on a stone or so in weight. All that oil really makes a difference to your calorie intake. I'd stick with the air fryer for most things, and use the deep fat fryer maybe once a month for a treat. The alarm was a suitable volume, as you are NEVER supposed to leave a deep fat fryer unattended. Good luck mate!
Hi, Gareth. Great show as usual. Can't beat a good old chip butty. The chips looked like the kind me mum used to make back in the 80s.need some beef dripping also. all looked good though. Keep up the good work. Best wishes from an unusually sunny and warm Scotland
I have one of these, when it starts to get a bit greased up, empty the oil add old fashioned soda crystals and boiling water, soak then scrub a bit with brush, it will dissolve the grease and bring it up like new and soda crystals a cheap too :)
Reminds me of the old days using a heavy chip pan. Couldn't resist a smile when you wondered if they should be par-boiled first :) Btw when the chips colour and float, they're cooked. Could I ask how long did it take to cook raw chips (not frozen) compared to the air fryer? All these gadgets ~ wonderful. Thanks for putting yourself in the frying line to test it out.
@@spamandbeans8729 i still use the old heavy chip pan, and lard, and on the few occasions when i have had a deep fat fryer, i have not used oil, i always use lard, even though they say not to, i just dont like the heartburn caused by oil.
Hi I’m George from cramlington. I bought a deep fat fryer last month. I have two goes on it. The chips tasted delicious. I bought mine from curry’s . Urs is a lovely fryer. I had chips beans and eggs. I haven’t had chips for three weeks. I love chips .
Oh Yes!... You made them just how i like my Chips done mate (On the darker side)... Most Fish & Chip Shops these days cook them a very light colour (some almost anemic looking)... Those Fish & Chip Shops that still use Beef Dripping... Will have their Chips look similar to yours... A much darker colour all around... I used to get a friend of mine to buy for me... Some McWhinney's Jumbo Sausages from a Local Cash & Carry... Just like those you would find at your Local Chippy... They fitted nicely into my deep fat fryers basket too... But i don't really use mine anymore mate... As i tend to buy frozen Chips now and simply Air Fry them... But i might be tempted to use mine again... If you inspire me to try something that you yourself have tried deep frying pal... All the best Gaz... Cheers mate. 🍺
@@BaldFoodieGuy I thought you might have used The Original American Chip Spice Seasoning on them pal... I remember someone sending you some a few months ago... It really is a lovely seasoning for your Chips mate... 😋👍
I've just seen someone else on RU-vid reviewing some New Fire Pit Jumbo Sausages from Tesco... Eight Jumbo Sausages for just £2.00... He cooked them from frozen in his Air Fryer... And he gave them a thumbs up... So i'll pick up a bag of them the next time i'm passing a Tesco... 👍 Cheers mate. 🍺
They don't purify, they just remove the grit, that you still have to clean out of the bowl for next time. Things I have found are sweet potato fries turn your expensive oil orange, and that it isn't wise to deep frie breaded camembert in it when the cheese boils out and leaves you with a hollow crispy shell! (Blatant user error that one...). It's a really good design and keeps your oil better for longer. Also helps with transportation as the cassette is sealed Mine did once dump the oil out whilst the cassette was out which was annoying, but hasn't done it since.
We have two deep fat fryers, the first one stopped working so after checking it over we went out and bought a new one. Read the instructions to the new one and it pointed out the reset button on the back of the heating element unit which was clearly marked. Had another good look at the old one before it went for recycling and surprise surprise it had a reset button underneath in a hard to see position and the red button was very small. Pressed in the button put some water in the pan to test it and switched it on! It worked again!!! cleaned it up and put it in the shed for emergencies and Barbecue's!
Baking potatoes are fine for home fries. But if they were older or stored in a cold place, they might have more sugar/starch than a fresher one. I always soak my potatoes in cold water for at least 15 minutes and then rinse them before drying and double frying. The soaking/rinse helps remove excess starch which helps fries crisp up and it might help slow the Mailliard process which caused your spuds to brown too quickly. I've ordered an Easy Clean T-fal (slightly different name in the US and the features are a bit different) just for the oil filtration. I cannot wait for it to arrive. I've been using my Dutch oven, a GranPappy fryer and my wok for frying and it is a hassle filtering and storing oil. I like the self-contained unit that this product offers.
Ha Ha, so your good lady gave into you wanting a fryer! I know a lot about frying chips, and most supermarket varieties don't work too well, not unless you buy the prepared sort. You need the type which has floury flesh when cooked. As I've said, I grow my own, and a variety called 'Royal' is perfect for chips. It's what Mc.Cain mostly use in their products, but I haven't seen them for sale in shops. Chips burn because of the sugars in the starch. Crisps are made from potatoes with very low sugar content; that's why they don't look burnt. Incidentally, unless you're a commercial grower, you can't buy them. I know 'cos I've tried. It helps if you rinse your chips first to remove the loose starch. Try frying some battered cod. I think you'll love the taste. Your fryer is twice as big as mine! All the best for tonight.
I used to use 2 deep fat fryers. One was for chips and the like while the other was used for things that spoil the oil like sausages or fish fingers. I looked at air fryers for ages and carefully before buying, eventually choosing the DeLonghi Multifry. It heats the bottom of the pan as well as having the hot air from above plus has a (removable) rotor for turning the food to get things more evenly cooked. It is great but you can forget home made batter in air fryers. The other thing that's not as good as a deep fat fryer are fish fingers. OK when you get the knack (no paddle obviously, and a bit better than grilled) but not as good as deep fried. And if you are into prawn crackers you can forget it. The biggest downside is the shockingly high price- I only bought when I found a new one at under half price. I don't regret the purchase, it is good and used for the vast majority of my deep fried type cooking, it uses much less oil and that stuff seems to be skyrocketing in price now, but I'm pleased I kept a way to properly deep fry for occasional use.
Hey Gareth that's the fryer I've got. It's great. The oil heats up quicker the older it gets it seems. I've never used the timer I just play it by ear so to speak. Never had a problem with it. My wife loves her chips looking exactly like yours.
Local chippy tried mars bars and said they hve to have a separate fryer to do those. Only on Thursday another well known local fifh and chip restaurant told me the same thing...need a separate fryer for Mars bars. Maybe having that fryer that filters the oil could help though.
Oh, Gareth new equipment for the lab equals more experiments. That’s a posh deep fat fryer, I’ve got a small one (keep it clean!) which has been stored in the bottom of a cupboard. I have only used it twice in 10 years and I’m going to bring it out again. The chips you made are exactly how I like them, well done, it’s the only time I would put salt on anything. How about trying spring rolls, battered Lorne sausage, battered chicken, battered fish, oh and fish pakora? Lots to try pal, see you later.
My tips for this, I would say are.... (1) soak ya chips in fresh water for around 1/2 hour after cutting them. This helps remove some of the starch from the outside which is what went brown so quickly. (2) Get an oven probe thermometer and check what the ACTUAL temperature is at the settings they say.(3) Find the next few numbers down (140, 130,120 etc) because it WILL maintain these temps, its just the manufacturers don't mark them for some reason. And lastly, have fun and experiment with it! Just never put things with wet batter in the basket and then lower it.... Put the basket down FIRST and then lower the food in slowly so it floats. Otherwise it will weld itself to the basket.... (Don't ask me how I know..)🤣🤣
That looks a cracking deep fryer Gareth,for chips i use either Maris Piper or King Edward.I use mine for tattie croquettes,scampi,chicken goujons in breadcrumbs.All the frozen stuff with batter or bread crumbs taste better done in the deep fryer.Only occasional use but can't beat em.I do the 3 cooked method with chips but it's a bit of a faff so don't do it that often.Par boiled for 5 mins,deep fry at 130c for 5 mins then 190c to the colour of your choice.
Got the same one mate had it a few years haven't used since I got ninja foodi .bit of a tip soak chips in cold water for 30 mins to remove a lot of the starch pat dry then cook mate works for me
Hi Gareth. I’ve got one of these fryers. Don’t use a great deal but I do leave the basket hanging above oil when not in use so doesn’t get clogged up x
I used to have a Tefal rotofryer. The chips took 30 minutes to cook and although they were nice, I decided that a deep fried chip tastes better; so I went back to a basic fryer which is messy compared to your machine. My only reservation is that it is quite big. You need to use Maris Piper spuds and if you deep fry sausages, they destroy the oil(nice though)!
hi this is what i do. cut potatoes ( isralian white skins good) leave soak 20 min cold water. par boil in salted water about 5min. let drain. put on a tray and leave in fridge few hours covered with a towel. fry at 170 for about 8min always come out well. any caravaners out there? i use spry crisp and dry that goes hard when cold so oil not sloshing around when on the road. to clean the fryer leave to soak parts in hot water for few hours using laundry powder and give a good rinse take care great vid
People saying use Maris Pipers are spot on, they make a lot of difference mainly because they go floury not waxy when cooked which gives a better crispy outter. If the oil can't penetrate the potato it can't give the red/fractured crispy look. I know a lot of folks also like the double cook method slow and low and then fast and high and for ease and speed it isn't bad at all, particularly when you are doing more than one batch or have to fry other things, but whilst this approach is a whole lot better than cooking in one go, I found the best way is always to steam the chips first. Boiling works too but I found steaming is best. It's important to have the water rolling in a boil or the steam coming off very fast as the aim is to cook the outside very fast. About 15-16 minutes should be long enough. If you remove the lid of the steamer and they instantly start to dry with a white floury appearance all over they are good. If there is only a bit of floury texture you may not have had the steam hot enough and you might need to cook them longer. If you cook them too slow they will fall apart before or as they go floury, this is why hot and fast is better since you want the chip to internally be strong enough still for handling. When cooked, carefully lay them on a baking rack or something that will let the air get to them and allow them to dry out from their own heat. They will have mostly dried when they stop steaming, but you can leave them longer until you are ready to fry if needed and it won't do them any harm. The chips are slightly less fragile the cooler they get but using a flat spatula to lift them into the chip basket is best. You can load the basket away from the fryer. If filling the fryer, ensure the fat is at 170-180C and when they are lowered in, drop the temperature back to 160c. cook them for 15 minutes. If I'm behind on time I use the double cook method as its more like a total of 15 minutes vs this method which is more like 45 minutes once you factor boil/dry/fry times. I just feel like if I'm going to eat food that's not very good for me, it better be at its best!
Rinse and leave chips in bowel for 5 dry off….turn down temperature by what ever setting says in booklet as every fryer different and depends on oil…..also just remember your burning oil and only after say ten uses they advise is to change is the oil looses it capability and your just heating up burnt oil which affects taste…you can combat that by pre heating but at a lower temperature,giving time for food to be throughly cooked and less oil waste…low heat slow and steady way to go,but pre heating at lower temperature is the secret..
Love it mate. That's exactly how exited I'm gonna be for mine turning up. I've umd n ard about one for years, but I want beer battered brie now ! Nice honest human review mate
Ey up mate, The other night there was an hour long programme on terrestrial TV about air fryers, that’s how bloody popular they’ve get. Any how, this week end I was planning to buy both the double basket Ninja air fryer with sync’d finish times more for the practicality of day to day stuff, but no doubt I’ll end up stretching its legs. The other which I was more excited about was the Tefal deep fat fryer you reviewed for indulgent treats. My only concern is smells. After having had it for over a year, would you buy it again now or was it a flash in the pan 🪄 😆 you see what I did there 😎.Joking aside, I’m really interested whether you saw that as it’s major draw back and really whether you’d do it again ? If I do, I’ll be stowing it between uses in a large plastic container.
I use a chip pan on stove with lard in makes proper chips I had a deep fat frier and used oil it was a pain to clean and after a time the oil on the lid went like glue proper chips for me Gareth I was going to say chip butties all round you can beat a chip butty with plenty of salt and vinegar oh you xxx Gareth in a few months the new potatoes will be out and the chips you'll make won't go very brown but will taste just as nice xxxx
Tho the other comments don't mention frozen chips, i swear by them, as the kids prefer frozen crinkle cut chips, they are done in 5 minutes......Frozen chips are already par boiled and coated with a very light dusting of sugar powder to make them crispy.........When they are brown and the begin to float, they are done.......I use mine ONLY! for chips, because being me, i'm always a little afraid that germs from chicken/meat etc, may not be killed by the heat, my opinion only.......I'd advise regular cleaning and oil changing......Great video.
I bought a deep fat fryer a few years ago, the thing was lethal, me and the missus were cooking chips like they were going out of fashion! So bloody good ! had to get rid of it in the end and get an air fryer.
Gareth, no need to par-boil fresh spuds, don't use roasting spuds for chips just use any other spuds wether red or white. For seasoning try Chinese salt & pepper mix. I use beef dripping in one fryer and veg oil in the smaller fryer, but I prefer the beef dripping as its just like chippies when I was a kid but now I'm just a big kid at heat 😆, one thing you could try I deep fried belly pork with the skin on, you cut it into cubes first. Don't forget when you make batter for savoury food to add a hint of mustard powder. Pukka
I like yourself some months ago bought an air fryer (not a deep fat fryer) the only problem with a deep fat fryer is the smell of oil/fat which i think may stain the kitchen walls in grease ??? so one reason i have not bought one because of the smell the following day and stains on the wall
It looks a good product Gareth. You’ll master it in the end.it’ll be spot on. Chicken,chips and many other concoctions can be done in it. Doughnuts? I can’t see why not. Looking forward to you sampling your new gadget. Well done again Gareth 👍👍
I use Maris piper potatoes for chips the best..I never twice fry my chips in deep fryer I set temperature and I put them in oil straight away b4 it's heated and I just keep an eye on them.maris piper chips dont go deep brown they stay a light colour when chips are floating in oil they are ready to take out.. hope that helps u Gareth,all other stuff I cook in fryer I wait until oil temperature is hot..👍👍
Hi Gareth, just one little tip when moving the fryer from one place to another remove the oil container because if you tip it slightly and the front dial is in the wrong position the oil container will slip out and break open spilling the oil.
I have a Tefal Oleoclean, it's very old but works a treat. I used to use groundnut oil, but can't seem to find it nowadays. You can put most bits in the dishwasher (not the element). Don't let congealed fat build up and clean it regularly (it's easier). ⚠A word of caution; make sure any frozen stuff has any excess ice scraped off before putting in the hot oil!
Chip butte without butter (or margarine) is sacrilege. My favourite is double or triple cooked chips, nice chunky slices of white bread, toast/grill the outsides before smear a load of butter, both sides inside then jenga tower the chips 2 or 3 levels up. Squeeze then enjoy. I put salt on chips fresh out of the oil, then add cider or malt vinegar on plus whatever sauce(s) I feel like, red, brown, hot, or barbecue. Just before squashing sandwich down. If feeling decadent will add 2 or 3 slices of crispy bacon that I grilled while chips were frying. NB I either shallow fry, or use a Dutch oven to deep fry the chips.
It’s the best way, I have an air fryer but always deep fry my chips, bit of a waste of space as only use it for chips and hate cleaning it but worth it
@@BaldFoodieGuy yeah we always do entertaining your channel best happy to watch both of us fan's always good to know what products are the best to buy brilliant hope you have a lovely day from us both 👋👋👋👋👋👋👐👐👐👐 enjoy your fat fryer cook alsorts in them
Absolutely Brilliant my good man, first fry was far too high but you will learn with practice and us foodies telling how to do it LOL. Can't make tonight but have a great time.
I gave my deep-fat fryer to my granddaughter. I found it difficult to keep clean, even with the filtration. The oil was expensive too. Mine didn't come apart for cleaning. I've just ordered an air-fryer.
It’s all trial and error. I would like to cook chips in beef dripping .I know it’s not recommended maybe because of healthy eating or whatever. Try the Maris Piper’s next . Good luck Thanks for the uploads
This is the one we have and its the easiest fryer I have had for cleaning. We specifically got it because of the length of the basket for doing big/whole fish fillets instead of having to cut it into small portions
Place thick cut chips in boiling water for 3-4 mins drain and allow to cool Fry at 130C until starting to colour about 5 -6mins 2nd fry at 180 C until golden brown 2 mins Use King Edwards or Maris Piper potatoes Don't forget the thinner the chip the unhealthier they are, thick chip absorb much less fat.
I bought one of these a few months ago. I cook Chinese food and fried chicken and I find that because the oil filters out all the bits, it takes the flavours on and makes everything taste even better. But sadly you have to do a total oil change and start again. But I love mine. We had a fryer years ago and it stank everything out. These are great, once you stop frying, the smell disappears. Air frying is just too dry for us.
Gareth, you can’t beat homemade chips. However as a northerner I am very disappointed in you! Crisp & Dry??? Nooooo, it should be Beef Dripping or as a second choice lard. Much tastier:-;
Soon as l saw the instruction booklet Gareth, my eyes glazed over and l stared out of the window lol, l don't like reading instructions at all Congrats on your new fryer, lots of good advice here in the comments
I had the same model, whilst I thought ,Yes, deep fried food at home, and it was good to start with, I wasn't prepared for the smell of oil wafting through the whole house even thogh It had the filter, I found the oil /steam residue venting from the fryer filter stuck to everything in sight, if not wiped down after use it will turn real sticky and take ages to clean, got rid of mine after 12 months 🙄I'm Intersted to see how you get on, Happy frying Gaz . 😁👍
I've got the same one, bought from Amazon. I use Maris Pipers at 160 for 6 minutes, taken them out and turn it up to 190, put back in when temp is reached for only a few minutes. Ps too few chips in the basket is why they cooked too quickly PPs it doesn't purify, it filters out the crap left behind by frozen chips
I've had 2 deep fat fryers, they're a nightmare to clean although the end results are lovely. My other half won't let me have another, although she says the air fryer stinks as much. I'm having one of these that you've got, once it's here it's too late!
My chips come out that colour. I always find the chips taste better after the oil has been used a couple of times, when the oil is fresh they don't taste quite as nice. I don't have your model mine is the basic Tefal deep fat fryer.
I have the same fryer and i changed and got a ninja air fryer.. I don't think you'll be so happy after a month or two when your kitchen is full of grease.. But it is a good fryer only for the build up of grease.
Wow Gaz, great vid. I once deep fried a Snickers, I know Mars are the usual, but Snickers was amazing too. 👌 A few other suggestions: Beer battered onion rings, Fried chicken and crispy beef.
I soak chips in water with a pinch of salt a couple of hours before.Give them a good stir before draining to get rid of starch.Dry and then double fry 130 for 10min then 180 till brown.
With baking potato i have to go below the lowest marked position which is 150, using a instant read thermometer i set mine to 130-135 and fry for 10 minutes or until you get the start of colouring. Then whip it out into a bowl which i cover with a plate so the chips hold the heat longer while cooling down, letting the residual heat carry on the cooking. After 5 minutes i tip the chips onto the plate to cool for another 5 minutes. While the first batch is cooling down i am doing a second batch, then tip them in the bowl cover with the plate which still have the first batch sittin on it, turn up the heat of the oil. once it hits temp i put the first batch in the fryer, put the second batch on the plate to cool. Once the first batch is done dump them in the bowl and salt them, put the second batch in the fryer for there second cook. Do not cover the bowl with the plate again as the chips will go soggy, you can cover with paper towel to retain there heat and any steam the paper absorbs, once the second batch is done dump them in the bowl, salt and toss in with the first batch. There a massive bit of faffing about i had to do during lock down because frozen chips and fresh chipping potatos where out of stock. If we ever look like having another bloody lock down i'll stockup on chips and bog rolls. Come to think about it i still have cases of bog roll stacked up in the garage from the lock down.
We have this fryer, it's great for fried chicken and battering stuff but it isn't good for making chips. We've had ours awhile it's definitely worth the money and amazingly easy to clean and filter.
AO Electics are a good company. Did you have to negotiate terms with your good lady, for that? I thought she was against fat fryers? This one looks similar to my last fryer. Everything came apart like this one, but the tap that was supposed to remove cleaned oil never worked right. In the end it failed and dumped 6ltrs oil over the kitchen, haha.
Hi 150 till soft, then 170 to brown , this way you can par cook a big batch Ready to finish , Never but potatos called “ whites” they are always not the best , baking potatos in store are chosen for their smooth look and size . Not their fluffiness , Try edwards or Maris piper or rooster , all give fluffy middles not a sticky texture ,
Not used that for 10yrs + but you need to have it under cooker vent hood. Great looking chips. Another tip when putting basket in put it on the ledge first then top on and lower basket down and you wont get splashed with oil. Enjoy the Bad Food Guy gone to the Bad side lol.
have bin watchin all your videos me ole' mucker, went t' iceland today t' get them luxury burgers with cheese & bacon on em' just cuz you sed how grand they where. And while i woz there i thought i aint subscribed t' ye yet, so i ave. So "This is That" HE HE HE (LOL) Am now gonna get the chip pan im watchin now. Will be joinin all of you in the live ones. KEEP IT UP MUCKER! Big cheers, tug.
Glad you brought something good with our donations and another way to cook your reviews 😀 You're so brave to do your first fry in a vids Thanks Garath loved the vid and more fun cooking see you all later on Party Time ! Lyndax
I bought a cheaper tefal after watching this. Now I am buying the one you have bought in this video. You mold my mind like a potter playing with wet clay!
I’d recommend maris piper , king Edward or red skins for chipping mate but when I used to have a deep fat fryer I always got Asda frying chips crinkle cut in orange bag there amazing and crispy I remember other week I saw u making French fry’s chips try these in the deep fat fryer you will see big difference
Toss them in some dry parmesan cheese when you take them out of the deep fryer.... yum. I have a Tfal deep fryer - love it. Just a tip on doing chicken - put the pieces with the basket down, it will help the chicken not to stick so much to the basket. If I put chicken in the basket, then drop it in the oil, and I don't move it around right away, it is horrible to scrap off.
The premature browning will be because you haven't washed the starch off the chips. The starch caramelises on the potato and turns the chips brown before they've actually crisped up. I would recommend washing them very thoroughly and par boiling and steaming off for at least 5 minutes this will ensure that the chips are nice and dry *and* gets rid of a lot of the starch. 'Baking potatoes' will just be Saxon or some other variety of starchy potato but they should work pretty well still, as long as you wash the chips thoroughly. You can re-use the oil many times as long as you keep it to a moderate frying temperature and don't burn things in it. Don't chuck it away after just two or three fries unless you really mess something up in there. I also wouldn't use a brand like Crisp and Dry as that's just overpriced rapeseed oil. Just buy an own brand one from Aldi or something as it makes for big savings given the volume used.
You can get rapeseed oil from Aldi for £1.09 a litre which is usually a lot cheaper than Crisp and Dry, even if it's on offer. Your technique of low temp fry then high temp to finish off is sound by the way, but I would drop the temperature a bit lower - 130 to 140 initially - if you follow the tips above you'll get perfect chips. I'd also add that it works best if you let the chips cool off after the first fry and don't give them any colour - you're kind of almost slow cooking them in the oil the first time round and don't want them to have any real colour at all. You can do this a day ahead and pop them in the fridge. The term 'triple cooked' comes from the three stages - parboiling, low temp fry, high temp fry.