Chip shop chips are hard to beat, but you don't need a vat of hot oil to get close. A good oven tray, the right potato, and a couple of small habits most people skip are really all it takes. Here's how to get proper crispy chips using nothing more than your oven.
Why oven chips usually turn out soft
Most disappointing homemade chips come down to three things: too much moisture on the potato, overcrowding the tray, and not enough direct contact with a hot surface. A deep fryer solves this by surrounding every chip in oil at a consistent high temperature. In the oven, you're relying on the tray itself to do that job, which is why the tray you use matters more than people think.
This is exactly where a crisper tray earns its keep. The Pep Crisper Oven Tray has a mesh, non-stick surface designed to draw heat evenly and let air move underneath the chips rather than trapping steam against a flat, cold surface. That's the difference between chips that go crisp and chips that go soggy on the bottom no matter how long you leave them in.
The potato matters more than the oven setting
Not every potato crisps up the same way. Look for a floury variety, Maris Piper and King Edward are the two most reliable choices in the UK. These have a higher starch content and lower water content than waxy potatoes, which means less moisture fighting against you in the oven.
Cut your chips all the same thickness, roughly 1.5cm. Thinner chips crisp faster but dry out in the middle. Thicker chips stay fluffy inside but need longer, and if the thickness is uneven across the tray, some will burn before others are done.
Get the moisture out before they go anywhere near the oven
This step gets skipped constantly, and it's the one that makes the biggest difference.
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Cut your chips and rinse them under cold water until the water runs clear. This washes off surface starch that would otherwise make them gluey rather than crisp.
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Pat them completely dry with a clean tea towel or kitchen paper. Any water left on the surface turns to steam in the oven, and steam is the enemy of crisp.
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If you have ten minutes spare, parboil the chips for 3 to 4 minutes, drain them, then let them sit and steam-dry in the colander for a few minutes. Give them a rough shake so the edges fluff up slightly. This roughed-up surface is what goes properly crisp in the oven, it's the same principle behind a good roast potato.
Oil, but not much of it
You don't need to submerge anything, just a thin, even coating. Toss the dried chips in about a tablespoon of oil per large potato, rapeseed or sunflower oil both handle high heat well. Spread them out so every chip has space around it. If they're touching or piled up, they'll steam each other instead of crisping.
A tray with mesh basket, like the crisper tray, helps here too, it lifts the chips slightly off the base so hot air gets underneath rather than just cooking the bottom layer flat against the metal.
Oven temperature and timing
Preheat the oven, and preheat the tray inside it. Putting chips onto a hot tray gives them an immediate hit of heat the moment they land, which kickstarts the crisping process rather than letting them slowly warm up alongside the oven.
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Oven temperature: 220°C (200°C fan) or gas mark 7
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Cooking time: 30 to 40 minutes, depending on thickness
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Turn the chips halfway through so both sides get contact with the hot tray
Resist the urge to check on them every five minutes. Opening the oven door repeatedly drops the temperature and lets steam escape into the kitchen instead of away from the chips, which slows the whole process down.
Season at the right moment
Salt draws out moisture, so if you salt the chips before cooking, you're working against everything you just did to dry them out. Season after they come out of the oven, while they're still hot enough for the salt to stick.
A quick troubleshooting guide
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Chips are soft in the middle but crisp outside: they likely needed a touch longer, or were cut too thick for the time given.
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Chips are crisp on top but soft underneath: the tray wasn't preheated, or the chips weren't given enough space to let air circulate.
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Chips are patchy, some crisp and some not: uneven thickness when cutting, or an overcrowded tray. Cook in two batches if you need to.
Once you've got the method down, it works for wedges, roast potatoes, and sweet potato fries too, the same principles of drying the potato, using a hot textured tray, and giving everything room apply across the board.
Check out the Pep Crisper Oven Tray HERE!