Fresh or frozen chips for your business?

Fresh or frozen: for many snack bars, chip shops and restaurants it is one of the biggest choices on the menu. Pre-fried frozen chips are easy and predictable, while fresh chips taste of potato and give your business its own identity. We supply fresh chips, so we are not neutral. That is exactly why we set out the differences honestly here, including the points where frozen does better.

1. What exactly is the difference?

Pre-fried frozen chips have been washed, peeled, cut, blanched, briefly pre-fried in oil and then frozen in a factory. In your business they go into the fryer frozen and only need finishing. Depending on the brand, frozen chips sometimes contain additives, such as an agent that prevents greyish discolouration, dextrose for an even colour or a coating for extra crispness. Check the ingredients list for those.

Fresh chips are cut from raw potatoes and delivered chilled. Ours are cut from our own potatoes, with no additives, not pre-fried and vacuum-packed. You do the pre-frying and finishing yourself. That is more work, but it also means you decide how your chips turn out: the frying time, the colour, the fat.

2. Flavour and experience

The argument most often heard for fresh chips is flavour. Fresh chips have a fuller potato taste and a soft, floury centre. Guests notice it, especially with thicker cuts. Frozen chips, on the other hand, are very uniform: every portion looks and colours the same, and a coating keeps them crisp for longer, for example for delivery orders.

With fresh chips the potato plays a bigger role, and potatoes change with the season. That is why we work with two varieties: Agria from September to July and Frieslander in August. Because we only use our own potatoes, there is hardly any difference in quality throughout the year. Fresh chips also give you a story for the menu, which is hard to tell with a factory bag.

3. Labour in the kitchen

Here frozen has a clear advantage. Out of the freezer, into the basket, finish, done. Fresh chips need two frying stages: first a pre-fry at a lower temperature, then steaming off and cooling, and then the finishing fry. That calls for planning and fryer capacity, especially on busy evenings. Many businesses solve it by pre-frying during quiet moments and only finishing during the rush. How that works is explained under pre-frying chips.

The difference compared with peeling and cutting yourself is large, though. That is exactly how Friet van Beus started: a nearby chip shop had had enough of peeling and cutting potatoes itself. With fresh, vacuum-packed chips you skip that work and keep the taste of fresh. If you are considering the move, read how to go about it under switching to fresh chips.

4. Storage and shelf life

Frozen chips keep for a long time and you can stock up in bulk. On the other hand you need freezer space, which is scarce in many kitchens. Fresh chips go in the chiller and have a shorter shelf life. So you work with smaller stocks and fixed delivery days. We cut on Tuesday and Friday mornings and then deliver ourselves, so the chips arrive fresh.

Work with fresh chips on a first in, first out basis: oldest bags first. Keep the chiller at the right temperature and only open a vacuum bag when you need it. How best to store fresh chips and what to watch for in terms of food safety is covered under storing fresh chips.

5. Energy and frying fat

A freezer runs day and night at a much lower temperature than a chiller, and that costs more energy. Frozen chips also cool the fat considerably when they go into the basket, so the fryer has to work harder to recover its temperature. Fresh chips suffer less from that, but they do go into the fat twice. Which comes out better overall depends on your equipment and your volumes.

Your frying fat notices the difference too. Fresh chips bring moisture and starch with them, so draining well, filtering daily and changing the fat on time are important. Frozen chips have already absorbed fat during pre-frying in the factory and can spit because of ice crystals. With a sound routine, both are perfectly manageable.

6. Margin and positioning

Do not just compare the purchase price per kilo; look at what ends up on the plate per portion, how much waste you have and what a guest is willing to pay. Fresh chips give you a product that justifies your price. What goes into the purchase cost is covered under the price of fresh chips, and how to calculate the yield per bag under yield of fresh chips.

Frozen is predictable and forgiving when turnover fluctuates. Fresh chips take more planning, but they set your business apart from the competitor frying the same bag from the same wholesaler. Not sure yet? You can also start with fresh chips alongside your current chips, or on part of the menu first. Call or message Thijs on 06 23972300 or Joost on 06 23055742 to discuss what works for your business, or come and have a look at the farm in Zeewolde.

Frequently asked questions