Important Potato Chip Research!
A plate of homemade, oil -free potato chips
Oh potato chips. How I love you.
There are a few snacks that I still dream about. There are days when I’m driving home from work and it takes all my power to not turn into the grocery store parking lot and grab the junk I am craving. Potato chips and donuts are the two things that haunt my dreams. I have no regrets about changing my diet but that doesn’t mean cravings don’t linger and sometimes control me.
I’ve found excellent replacements for several things but potato chips were one thing that I just couldn’t find a replacement for. There is a cooking show on YouTube that you should check out. This is where I have gotten so many excellent recipes over the years. Jill makes an excellent almond flour cracker, and a killer oreo cookie cake recipe, just to name a couple. But, it was specifically potato chips that I missed.
Now, why don’t you just let yourself have them once in a while, you may be asking, and rightfully so. I totally agree with the “once in a while” theory for most people but for those of us who have food addiction, it’s not a great idea. You wouldn’t tell an alcoholic to just have a small glass once in a while, what harm can it do? Once I treat myself to one chip it’s over. I eat the whole bag and then move on to other things, like a vacuum stuck in the “on” position. I lose all control and it’s not a fun feeling.
The other reason I don’t treat myself once in a while is that the salt and oil from the potato chips causes inflammation which in turn aggravates my sciatic nerve and puts me out of commission for a few days.
the experiment
So, that brings me to my latest experiment. This is something I found on Pinterest and do not take credit for. There are plenty of recipes out there so go have a blast and try them all! I have tried to make potato chips in the oven before, without oil, and they just ended up being oven baked potato slices.
There were three things that I did differently this time:
Slice with a mandolin: this time around I have a mandolin. Not only one of my biggest time-savers in the kitchen but one of the tools that has helped many of my recipes to be successful. It’s amazing how important even slices are- who knew?
I would suggest getting one that has a knob for adjusting the thickness and can make cross-cuts (think running a potato over it and getting french-fries). Here’s the one similar to what I have. I haven’t used this brand in particular but it looks pretty close to mine and has some great features (the cutting glove is essential too and it comes with one. Bonus!) :Amazon.com: VEKAYA Mandoline Slicer, Mandoline Slicer for Kitchen, Adjustable Mandolin, Stainless Steel Mandoline, Vegetable Slicer, Potato, Onion, Cucumber, Tomato, Veggie Slicer with Cut-Resistant Gloves
Soak the potato slices first. Soak them in cold water. Even just for 5 mins. Removing starches seemed to help them crisp up. Just make sure to dry them after they come out of their bath. The less moisture they have going into the microwave, the better.
Microwave. Another surprise! It honestly was the last method I tried. We have a small airfryer and I tried convection oven but the microwave was my most successful method.
here’s how to do it:
Wash the potato. I leave skin on and just wash the potatoes well. You can use any type of potato you’d like. I prefer red potatoes but I’ve had good luck with all kinds.
Slice the potato. Put on your cutting glove, set the mandolin to its thinnest slicing option, and slice those babies up. I use two smallish red potatoes per person.
Soak the potatoes. Put sliced potatoes in a cold water or ice water bath. Just throw them in a bowl of cold water for about 5 mins. It doesn't take too long for the starch to be sucked out of them.
Drain the water and give them another rinse.
Dry the potatoes. Lay sliced potatoes out on a towel and get as much water off as you can. Sprinkle on salt or spray on Braggs liquid aminos. See note below for link.
Microwave the potatoes. Take a microwave safe plate, lay down a paper towel and then parchment paper. Then place the sliced potatoes on the parchment paper, not overlapping. Sprinkle with a bit of salt if using.
Microwave for 3 mins.
Flip the potatoes. Take out and flip the chips over.
Microwave for about 2 mins more. This is the round you need to watch them. They will start turning brown, which is what we want, we just don’t want to burn them.
My batches are typically a total of 5 mins, maybe 5 min, 30 secs.
Cool the potatoes. When sufficiently brown, I lay them on a cooling rack while I do the next batch.
Eat the potatoes! These can be stored in an air-tight container. I like using a large ball jar with its tight fitting lids.
Another tip: if you want to avoid the salt, get yourself a small spray bottle and fill it with Braggs Amino (buy here: https://www.bragg.com/products/liquid-aminos?srsltid=AfmBOorn1VtoJJsf2tgb4tA7hQYPYDVdRiI-CHKONqNMwdA4qqjOXWeW) This will give you a salty treat without all the sodium of table salt, plus the added benefits of the liquid aminos :)
One of the greatest and most remarkable things I have discovered about eating this way, is how I can have just a few of these chips and then stop. I cannot do that with store bought stuff. The reason is simple. My homemade stuff is made with whole foods, not junk. It lacks the heavy salt, oil, and refined sugar that we are used to consuming and contribute to our addiction to it. But when I make these types of whole food treats my body just magically knows when to stop. Magic, I tell you!
So, there you have it. My secret to having my snacks and eating them too.
