What is the Difference Between Finger Chips and French Fries

The main difference between finger chips and French fries is that finger chips are fried only once, whereas French fries are typically fried twice.

Finger chips and French fries are thin strips of deep-fried potatoes. We often serve them with salt and a condiment of ketchup, mayonnaise, vinegar, or tomato sauce. But there is a slight difference between finger chips and French fries in their cooking method.

Key Areas Covered

1. What are French Fries
     – Definition, Recipe 
2. What are Finger Chips 
     – Definition, Recipe
3. Similarities Between Finger Chips and French Fries
     – Outline of Common Features
4. Difference Between Finger Chips and French Fries
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Finger Chips, French Fries

What are French Fries

French fries are thin strips of deep-fried potatoes. There are different names for French fries around the world: they are chips, fries, batonnet, finger chips, etc. Moreover, French fries are believed to originate from France or Belgium. We mostly use russet potatoes to make French fries.

The first step in making French fries is cutting potatoes into even strips. You can either peel the potatoes before cutting or leave the peel as it is. To remove the surface starch in potatoes, you have to wipe them off or soak them in cold water. Deep frying is the most common method to make French fries. But you can also use a vacuum fryer to make them with lower oil content, which is a healthier option. 

Most chefs prefer a two-bath technique to make French fries. This involves frying the potato chips twice. In a two-bath method, the first bath (we sometimes call this blanching) includes hot fat. Then, they are again briefly fried in hotter fat to make the exterior crisp. The first bath can take a few minutes, while the second one only takes seconds. The times of the baths would actually depend on the size of the potato strips.

We generally serve French fries hot and crispy. They can be a part of lunch or dinner. Some also prefer them as a snack. They also appear on the menus of pubs, bars, and restaurants. People generally eat them with salt and condiments like ketchup, mayonnaise, and tomato sauce.

What are Finger Chips

Finger chips are the Indian English name for French fries. In fact, this name is common in the whole South Asian region. However, finger fries are not the same as French fries. There is a slight difference between their cooking method. Finger chips are fried only once. Moreover, to make these chips, you have to first peel the potatoes, cut them into thin strips, and deep fry these potato strips in oil. Then, they are ready for consumption.

Similarities Between Finger Chips and French Fries

• Finger chips and French fries are thin strips of potatoes that undergo deep-frying.
• We generally serve them with salt and a condiment of ketchup, mayonnaise, vinegar, or tomato sauce.

Difference Between Finger Chips and French Fries

Definition

French fries are thin strips of deep-fried potatoes, while finger chips are the Indian version of French fries.

Frying

Finger chips are fried once, whereas French fries are typically fried twice.

Usage of the Name

Mainly American’s use the name French fries, whereas the name finger chips is an Indian English .

Conclusion

Both finger chips and French fries are thin strips of deep-fried potatoes. The main difference between finger chips and French fries is that finger chips are fried once, whereas French fries are typically fried twice. Regardless of their frying method, both are popular fast food items loved by all.

Reference:

1. Amit, Dassana. “French Fries (Finger Chips).” Dassana’s Veg Recipes, 22 Apr. 2021.
2. “French Fries.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Mar. 2022.

Image Courtesy:

1. “French Fries” By StockSnap – (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia