Although there are many many varieties of potato, they fall into two broad category types: starchy and waxy. They have different flavour properties and different cooking properties. Remember, cooking is basically just chemistry.

Perfect Chunky Chips

How to cook great chips???The secret to perfect chips is to double fry them. This results in a soft moist centre and a lovely crunchy outer skin. That's how a perfect chip should be - although it seems to be so hard to find these days when you're eating out.

A great potato for making chips is the Maris Piper or King Edward. Peel and cut them into big chunky chips ("fries" for all those who don't speak proper English). Wash them to remove some of the starch and dry VERY well on ktichen paper towel. (You really don't want to be chucking water or anthing wet into a pan of hot fat).

Next - cook the chips in oil at 120 degrees Celcius. This first cooking process draws the starch to the outside of the chip and seals in the moisture - essential for that soft moist centre.

In this cooked state you can actually store them for up to a day.

Then cook again in oil, this time at 175 - 185 degrees Celcius. At this temperature the surface sugars in the chip begin to combine to form long molecule chains, and it's this process that makes the chip surface go crispy.

Season and serve!

Melt-in-the-Mouth Mash

How to cook great mash??? Again, the secret to excellent mashed potatoes is a dual cooking process, which protects ths starch molecules. For mashed potatoes it's actually best to use a non-starchy potato (i.e. a waxy one) - such as Desiree.

Peel and cook/simmer your potatoes at 70 degrees Celcius for half an hour in a pan of water. Then drain and place them in ice water to immediately halt the cooking process. This will remove some of the starch.

Then boil in water until soft. Use a potato ricer or sieve to push the potato through without scraping or breaking the starch molecules.

Add butter, a small quantity of milk and seasoning (salt/pepper) according to your preferred taste.

Instead of salt, you can also add a couple of spoons of wholegrain mustard for a really classy "restaurant" taste. Your guests will love it!

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More about the  food category

My whole "food" section is inspired around the theme of "recipes for blokes". It has evolved as a result of my own need to stay alive.

What I've tried to do is come up with some recipes that are easy to make, but taste great. They're quick and easy because they make use of basic, reliable ingredients where I've replaced the "science" of following a strict recipe with (hopefully) something more creative and flexible.

[By the way, you should read these recipes in conjunction with my "basic ingredients" list.]

And of course, tasty food is a great way to impress a partner or your hungry dinner guests.

You'll also discover that I've tried to use healthy ingredients, and in particular avoiding the use of salt wherever possible.

In all my recipes the focus is not on the fine detail (probably what puts a lot of fellas off) but on the essence of the recipe. Experiment with the ingredients and find the quantities that suit you and your taste buds best. Once you are well practised it will come you'll be able to create your own recipes and mouthwatering dishes from a few leftover ingredients.

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