Top eight: Oven chips put to the taste test 

Oven chips are easy to make yourself but, if you don't feel so inclined, there's plenty on offer in the shops 

This week, thick oven chips get a grilling.

Crisp outside, soft inside, moreish — what’s not to like about chips? But what should we consider when buying or cooking them ourselves?

Frying in fat makes them crisp but, with double the calories, the fat content of fried chips per 100g (10 chips) can be as high as 17g, compared with about 5g in oven chips. So oven chips seem a relatively healthy option. Thicker chips absorb less fat — an even better choice.

Perhaps the best cooking method is the increasingly popular air fryer. They cost from €32.50 (Lidl) to €300, requiring no oil (for frozen) and 1 tbsp for homemade. Cooking time (15-30 minutes) depends on the thickness of the chips and brand of machine.

I make my own chunky chips, sprinkling them with paprika and olive or vegetable oil or leftover duck/goose fat. They don’t take long to make from scratch, especially if you leave them unpeeled for extra fibre. At oven temperature 200C, 400F or gas 6, they take about 40 minutes, not much longer than from frozen.

Bake a few scones/biscuits while you are at it to make the best use of the hot oven.

Today’s survey is of mainly thick oven chips. They come from outside Ireland as Irish potatoes appear to be unavailable in the consistent quantity demanded by consumers.

Strong Roots Proper Chips 650g €3.99

Pictures: Eddie O'Hare

Medium thickness of Maris Piper, 97%, a good proportion of potatoes, just has added 3% sunflower oil and a moderate 0.13% salt. Good to see no other additives, the skins providing flavour and texture. Light inside and crisp outside. While the company office is based in Dublin, the chips are not made in Ireland. Widely available.

Score: 9

Aunt Bessie’s homestyle chips 900g €4

Gluten free, with 95% potatoes and 3% sunflower oil, the remaining 5% – less coating than some products – comes from rice flour, dextrin (sweetener), potato starch salt 0.21%, paprika flavouring, dextrose (a form of sugar). The medium-cut chips were fluffy inside and crisped up well. From Birdseye. Widely available.

Score: 8.25

Tesco Finest British Chunky Oven Chips 1.5kg €4.29

Made from 89% Maris Piper potatoes. At 4.1%, fats from sunflower oil are higher than some and are coated with a batter of wheat flour, maize flour, salt 0.5%, rice flour, dextrose, black pepper extract, so not good for wheat intolerant, but no raising agents. Larger chunks than many were nicely fluffy inside and crisped up well.

Score: 8.25

SuperValu Chunky Oven Chips 1.5kg €1.05

With 93% potatoes, the remaining 7% comprises 3% sunflower oil, wheat flour and starch, rice flour, salt 0.44%, dextrose (a form of sugar), yeast extract (flavouring). Not for those with wheat intolerance. Additives as raising agents are diphosphates, sodium carbonates. We would prefer a simpler list of ingredients. Nicely chunky, fluffy inside, the chips crisped up well. Good price.

Score: 8

Green Isle Rustic Chips 800g €4

With 95% potatoes and 3% sunflower oil, these slim chips with skins on have a lesser amount of coating than other samples – but still with quite a few additives – modified potato starch, rice flour, salt 0.65%, dextrin, raising agents are E450 (diphosphates), E500 (sodium carbonate, known as baking soda/bicarbonate of soda). Turmeric flavouring and paprika provide colour and taste and the chips crisped up well. From an Irish company, but not produced in Ireland.

Score: 8

Lidl Deluxe Chunky Oven Chips 1.5kg €1.89

Maris Piper is the choice here, as with most brands. Some 92% potatoes leaves a remaining 8% of sunflower oil delivering fats of 3.8%, and a coating of a long list including wheat flour, wheat starch, rice flour, salt 0.30%, yeast extract flavouring, dextrose, raising agents diphosphates, sodium carbonates, thickener xanthan gum. Not gluten free.

Score: 8

Dunnes Stores chunky chips 1.5kg €2

With 92% Maris Piper potatoes, the remaining 8% comes from 4% sunflower oil, and a coating of flour, rice flour, wheat starch, salt 0.36%, dextrose, natural flavouring. Raising agents sodium carbonate, and disodium phosphate lengthen the list. The chips were nicely chunky, fluffy inside and crisp outside.

Score: 8

Iceland Maris Piper Chunky Oven Chips1.5k €2.50

With potato at 89%, the other 11% includes 4% sunflower oil and a coating with wheat flour and starch, so not good for coeliacs, dextrose, thickener xanthan gum with rice flour, salt 0.6%, yeast extract flavouring. Raising agents are diphosphates, sodium carbonates. We would prefer a simpler list of ingredients. They were substantially chunky, fluffy inside and crisped up well.

Score: 8