It’s best to buy unwashed potatoes if you can - the industrial washing process makes the spuds absorb water which stops them crisping up well.  Meike Beck, Cookery Director at Good Housekeeping  Preparation is key. Arm yourself with a good peeler (we love Y-shaped peelers) and set-to on your potatoes. Trim all chips to equal length and width so as to guarantee that they cook at the same rate. We would suggest no wider than 1.5cm (3/4in) or you'll need to alter oil temperatures and timings. Soak chips in cold water for 30min (to remove excess starch), then dry well with kitchen paper before frying. They need to be completely dry before frying for extra crunchy results  The secret to chip perfection is in the cooking of it - two different oil temperatures. A first, lower temperature of 160C cooks the potato through and a second, higher temperature of 190C crisp the outside of the chip. So arm yourself with a suitable thermometer to check the temperature of the oil, or, better still use a deep-fat fryer.  John Whaite, food writer and winner of great British Bake Off 2012  The best chips, in my opinion, are always at least twice-cooked. Fry them until gorgeous and golden, then put them, well spaced, on a baking sheet and crisp up in a moderately-hot oven. Douse in vinegar with gay abandon.  Dan Doherty, executive chef at Duck & Waffle  I'm slightly old school, not a fan of triple cooking. Personally I like the thinner chip, and a few sage leaves or a twig of rosemary to fry alongside, which crushes nicely when you shake. To season I prefer Maldon salt, but blitzed very fine, otherwise it just falls off and you have a pile of salt at the end.  Lindsey Bareham, cookery writer and author of In Praise of the Potato  Be sure to cook the chips in small batches to avoid lowering the temperature of the cooking oil and preventing them crisping up properly.  Aidan McGee, executive chef at The Truscott Arms pub, London  Fry the chips in beef fat to add flavour. Seasoning the chips with sea salt and vinegar is a must!  Andy McLeish, executive chef at Chapter One in Orpington, Kent  Choosing the right potato depends on the time of the year. Right now I would recommend Lovers or Chippers Choice.  Be sure to add sea salt to your chips  Anna Hansen, founder of The Modern Pantry, London  For an interesting twist try the African tubor, cassava. Sprinkle with amchur powder or ground toasted cumin seed and fine sea salt for a moreish snack.  Peter Weeden, chef at Newman Street Tavern, London  Before deep frying, boil chips in salted water, with a split bulb of garlic and sprig of rosemary to flavour (3 minutes for skinny chips and 5 minutes for chunky).  Rosemary Shrager, TV chef and owner of the Rosemary Shrager Cookery School  I use Maris Piper potatoes for chips - I never parboil, but fry the chips on a very low heat for around 10 minutes in ground nut oil or sunflower oil. I then drain off the chips, allow them to go cold and fry them again on a high heat to crisp them up. This makes the most delicious chips.
It's National Chip Week, so we've asked top chefs and food writers to share   their tips for cooking the best chips