Making your own chips is so easy you'll wonder why you ever bothered buying them from the store. It's a simple process of converting fruit or vegetables into thin slivers, tossing in your favorite spices and a layer of oil, and applying heat. Whether you're baking, dehydrating or air frying, it's a great way to make delicious snacks on a budget.
Tools for Chip Making
You can make chips using as little as an oven and a knife or vegetable peeler, but there are a couple of tools that will save you time and effort:
A mandolin
Pick one of these up from the store for $10 or less. A vegetable holder passes back and forth over a thin blade, quickly turning the bulkiest vegetable into consistently wafer-thin slivers.
An air fryer
Lightly misting your veggies with oil and cooking them in an air fryer will give you the same crispy goodness as deep frying without the post-snack guilt.
A dehydrator
This handy unit dries out food at low temperatures without using oil. It's the healthiest option of all.
Chip creativity
Beets, chickpeas, and sweet potatoes are the rock stars of the home-made chip world, but you can make chips out of a surprising array of foods. Here are some alternative ideas to spice up your snacks:
Carrots
Turn carrots from crunchy to crispy by slicing them into long slivers and tossing them in your favorite spices. How about a little ginger?
Cucumber
You thought cucumbers were just for salads? Think again. Use a dehydrator or bake them at a low temperature to create one of the healthiest snacks around.
Kale
For those whose love-hate relationship with kale lacks any real love, consider making it into chips instead. Biting into a crispy, salty kale crisp is a completely different experience.
Garlic
Soak thinly-sliced garlic in Thai Kitchen® Coconut Milk before frying it in a thin layer of oil. Just ensure that your significant other eats it too!
Taro
Not everyone's go-to vegetable, taro is surprisingly versatile. Slice it, bake it, and pair it with a range of dips for a dinner table talking point.
Once you get started on making your own fruit and vegetable chips, your only barrier is your imagination. They're easier on your wallet than potato chips, better for your body, and produce less packaging waste.
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