22 October 2023 , 11:31
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Fish and chips, a classic British takeaway famed for its battered cod, chunky chips, and side of mushy peas. The newspaper-wrapped dish has become a firm favourite for seaside town dwellers or those winding down to Friday night telly at home.
As 'chippies' have grown in popularity its greasy menus extend far beyond the cod classic, battered sausages and Mars Bars have become firm favourites too. The usually deep-friend menu makes for a morish treat but what many people don't know is how most chippies clean out the oil.
A former fish and chip shop worker has shared the truth about the oil used to create the crispy cod and reveals the one item on the menu he'd never order. Speaking to The Express Jordan Luxford, who's worked behind the counters of many chippies on the south coast, revealed exactly what goes on.
The former Wimbledon chef explained that 'just about anything goes' when it comes to frying in the oil, as staple items like cod, haddock, and sausages are fried in the same batch as chocolate bars. And when it comes to cleaning out the cooking grease one popular item on the menu is used to get rid of batter pieces, chips.
Jordan said: “Most people wouldn't know that after we cook battered products in our oil we would follow it with a batch of chips. The chips help to clean the oil of the smaller batter particles that do not get removed by sieving the oil.”
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It's because of this that there are some items on the menu Jordan says he would steer away from ordering himself, especially if he was looking for something fresh to eat. He said: "I would never order a fried beef burger! If you want a decent burger get it from a shop with a hot plate to cook it on.
"If you want a freshly cooked item go for something that isn't in the glass top under the lights but we would cook anything fresh if a customer asked anyway. Fried chocolate bars have always been popular too.
You may reconsider what you order the next time you fancy a fish and chips (Getty Images)"We would usually cook them for free alongside an order and as we wouldn't have the chocolate bars in stock, the customer would be asked to bring them with them and we would cook them at the same time as the rest of their order."
Behind the unusual kitchen methods of one of Britain's most loved dishes, a lot of effort goes into food prep as Jordan said it can take hours to prepare the fish and chips, one thing that was a huge eye-opener to him.
He said: "The amount of preparation time needed to get everything ready before opening was a huge surprise! It takes hours to cut a Friday night's fish and even more hours to peel, inspect and cut 20 bags of potatoes. Prep for a Friday night, opening at 5.30pm would start at 10am."