Potato chips are made with three basic ingredients—potatoes, oil, and salt. According to our tasters, starchy white russets and Idahos are the only way to go; products made from other varieties left tasters wondering if they were made from real potatoes.

The type of oil used for frying turned out to be very important. Three of the four bottom-ranking chips are fried in so-called “neutral” canola oil, which made the chips taste “fishy,” with a “stale aftertaste.” Why? Canola oil has a very high concentration (11 percent) of unsaturated fatty acids (called linoleic acids), which break down at high temperatures and take on a fishy flavor and odor. The other chips were fried in safflower, sunflower, corn, and cottonseed oils, which have much lower concentrations (3 percent or lower) of these fatty acids.

Kettle-style chips finished first and fourth in our tasting. These thick-cut chips are cooked in small batches and spend more time in the cooking oil. A thicker cut means more potato mass—and thus more potato flavor—and longer cooking times result in crunchier chips. Our favorite brand’s crunchy chips were the thickest ones we sampled and just salty enough to keep tasters coming back for seconds.

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Based on the information you just learned about now you can make your own potato chips at home.

All you need is:

• 6 or more medium potatoes
• Oil for deep frying
• Salt

Wash and peel the potatoes and slice very thin. A slicer or a sharp knife or food processor with a thin slicing blade can be used.Put the slices at once into a bowl of cold water and let stand for at least one hour, this removes the starches allowing them to get crispier. Ice water is best, but you can also set the whole bowl in the refrigerator if you wish. Remove them from the water and dry well by shaking them in a towel.

Fry them in a pan of hot oil at 390 degrees, until a light golden brown. Don’t try frying too many at once. Drain on paper towels, any kind of plain crumpled absorbent paper or a dish towel. Salt and season lightly while they are still warm so they absorb the flavors.

Your chips can be kept for some time if they are sealed into plastic bags or containers after they have cooled.