I know which ones I’ve found that work – and the duds – and there’s a clear winner in my book….. and I know some of you are now sitting there thinking “Whaaaaatt??? You can microwave frozen oven chips? Just everyday frozen oven chips? From the supermarket?” and want to know more 🙂

It was in the late 1990s that I first thought “I could microwave those” when I looked at a supermarket’s frozen chips. There have always been McCain Microwave Chips, but the box is so tiny, the portions so small, the price so high. I was in the CoOp looking down at their ~1Kg of frozen chips, priced at just 33p/large bag and decided to just go for it. After all, what could possibly go wrong?

And they were an instant hit. A winner! Nice, juicy, microwave chips – much better (and cheaper) than the McCain sticks that were unsatisfying.

Over the years I’ve used many brands, but one or two have stood out as being “the best frozen chips to microwave”. Be aware though, recipes can change and catch you out.

Best Frozen Chips to Microwave

1. In first position: Tesco, Hearty Food Company, frozen chips. At a staggeringly low price of just 90p for 1.5Kg that’s six portions. Just 15p/portion. 60p/Kg, that’s almost as cheap as buying the cheapest potatoes! This has WINNER written all over it. They’re easy to find, easy to buy, cook up nicely in a microwave AND they’re still cheap when compared to buying raw potatoes!
2. In second position: Lidl Harvest Basket Straight Cut frozen chips. These were about the same price as the Tesco cheap frozen chips last time I bought them.

Both of the above are nicely browned to start with, so the colour’s there and stays there. Some cheap frozen chips come out of the bag white …. and it’s difficult to persuade them to brown up a little. Both the Tesco Hearty Food Company chips and the Lidl Harvest Basket chips are a good colour.

Avoid: So far, of the chips I’ve tried, unfortunately I’d say avoid the Aldi frozen chips that are at the same price point, I can’t recall their name. The straight cut chips. They’re quite white out of the bag and they don’t microwave well; they have a little too much added oil, which tends to make the chips stay soggy and be unappetising, I could also taste the oil.

The Microwave Chips Photo Above

Just to confirm, the microwave chips photo on this page are actual chips I microwaved here at home, without “trying” to make them look good. They’re nice and brown and moist….. ~10 minutes, 15p per portion!

You might notice – none of my photos are “staged” at all – they come as they are 🙂

My Advice: Go For It!

In my opinion, if the idea of having microwave chips without buying brand names and paying an arm and a leg for a small portion appeals to you, then give it a go. You’ve nothing to lose. Why not try some as a snack! I’ve previously written up how to microwave frozen chips as there are a couple of techniques to make them better … and not stick together.

This is a great, quick, easy, way to put a few chips on a plate, there’s no need to go without and there’s no need to turn the oven on and wait for it to warm up!