Forget The Fryer And Break Out The Sheet Pan For Homemade Potato Chips

It's easy to break open a bag of store-bought potato chips and chow down, but if you have the time and the means to make homemade chips, it's more than worth it. They're thicker, more flavorful, and taste so much fresher than the bagged kind. And the best part is, when you make them yourself, you can control exactly how they're cooked and what goes into them. No need to deep fry the potatoes, either; baking them on a sheet pan is super easy and a nutritious alternative to crisping them up in a pot of oil. Plus, if you add some Parmesan, you'll make perfectly crispy potato chips with plenty of flavor.

The key to the best potato chips is making sure they're all evenly sliced. Using a mandoline is the best way to do this, but if you only have a knife, keep a close eye to make sure they're the same thickness. Otherwise, you risk cooking them unevenly, yielding some chips that are too crispy and others that are underdone.

Sheet pan potato chips don't require as much oil, which ultimately can make them slightly more nutritious. But if you're not so concerned about that, then add a layer of Parmesan to the sheet pan before adding the sliced potatoes. As the potatoes cook, the Parmesan will melt and bind to the potatoes; it crisps up along with the potatoes, resulting in a delicious Parmesan potato chip.

For the best results, you should let the potatoes soak in ice water for a few minutes after slicing them to remove the bulk of the starch. If you wind up using a knife instead of a mandoline, follow Rachael Ray's lead and cut them into ⅛-inch thick slivers. You'll want to dry them with a paper towel (or they won't get all that crisp) and season them generously with salt and pepper. Removing as much moisture as possible is the key to ensuring your potatoes don't steam while they roast. After putting down your layer of shredded Parmesan, you can arrange the sliced spuds and drizzle them with a little olive oil. If you want to add additional seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, or even a little chili powder for some spice, you can do so before baking them — just keep an eye on the chips to make sure they don't burn.

Seasonings are important for flavor, but make sure you're also using the best potato variety. Russet potatoes are best for chips because of their density; when the chips are fried, it's not as easy for the oil to get into the chip when it's made from a russet potato. If you're baking the chips, you have a little more freedom since that isn't as much of an issue, but avoid using waxy potatoes, such as red potatoes. Since waxy potatoes don't have as much natural starch, they won't get as crispy.

When baking the chips, make sure they aren't on top of each other. The tops of the potatoes need to be exposed to the hot air to get crispy. Preheat the oven to a high temperature, too. If the chips are super thin, bake them at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, but if they're on the thicker side, bump the temperature to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.