Video summary

I Added One Ingredient to My Air Fryer Chips....Wow!

Main summary

Key takeaways

Cooking

Presenter / Channel

Rick — Backyard Chef (YouTube). The video demonstrates an air-fryer “next level” chip method by adding potato starch.

Ingredients (with quantities/substitutions mentioned)

  • Potatoes, peeled and cut into chips (type doesn’t matter; local potatoes used)
  • Water (for soaking/chipping; no salt, no other ingredients)
  • Salt: “a little bit” in the dry-bowl chips (used to release moisture)
  • Paprika: “a little bit” for color
  • Potato starch (“straight out the cupboard”): a couple of tablespoons
    • Substitution: corn starch would also work (“more or less the same”)
  • Oil: about 1 tablespoon (added to both wet and dry chip batches)

Serving / to finish (mentioned)

  • Malt vinegar
  • Salt (on top, alongside vinegar)

Equipment / Setup

  • Air fryer with twin baskets (Casari air fryer used so two lots cook at the same time)
  • 2 different bowls (one for soaking/wet, one for dry mix to keep batches distinct)
  • Bowl of water for soaking
  • Knife/peeler; cutting board
  • Cooking trays/baskets (two-basket arrangement)

Preparation & Method (two chip “ways” tested side-by-side)

1) Peel and prep potatoes

  1. Peel potatoes (peeler or knife).
  2. Cut into chips, aiming for similar thickness (no need to square-off—“we’re making chips”).

2) Create “wet” batch (starch-release soak)

  1. Have a bowl of plain water ready (no salt).
  2. Soak/chip part of the potatoes into the water.
  3. Let them sit about 15 minutes (starch releases; water turns cloudy).
  4. During this time, peel and chip the remaining potatoes for the “dry” batch.

3) Create “dry” batch (salt + starch + oil)

  1. After ~15 minutes, drain and pat dry the “wet” and “dry” batches (each patted dry separately).
  2. For the dry bowl, add:
    • Salt (“a little bit”) to release moisture
    • Paprika (“a little bit” for color)
    • Potato starch: a couple of tablespoons
    • Oil: about 1 tablespoon
  3. Mix well.

4) Add starch to both batches and rest

  1. The “wet” drained/patted-dry chips are also mixed with the starch + oil in the same way as the dry batch (the emphasis is that “everything’s the same… besides wet vs dry handling”).
  2. After mixing, let both chip batches rest for 10 minutes.
    • Technique cue: potatoes “sweat,” forming a thin film on the outside.

5) Air-fry both batches

  1. Pre-set air fryer:
    • Temperature: 200°C (or 205°C)
    • Time: 20 minutes
  2. Add chips to the baskets.
    • Tip: single layer is best; otherwise don’t worry.
  3. Prevent sticking:
    • After some initial cooking, use the “old-fashioned way”: take out, shake/stir, then return.
    • Check around 5 minutes for another shake if needed.

6) Finish and compare

  • Cook until as brown/crispy as desired (video stops when “that will do”).
  • Presenter notes:
    • “Wet” vs “dry” look different during cooking (wet bottom shows moisture), but final seasoning and crunch are the same.

Key technique / “secret” explanation

  • Claim: Potatoes release moisture, and potato starch sticks to chips as a very thin film.
  • During air frying, that film crisps up on the outside while the interior stays light/fluffy.

Common issues & tips (from the video)

  • Don’t cut too thin: thin chips can dry out.
  • Move them during air frying to prevent sticking together.
  • Thickness matters for fluffiness inside (presenter wishes chips were thicker in general).

Serving suggestions

  1. Season immediately after air frying:
    • Malt vinegar (presenter demonstrates a vinegar-soaked “chip buddy”)
    • Salt on top
  2. Serve hot; presenter emphasizes they stay crispy even 10 minutes after coming out.

Variations mentioned

  • Starch options:
    • Use potato starch (main “secret”)
    • Corn starch can substitute (“more or less the same”)

Source / References

No external sources were referenced. The method and comparison are presented directly by Rick of Backyard Chef (YouTube), with the “secret ingredient” being potato starch.

Original video