More than just a healthier choice than store-bought chips, these little chips hit all the bells and whistles as commercial brands. Plus, you have control over ingredients and flavors. This method is more about nailing texture.

A perfect potato chip is crispy and crunchy and saturates your palate with salty goodness, or whatever flavors you like. I like salty goodness. It is an indulgence food. The problem with baked chips is that they often lack that crispy texture that you get from deep fried chips. Even commercial baked chips can feel a bit disappointing. Also, baked chips can be a bit inconsistent, with mushy pieces and burned pieces all in the same batch. But a couple of simple adjustments to the standard high heat baking method yields much better results!

Crispy Baked Chip Method

Slice potatoes very thin. For best results get them as thin as you possibly can!

You can use a sharp chef’s knife, but a good mandoline will give you thin and even slices very quickly. If you will make chips frequently, it is worth investing in a mandoline. Just take safety precautions; the blade is very sharp.

Put the potato slices in a bowl and cover with cold water. Allow them to soak for about an hour, or overnight in the fridge. This will remove some of the starches.

Parcook slices.

Pour your hot boiling water over potato slices and allow to sit for 10 minutes. It is better to start with cold water, same as when cooking pasta. Hot water from the tap can impart a slightly funky flavor.

Drain off all water. Dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.

In a bowl, sprinkle potatoes with a little cooking oil; you can use whatever is your go-to oil for this. I often use extra virgin olive oil; you will not be subjecting it to high temperature. Sprinkle with salt and whatever seasonings you like. Go easy on salt! Saltiness will be much more pronounced after baking. Use your hands to gently separate potato slices as you mix them, being sure to evenly distribute oil and salt.

Spread chips evenly on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Avoid piling chips on each other. You want an even layer for even cooking, but no need to be too precious. Curled crinkled chips make for a really good mouthfeel, and much like what you get in a commercial bag of chips.

Bake at 200º for about 2 hours. They get even more crispy if you slightly crack the oven door, holding it in place with a wooden utensil. After an hour, sample a chip. Then periodically sample until you like the texture. This is not a difficult step. 🙂

Slow cooking in this way, just above dehydration temperatures, ensures even drying for optimal texture!

Enjoy!

Crispy Homemade Baked Potato Chips

If you want to ditch those store-bought chips and still get all the bells and whistles of a crispy potato chip, this is the best way I have found to do!

Ingredients:

• potatoes, yukon gold, preferably organic with skins on
• cooking oil
• salt
• optional: pepper, flavorings, whatever you like

Method

Slice potatoes very thin. You can use a sharp chef’s knife, but a good mandoline will give you thin and even slices very quickly. If you will make chips frequently, it is worth investing in a mandoline. Just take safety precautions; the blade is very sharp.

Put the potato slices in a bowl and cover with cold water. Allow them to soak for about an hour, or overnight in the fridge. This will remove some of the starches. Drain off water.

Parcook slices. Fill a pot with cold water. Bring it to a boil. Pour it over potato slices (in a heat-safe bowl) and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Drain off all water. Dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. In a bowl, sprinkle potatoes with a little cooking oil; you can use whatever is your go-to oil for this. I often use extra virgin olive oil; you will not be subjecting it to high temperature. Sprinkle with salt and whatever seasonings you like. Go easy on salt! Saltiness will be much more pronounced after baking. Use your hands to gently separate potato slices as you mix them, being sure to evenly distribute oil and salt.

Spread chips evenly on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Avoid piling chips on each other. You want an even layer for even cooking, but no need to be too precious. Curled crinkled chips make for a really good mouthfeel, and much like what you get in a commercial bag of chips.

Bake at 200º for about 2 hours. They get even more crispy if you slightly crack the oven door, holding it in place with a wooden utensil. After an hour, sample a chip. Then periodically sample until you like the texture. This is not a difficult step. 🙂

Serve immediately.

Storage Notes: Homemade baked chips can be a challenge to store. They are real food with no nitrogen air added to the storage container. Real food goes bad. But you can extend the life of the chips by keeping them in a salad container or another sealed container. Add a paper towel to keep them as dry as possible. When you are ready to eat them, they will still be delicious, just not as amazing as fresh from the oven. However, you can throw them back in the oven to crisp them up.

Enjoy!

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