All You Need Is A Spiralizer To Easily Make Homemade Potato Chips

Store-bought potato chips are often high in fat and calories and contain all sorts of chemicals. This is particularly true for those fried in oil and flavored with cheese, sour cream, or other additives. From a nutritional standpoint, it's better to make your own potato chips — even if it takes a little bit of time. The challenge lies in cutting the potatoes into super thin slices, just like Pringles or Lays chips.

One option is to use a spiralizer. This handy kitchen tool can do more than just turn vegetables into noodles. It's also pretty good at cutting apples, potatoes, parsnips, beets, and other foods. For example, you can spiralize a plantain and then mix it with coconut flakes, cinnamon, almond milk, and other ingredients to make a creamy plantain "rice" pudding.

A spiralizer might also be the secret to perfect potato chips. Not only does it make it easier to slice potatoes, but it can also save you a big chunk of time. Plus, it's safer than most knives and cheaper than a potato slicer. 

In 1817, celebrity chef William Kitchiner published a recipe for "Potatoes fried in Slices or Shavings." That's how potato chips were invented. Back then, they were fried in lard or other fats and served with a pinch of salt. In his cookbook, Kitchiner told readers to cut the potatoes "in shavings round and round, as you would peel a lemon" (via The Telegraph). Nowadays, the iconic shape of potato chips (particularly Pringles) is known as a hyperbolic paraboloid and has the role of preventing them from crumbling.

Homemade potato chips are usually thicker than their commercial counterparts. And it takes quite a lot of time to cut the potatoes very thinly. With a spiralizer, you can slice them into perfectly-shaped chips without spending hours in the kitchen. Sure, it takes some practice, but the results are worth it. First, peel and wash a couple of russet potatoes. After that, attach the ribbon blade to your spiralizer and start cutting the potatoes into chips.

Next, soak the sliced potatoes in cold water for about 30 minutes to remove the excess starch. The thinner you cut them and the less starch they have, the crispier they'll get. Moving forward, pat the potato chips with a paper towel, and then bake or fry them. Add a pinch of salt, paprika, garlic powder, or other seasonings while they're still hot. 

Most types of spiralizers feature several blades, including one for shaving vegetables into ribbons. You can use the ribbon blade to make potato or vegetable chips or cut veggies for salads, party platters, and appetizers. Let's say you want to make red beet chips. Start by peeling the beets and removing the greens. Next, you'll use a spiralizer to slice them into thin pieces — just like you did with the potatoes. Heat some oil in a skillet to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and fry the beet chips for about four to six minutes.

Similarly, you can make chips out of carrots, yams, eggplant, sweet potatoes, apples, and other fruits or vegetables. All you need is a spiralizer, seasonings, and cooking oil. Alternatively, you may use a mandoline, but it's not as versatile as a spiralizer. The latter allows you to cut veggies into noodles, spirals, strips, and other shapes, whereas a mandoline slicer is far more basic. However, either tool can be a good choice when you're short on time. Plus, they'll reduce the risk of cutting your fingers while slicing potatoes and other veggies.