Our potato chips recipe will show you how to make this comfort snack in just seven simple steps.
‘Let’s eat potato chips only because they’re super healthy,’ says no-one ever. Along with fried potatoes, chicken wings, chicken nuggets, and deep-fried foods in general, they are often viewed as unhealthy.
We, however, find that they don’t have to be tarred with the same brush.
Assumptions About Potato Chips
Plus, what we have to say about them.
- The Food Is Fried Using Trans Fat
In the U.S, trans fat has been banned from food making since 2015. It is asked of food-makers that the substance be out of their products after 2018.
- Potato Chips Contain Acrylamide
Yes, they do, but they’re not the only food. A plethora of delicious foods contain acrylamide, as it inevitably forms when hot oil reacts with starch and asparagine.
To exclude them from a healthy diet, we believe, can take away its enjoyable aspects, making it rather unsustainable. It’s more feasible to reduce the acrylamide level in foods, rather than to avoid it entirely.
For fried foods, it can be done by soaking the potatoes before frying, using low heat, and cooking them in a moderate amount of time.
- Potato Chips Don’t Promote Satiety and Are Highly Processed
It is true, but then again, potato chips are not meant to be eaten in large servings. It is meant to be eaten as a snack, and your diet should be filled with nutrient-dense foods instead. In a moderate amount, potato chips are a fine component of a healthy diet.
By making the snack at home, you’re also guaranteeing that yours is made from whole produce instead of highly-processed starch.
- Potato Chips Are High in Calories
The amount of oil in the chips can be reduced by dabbing after frying to partially remove it. Even when this step isn’t properly done, they won’t be high in calories when served in a moderate portion.
- Potato Chips Are Salty
Make them yourself, and you can choose to season your chips your way.
How Our Potato Chips Are Better for You and Your Health
We make these potato chips with all of these thoughts in mind:
- They are soaked in oil prior to frying, then patted dry.
- They are shaved thinly to fry quicker.
- They are fried over low heat, and we take them out as soon as they’re golden and crispy.
- They come with a fixed portion size, which measures at around 154 calories and 178 mg sodium.
With restrictions involved, the chips might not taste as great as your favorite bag of chips. Still, should you be looking for a healthier alternative, we promise ours to be the kind that’s easy to make while still being crispy, light, and full of flavor.
Don’t forget to also check out our Cauliflower Chips Recipe for another healthy and tasty snack option.
What Kind of Potatoes Are the Best for Chips?
The criteria have lots to do with how foods become crispy.
When exposed to hot oil, the chip’s outer layer hardens and dehydrates. This layer also breaks easily, so when you bite into one, there is a symphony of crackling sounds and that’s what we call crispiness.
Most of what comprises a potato is starch and water, and if one is high, the other is low. Those with a lower starch content have more moisture in them and take longer to dehydrate, adding more time to the frying process. Waxy potatoes are good examples—their elastic texture is down to their high moisture content, and they don’t make the crispiest chips.
Hence, we need something higher in starch, such as russet and Yukon gold. Not only do they fry quicker, their high starch content makes the chips stiffer and crispier.
How to Preserve
Crispy foods soften when exposed to moisture, so it’s best to store the chips in something airtight, even better with moisture-absorbent pouches. However, you shouldn’t expect them to stay crispy for long.
When it comes to crispy foods, double-frying is a popular method that allows the food to be stored in the freezer:
- The first fry attempts to cook the starch slowly, in medium oil. The fries can be stored in the freezer at this point.
- The second fry shocks the cooked chips in hot oil, forming those thin, crispy starch layers. They should be cooked quickly and eaten in one sitting.
More Healthy Snack Recipes
- Air Fryer Onion Rings Recipe
- Air Fryer Tater Tots Recipe
- Garlic Bread Recipe
- Air Fryer French Fries Recipe
Potato Chips
This potato chips recipe offers you a delicious, healthier alternative to your comfort food. It can be done in seven simple steps.
- cook TIME 17 mins
- prep TIME 8 mins
- total TIME 25 mins
- COURSE Main Course
- CUISINE American
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 154 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 14 oz russet potatoes (peeled)
- 1 1/2 cups canola oil (*)
- 2 tbsp parsley (chopped)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 4 tbsp Heinz’s ketchup
INSTRUCTIONS
Shave 14 oz potatoes thinly using a mandoline.
Soak the slices in a bowl of water, for 10 minutes. Fish them out and pat them dry with some paper towels.
Heat 1 1/2 cups of oil in a frying pan over low heat. Add sliced potatoes to the pan and fry for about 5 minutes or until they become golden and crispy.
Fish them out and place them on a cooling rack or paper towels to remove excess oil. Repeat with the remaining potatoes.
Add the chips to a large bowl and toss with 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp paprika, and 2 tbsp chopped parsley. Enjoy with 4 tbsp Heinz’s ketchup.
(*) Only a part of the frying oil will end up in the final product, and we have calculated nutritional values based on that amount. The whole amount is needed for the cooking process, but what actually ends up being consumed is 2 tablespoons of oil.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
Natalie Butler, RD, LD
Nutrition Reviewer- Connie Latherowthese were excellent!