Microwave Potato Chips — Really!
I like to think of myself as a glass-half-full kind of gal.
I tend to have a sunny demeanor. I try to accentuate the positive even in the most grave of situations. And I’m optimistic that one can do anything one sets one’s mind to — or at the very least get darn close to it.
But when I stumbled upon a recipe early last year in Eating Well magazine for making potato chips in the microwave, I balked. I was a disbeliever. I was convinced this was beyond impossible.
I was wrong.
As part of the Reheat Anything Generation, I knew full well from experience that foods heated or cooked in the microwave most often turned out soft and limp, not crunchy.
So how could thinly sliced potatoes end up crackling crisp? Seriously?
They not only do, but they also possess a purity of flavor — of real, fresh potatoes. Unlike so many store-bought bags of potato chips with their long list of ingredients, there are just three in these: potatoes, olive oil and salt.
Plus, there’s no heating up a vat of oil or turning on a hot oven to make these.
The recipe calls for cutting up the potatoes into 1/8-inch slices. This makes a fairly sturdy, thick chip. I actually preferred using a mandolin to make almost paper-thin potato slices that are even crispier and more delicate.
Toss with olive oil, and salt. Coat a microwave-safe plate with spray oil, then spread a single layer of potatoes on the plate. Nuke, turn the potatoes over, and nuke again. That’s it. As they come off the hot plate and start to cool, they will crisp up even more. Indeed, they were still crispy the next day, too.
The beauty of this technique is that if you have just one forlorn potato lying around the kitchen, you can cut it up and make just enough crisp chips to enjoy with your sandwich. I’m thinking this would make a fun cocktail nibble, too. Amaze your friends by showing them how you can make potato chips emerge hot and snappy from the microwave. They’ll think you a magician.
I’m still a glass-half-full gal. But when it comes to this recipe, I’ve become a bowl-totally-empty gal. I couldn’t eat just one, after all. Neither will you. I promise.
Microwave Potato Chips
(makes 4 servings, 12-14 chips each)
1 1/3 pounds Yukon Gold or red potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed
2 teaspoons or so of extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
Slice potatoes into 1/8-inch rounds for thicker potato chips. For thinner ones, use a mandolin to cut very thin slices. Toss slices in a medium bowl with oil and salt to coat evenly.
Coat a large microwave-proof plate with cooking spray. Arrange some potato slices in a single layer on the plate. Microwave, uncovered, on High until some slices start to brown, 2 to 3 minutes (depending upon potato thickness and microwave power). Turn slices over (they will be hot, so take care with your fingers) and continue microwaving until they start to crisp and brown around the edges, about 35 seconds for very thin potato slices to 2 to 4 minutes for thicker slices. Check frequently and rearrange slices as needed to prevent scorching. Transfer chips to another plate and allow to cool completely. (They will crisp up more as they cool.) Repeat process with remaining slices.
Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Per serving: 141 calories; 2 g fat (0 g saturated; 2 g monosaturated); 0 mg cholesterol; 26 g carbohydrate; 3 g protein; 2 g fiber; 291 mg sodium; 807 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Potassium (27 percent daily value)
Adapted from a recipe published in EatingWell, January/February 2009
More Microwave Magic: Make English Muffin Bread In Your Microwave
More Cooking Fun: Making Chinese Steamed Buns from Pillsbury Biscuit Dough
So great!!!!! Such an awesome idea! I love these!
I made them with a mandoline so they were a bit thinner.
Thanks for posting this!
brilliant! must try this.
Wow, this is super cool!
I just made these, and I have to say I was a bit skeptical going into this. I really didn’t see how they could be crispy and delicious out of the microwave. But, they were so good and so easy! And my father (who is a potato chip expert), approved. Very impressive, thanks for posting!!
Absolutely amazing! These turned out SO good, I was barely getting them off of the plate before they were all gone!
I keep looking for excuses to make these chips. They’re amazing! What a bad habit to start!
I showed this recipe to my mom at the beginning of last week, and after seeing this she bought me a train ticket to come home for the weekend to eat, drink and be merry.
We followed the recipe exactly and found that you don’t need to flip the chips! We microwaved for four and a half minutes and they came out perfectly!
Great recipe, thank you for sharing
Beautifully and apparently tasty. Thank you.
Sarah: Oh, I’ll have to try the no flipping. Would definitely save the fingertips from getting so tender from handling those hot potatoes, so to speak. 😉
I have made microwave potato chips several times. To keep them from coming out so oily, and still keep them from sticking to the plate, I use one of these brilliant gadgets: http://bit.ly/silpat
Pingback: Caramelized Onion Dip with Microwave Potato Chips « The Hungry Teacher
just tried the recipe. it worked GREAT!!! i only got to try a few as my mom gobbled up the rest. I also made a batch of yam chips using the same method and they turned out just as yummy. Thanks for the recipe!
this happens because the microwave use the water on the food to heat them ( making it disappear ) (that is why we shouldn’t heat a cup of water on the microwave… it can just explode when we move to cup ) if you wanna heat a cup of water, make sure you have a plastic or wood spoon ( or anything made of plastic or wood ) in the water… this will avoid the water to over heat!
By the way: great recipe.. ( I am trying this now =) )
Cumps
Pingback: The Hungry Teacher » Blog Archive » Caramelized Onion Dip with Microwave Potato Chips
I LOVE THESE. As soon as I read this article I ran into my kitchen and tried it out. These turned out beautiful and tasty. I mandalined them thin, and I nuked them a little longer, but for just one idaho potato it turned out to be a lovely late night snack for me and my mom. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WOW! Can’t wait to try this!
it took me a while to figure out the right times with my microwave so they weren’t brown, but wow, are they good. i put some of my own seasoning on them too!
Pingback: Home Alone « Sweet Ohm Cooking
Thank you for sharing this!! We LOVE THESE and so far we have used Parmesan and Garlic Salt, Creole Seasoning and Mesquite seasoning:) Thank you so much for the inspiration!!
Sincerely
Kathryn
I knew this was too good to be true! I figured it was novel enough to give it a try even if it was not plausible. I cannot remember the last time I was this happy to be wrong! Now I am off to experiment with flavorings! Thanks for sharing!!
How very cool! I’m off to buy some potatoes tomorrow!
@megan how the microwave works is that each microwave heats up only the water in foods. when all of the water evaporates, the residual heat will crisp up the chip with help from the oil. They get crispier as they dry because the proteins in the chip solidify as the environment gets cooler. hope it helps,
Vassilis
I like to think of myself as a glass-half-full kind of gal.
This is very well written.
Totally awesome, can’t wait to try making the chips!
These are amazing! After some experimentation, I found that flipping is unnecessary. Also, having to wait 3-4 minutes for eight chips was depressing. So, being the problem solver that I am, I layered the chips on parchment paper. It took about 8 minutes for a whole potato, sliced 1/16 of an inch. I just waited until the ones on the top layer were done, and voila!
I used three baby potatoes for the job, to try it out.
It worked! I couldn’t believe it. My family thought I was nuts.
I like that it gave me a quick snack, and I knew exactly what went into it.
Thanks for posting this!
i just HAD to try these- i had no ordinary potatoes, so i used a sweet potato (not a yam, a sweet potato) and they turned out GREAT. going to go make some more for my sister and i…
This is brilliant! Instant chips!
I am SO excited about these! So delicious, and so crispy! I am pleasantly surprised- Thank you!
This is freakin awesome! Just having a bowl with some tzaziki, really quite delicious.
Btw, I messed around a bit with the method and I found that there’s no need to turn them over, just take out the ones that have turned brown. I made very thin ones though…
Thank you for sharing this!
GENIUS! sheer f*in genius.
Pingback: Microwave Potato Chips? « Writing.Love.Magic.
Pingback: The Host Family’s Family « When/Bhen in France
Hi.. This is awesome. Thank for posting this post here for us. I think that this is a good piece of information. I enjoy reading this and will suggest more people to see this.
http://www.Heart-Diet.org
Wow! This is so fun! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’ve got to try this! I have a method for making pickles in the microwave, but this is even better. I can’t wait to try potato chips.
Wow! I need to try these! I was so amazed at how easy this is when I read your recipe. I found your blog through a photo on Pinterest.
I tried them! They are fantastic and easy!
This totally works. My husband could not believe it. They were delicious.
Great tip! Will try the salami chips too as I have been baking them in a slow oven and that takes longer obviously!
Pingback: Pin It | Heather Bakes
I was super excited to try this tonight. First round totally sucked. I followed the directions exactly, but they just tasted like half-done scalloped potatoes rolled in oil. 🙂 The second plate full I cooked WAY long and it kind of worked. Probably about 5-6 minutes on each side. Maybe I have a crappy microwave?
Shannon: It does take a batch or two to get the timing right, just because every microwave is a little different. Also, the thinner you cut the potatoes, the quicker they will cook. So, they’ll end up more like chips than scalloped potatoes. Let me know how it goes. I’m sure the next batch will be just right. 😉
This works! My husband was very skeptical. My mandolin only had one setting, so mine were on the thicker side, and took about 8-10 minutes in the microwave. After they cooled for about 4-5 minutes and were nice and crispy!(Be careful to not overlap an of them, you’ll get soft spots.) I handed one to my husband and he took one bite, looked at me and said, “That’s a damn chip! How the crap did you make chips in the microwave?!”
i cut my potatoes as thin as possible with a knife but it took 30 minutes to get the chips slight crispy with a 800 watt microwave.
i think a mandolin is in order!
I just made these today with my son. I do have a mandolin and sliced them very thin. I cooked them about two minutes on each side and they were perfect!! Thanks!
Grrr. Damn you Carolyn! I just ate a potato’s worth of these. Must delete from memory hard drive lest my waist girth grow out of control…
This is an amazing idea! I must try this one day! 🙂
Holy WOW! These are amazing! I had to try it right away! SO good. Can’t wait to show the kids this one…I’ll have to make them again because I only did a sample batch using just one potoato and I ate ALL of them…YUM!