When we first discovered microwave potato chips four years ago, it was nothing short of a revelation. Even now, the fact that a short spin in the microwave can transform slices of potato into crispy (truly crispy!) chips without needing a drop of oil still seems like magic. Here's how to make them.
The key to these microwaved chips is slicing them very thinly. Between 1/8-inch and 1/16-inch is ideal, and this is easiest and most quickly done on a mandoline. If you don't have a mandoline, use a very sharp chef's knife and get those slices as thin as you possibly can. If you get a few thick slices in there, no worries; they still crisp up on the edges and take on a toothsome chewy texture in the middle.
I've tried a few different potatoes and root vegetables with this technique over the years, and they all seem to work uniformly well. A soak and a rinse in cold water helps remove the starch in tubers that have a lot, which in turn helps them to crisp more quickly in the microwave.
These chips are surprisingly good all on their own with no adornments, but they also take very well to seasonings. I like to sprinkle a few pinches of sea salt over the tops just before they go in the microwave. A few shakes of chili powder or dried dill also make a fun change from the usual. If you'd like a richer flavor, brush the potato slices with olive oil before putting them in the microwave and before adding any spices.
While this is an easy technique for making a crispy low-fat treat, it's not the quickest. One potato makes 4 to 5 batches, and each batch takes about six minutes. Which is to say, these chips are much more suited to a snack for one than a big dinner party appetizer. If potato chips are normally off-limits to you, this snack certainly hits the spot when you want something crunchy and light.
How To Make Microwave Potato Chips
What You Need
Ingredients
1 or more potatoes or other root vegetable, scrubbed clean
Salt and other seasonings, optional
Olive oil, optional
Equipment
Mandoline
Bowl of cold water
Microwave-safe plate
Paper towels
Instructions
1. Thinly Slice the Potato - Cut the potato in half. Slice one half on a mandoline, aiming for slices 1/8 to 1/16-inch thick. Immediately put the slices in cold water. Repeat with the other half of the potato and any other potatoes you are preparing.
2. Soak and Rinse the Slices - Rinse the slices in cold water until the water stays clear. If you have time, let them soak for a few extra minutes before rinsing.
3. Dry the Slices - Dry the slices between two clean dish cloths or spin them in a salad spinner.
4. Season the Slices - Arrange as many slices as will fit in a single layer on a dinner plate lines with a few paper towels. Make sure the slices do not touch or else they stick together. If desired, sprinkle with salt or other spices. For richer-tasting chips, brush the slices with olive oil first.
5. Microwave the Slices - Microwave the slices at 100% power for 3 minutes. Flip them over and microwave at 50% power for another 3 minutes. Remove any chips that are starting to crisp and brown. Continue cooking the remaining chips at 50% power in 1 minute intervals until they are all crispy and golden.
6. Repeat with Remaining Batches - Transfer cooked chips to a bowl and repeat microwaving with the remaining slices of potato.
Storing - Chips will stay crispy for a few days if kept in an airtight container or zip-lock bag. You can also prepare the raw slices ahead of time, store them in cold water in the refrigerator, and bake them off as you want them.
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(Images: Emma Christensen)
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Will this work for carrots? I use to love carrot chips and I have a hard time locating them.
@tigerbabyvintage - I've never tried carrots, but what a fun idea. Go for it and let us know how it works out!
@meredith, we got some evidence to back up those claims?
This comment burns my brain. Is this worth my time? Probably not, but here I go anyway: The radiation in a microwave excites particles in the beam. There is no radiation when the door is open, and there is no "residual" radiation. It's analogous to putting tomato slices in the sun (a powerful source of electromagnetic radiation). A microwave doesn't work off particle radiation, what you may think of when you think U235, and the rays are much longer wavelength (lower energy) than gamma radiation, x rays, and even visible light. The chips are healthier because there's no oil and you control the salt, so you're just eating potato.
A spectrum of electromagnetic radiation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EM_spectrum.svg
I'm not sure where you read that microwaves are dangerous, but do you really think it would be allowed to put one in nearly every home in America if it were true? Please, think critically about things you read on the internet or hear on TV. Try and learn how things actually work. I promise, it will be a better world if you do.
Regarding "healthy" and the microwave...here's a brief description of how a microwave works to cook food...and this article suggests that in some cases, cooking in the microwave is a healthier alternative than cooking in the oven.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/Microwave-cooking-and-nutrition.shtml
PS...Pampered Chef has a really neat silicone contraption that lessens the time of making microwave chips.
@BakedLeech - Hear, hear. I too get tired of people who eschew microwaves from their homes.
I saw this recipe here last year and made them. Although they are good it takes forever to make a batch large enough to really have a decent quantity of chips.
Sorry to be a buzzkill but I guess what I'm saying is that they're not worth the effort.
NO WAY. that's awesome!!
Right on, @BAKEDLEECH
Let's all take off our tinfoil hats, shall we?
these are not good - i have tried so many different methods to make these and have ended up with nothing but a mess and a stomach ache
Sorry to being weighing in to the conversation late... looks like you got the 411 on microwave research, however! Love this recipe and can't wait to try it!
Anyone tried this with a lower powered microwave? I have a "vintage" Sharp Half Pint that is only 600w.
Also, I wonder if you had a plastic rack, if you could make double each time.
I'd love it if you linked to this post on http://www.facebook.com/#!/PotatoesTatersAndSpuds page--great conversation!
Meredith Myers
US Potato Board
Isn't 1/4 inch awfully thick for a potato chip? Seems to me these measurements are way off. 1/16 inch seems much more likely.
I always worry about cooking in the microwave so I appreiciate all the comments about that type of cooking. Thanks, Staceyann Dolenti
@lazysundae, Microwaves are not radioactive. http://www.gallawa.com/microtech/microwaveQA.html. They are electro-magnetic waves, not much different from light or radio waves that are in the air all around us. The difference is that they are at exactly the right frequency to resonate with water molecules, so the water molecules jostle around and create heat. What might kill the plants is that they are being boiled from the inside. But by the same token, putting a plant in a hot oven would kill it the same way. Microwaves are not dangerous. :-)
@JBlue - Good catch! I just checked my ruler and saw that I'd misread my fractions. Fixing now.
RE. Microwaves and saftey: As mentioned alreay microwaves are safe for heating food. There are concerns with microwaving food in some plastic containers or cling film not designed for microwaves, if in doubt use a microwave safe ceramic or glass plate.
Here's some futher info:
http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0706a.shtml
Someone posted that these don't work and on a previous thread others had problems but I must say I do these regularly and they work around 95% of the time. Sometimes I get some burnt ones, sometimes some chewy ones but there is always something worth eating. I haven't tried rinsing them yet, but find soaking in vinegar first leave them less likely to be successful.
I think the original post mentioned using decrease wattage every 2 or 3 minutes but I find 2 minutes one side on full and 2 minutes the second, then monitoring every minute thereafter works a treat.
Yes they are not ideal for large batches but I find that by the time you have made a full potato amount you don't eat as many as you would if you opened a bag, but still feel satusfied by them
@MOMOO and others - I mentioned above the Pampered Chef chip maker...in my microwave, it takes 2-3 minutes for nice crisp chips! I like to sprinkle with some cracked pepper! MMMM
http://www.pamperedchef.com/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=35216&catId=123&parentCatId=123&outletSubCat=
I've been making these for years. I love 'em! :)
Microwaves, gamma radiation, visible light, ultraviolet light, and radio waves are all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. Our use of that spectrum ranges from the extremely high frequencies - gamma rays - on down through X-rays, on to UV, visible light, infrared and down to ultra-low frequencies that can pass through the earth.
Some of these portions of the electromagnetic spectrum are dangerous, but danger is a relative thing. A single chest X-ray is not particularly dangerous, but a daily dose of high X-ray treatment for 30 days, common in breast cancer treatment, can actually fuse tissue inside the body. 30 minutes on a bright sunny day outside without sunblock can feel great, but 6 hours can result in a severe sunburn.
We are constantly exposed to low levels of microwaves. Not only does the sun emit them, but they are now commonly used in communication tower relays. Driving past one of those towers won't hurt you, nor will living near one, but if you climb the tower and stand right in front of the transmitter you will be cooked. That's why you cannot turn your microwave on with the door open. The units are shielded to prevent the escape of high intensity microwaves.
The important thing to understand is that electromagnetic radiation, be it gamma rays or microwaves, leaves no residual. Once the source is turned off the object of the source emits nothing it didn't emit before the exposure. Microwaving food, or exposing it to gamma rays (which is how they sterilize "Meals Ready to Eat" (MRE's) for the military) does not make it radioactive. It kills anything living while it is being exposed, but otherwise doesn't change it from a nuclear standpoint.
http://2012indyinfo.com/2012/02/11/microwave-test-an-eye-opener-employee-news/
I don't have a microwave (not entering into the fray here--I just have a small kitchen). Does anyone know a reliable method for baking chips in the oven?
I am quite fascinated by this but I too do not have a microwave- because I have a tiny kitchen with exactly two outlets in it. I've discovered that many things can be done easily without a microwave (except for preparing tv dinners)- making popcorn stovetop is so stupidly easy I can't believe I spent so much money on microwave popcorn when I was younger.
That being said, I do use the microwave at my work to reheat leftovers or soup for lunch. I avoid microwaving food in plastic containers or with plastic wrap- either I use ceramic food storage containers or transfer to a ceramic bowl before rewarming. I'm a bright, science loving, healthy, 90% vegan, cloth napkin using neohippie, but I try to be reasonable.
"Microwaves kill the majority of 'life force' of the food... its that simple."
As does...cooking. So we're only supposed to eat raw?
Can't wait to try!
@elbowmac: Go go gadget Google!
First result: Snopes.com - debunked by a first-hand test of multiple plants with a control group.
The rest of the results on the first page are either blogs re-posting the original link or people debunking said link.
To make french fries in the oven I have cut potatoes and dipped them in beat egg whites before baking (to make them a little more crunchy). I wonder if that would work for the chips?
I made this recipe and loved it! Yes, it was time consuming but worth it! I made a few flavor varieties...onion...red hot...and seasoned salt. All were very good, but onion was my favorite! I blogged about it... http://myrecipejourney-lillian.blogspot.com/
Thanks for this great recipe!!!
Wow, this is incredible! LOVE the idea of healthy crisps...going to give these a try this weekend :-)
Just an observation as I read this I'm reminded of one of Michael Pollan's food rules; to only eat junk food that you make yourself.
This is a perfect example of that rule. Even doing it in the microwave, it's hard to make a giant batch of chips, certainly you can't make as many as you would get in a big bag. So, you will eat less. Plus these have the added bonus of no fat.
I've successfully used the slicing blade of the Salad Shooter, pressing very hard when pressing the potato through in order to get the thin slices. I use a potato chip rack made by Nordic Ware that I found in a thrift store. I haven't used the cold soaking method but I'll give it a try next time to see if the finished product turns out differently.
I live alone. Using the Nordic Ware rack makes more than I would normally eat with a sandwich. Now, if I just want to eat chips as a snack, I'd probably need 2 batches. lol
BTW, I don't know if Nordic Ware sells their potato chip rack anymore.
I have a healthy method for baking chips in a regular oven: Simply cut potato into wedges, coat with lightly beaten egg white (white is fat-free), place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with paprika or any spice of your choice... Bake until brown and crispy! WIll go right now and try the microwave version!
I tried these, but had a problem with the chips sticking (more like fusing) to the paper towel. Anyone have any suggestions? And concerning microwave safety, I believe the biggest risk with microwaving is that we use plastic; even if it's "micro-wave safe", the chemicals that heated plastic gives off to our food is definitely not "human-safe". Come to think of it, perhaps paper towels in direct contact w/our food isn't such a good idea either. Do we know what kind of chemicals/bleaches are used in making paper towels? If I'm going to take the time to make a healthier snack food, I don't want to contaminate it in the process.
I've been doing this for years myself. I normally just coat the glass turntable with oil to prevent sticking and forgo the paper towel. Also makes it easier to get them in there without dumping them together.
Seventh Generation makes paper towels which I presume would pass most "safer" or "healthier" tests.
I agree the time and effort cuts down on how many I make, but the taste normally keeps me from feeling I didn't get enough.
http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-898049/Chip-Tray-with-Mandoline
These definitely work and they are definitely delicious! As the writer said, though, they do take time... be patient! For me, each batch took a slightly different amount of time. It seemed to depend on the size of the potato slices and how dry they were. Drier = quicker
I haven't tried soaking the potatoes in water after slicing, but that sounds like a good idea. I also make sweet potato, apple and pear chips essentially the same way, but use a Chips Maker set (http://www.colbrookkitchen.com/mastrad-chips-maker-1.html) that has both a small mandoline and 2 silicon sheets with holes in them that works faster and eliminates the need to turn the chips over.
For real??? I HAVE to try these!!!