Monday 18 May 2009

Check this out! I've made some zero waste crisps!



Well folks, if you squint and focus on the above picture, you'll see the results of my latest challenge and I am chuffed to bits!

As you know I love crisps.

But as you also know the packaging ends up in landfill.

So, I've strived forth and attempted to make my own.

And it's worked! What you see above is my third batch. The best thing is that they're so easy and cheap too and can be quickly baked in the oven while you're cooking something else. Using a couple of spuds from my latest sack of potatoes, tonight's batch must have cost about 10p at the most, including the spray of olive oil.

So if you want to have a go yourself, here's the low-down!

1. Slice the potatoes very thinly and lay the slices on a baking tray.

2. Spray with olive and season with a little salt. Alternatively add pepper, a sprinkle of chilli powder or another seasoning of your choice.

3. Place in a hot oven (preheated at about 200 degrees) for approximately 30-40 minutes, turning them over after the first 15 minutes. With a little patience, you'll soon have your very own zero waste snack.

Top tip: after 25 minutes, it's worth checking about every 5 minutes to retrieve individual slices as they finish cooking. Otherwise you'll end up with a snack that's burnt to crisp than one that you'll enjoy.

So that's one less things to buy at the shops. And with results like this, I think I might even be able to give up the quavers. After all, I might have succeeded at my own crisps, but curly cheesy snacks could be just one challenge too far.

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12 comments:

Karin said...

Thanks for that. I'll have to try it. My mum tried making crisps a few times, but she fried them and they were very greasy.

How great to be able to enjoy crisps without having a packet left over to add to landfill.

I'm just wondering how I could make cheese and onion flavour like Kettle or Tyrrells. Hmmm.

Karin said...

PS Has your pc been resurrected or was it not dying after all?

mrs green said...

How neat! I made vegetable crisps once by deep frying them, but it was a faff and I CBA to do it again.

Oven baked crisps found much better.

I can't get over how little baked they look after 40 minutes - I can do roast potatoes in that time at 180 degrees. I guess my oven is hot?

Anyway, they look fab. How long do they stay crispy for?

I'm definitely going to try these.

John Costigane said...

Hi Mrs A,

So glad to see you have, at least partly, solved the crisp dilemma. I bet they tasted so much better. Like all baking, practice perfects.

Cheese flavour, rather than cheese pieces, is one way to attempt your favourite. Spray on the flavoured liquid just like your oil.

I aim to desiccate some coconut in like manner when a local source is identified.

Almost Mrs Average said...

Hi Karin - I can see there may be a new brand of crisps hitting the street if you manage to get the cheese flavour sorted. Baking them in the oven seemed to be less hassle than frying.

On the PC front. My laptop is still in the same state...almost keeling over. I seem to be only to get about 1 hour use of it at a time before it really chokes up. Hence not being able to do much on the internet. However after much troubleshooting we think it's down to a broken power cable which is proprietary to Hewlett Packard. So I've ordered a replacement which I hope will arrive soon. Meanwhile, while I've got a chance, I've hopped onto Mr A's beast of a computer. So I think I'd better get as much done as I can before he gets back from work. Hopefully things will be back to normal soon, especially as I really miss the independence and flexibility I get with my laptop :-D

Hi Mrs G - It's funny but I initially thought the oven-baked ones were a faff too, especially as I'd left them in the oven too long without checking them and they were a much deeper colour than those shown here.

The trick is to bake them while you're cooking something else in the oven. That way, slicing up a couple of potatoes seems little effort, while you're already engaged in cooking. I too was surprised that even after half an hour some of them were still quite light. However, as you'd expect, some of the thinner ones had crisped up sooner. It's all down to the thickness and remembering to check every five minutes or so and rescuing those that are already done.

As for how long they stay crispy for....they've never lasted long enough for me to find out :-D x

Hi John - yep, they really are very tasty and I think Mr A is most definitely a fan of my latest discovery. Looks like I will be testing our a few more flavours as time goes on...so watch this space. Good luck with the coconut. Let me know how you get on :-D

Maisie said...

I did some fried ones last summer for the boys.
As said they were touch greasy but didn't last long with them having friends round as well.

I'll try these baked ones when I've got some time and the oven on.

Strawberry Jam Anne said...

Thanks for the tip Karen - I will give them a go. A x

Rev. Peter Doodes said...

I slice mine with one of those horizontal bladed potato peelers. This makes them very thin and cooks quickers as well.

Almost Mrs Average said...

Hi Maisie - that's great. I can definitely vouch for the oven-baked ones. Do let me know how you get on. :-D

Hope you enjoy them too Anne. Just a slight sprinkling of salt worked well for me...but then there's the crackling of pepper too....mmmmm :-D

Hi Peter - thanks for the top tip with the peeler. I'm going to give that a go next time :-D

dandaworld said...

Mmmmmhhh I love crisps and potatoes cooked in all manners! Good to know that you can bake them in the oven instead of frying! They must taste more light and yummy! Thanks a lot! ;-D

MrsDesperate said...

We do that too, and with vegies as well. We also make our own 'chips' (like French fries) by slicing the potatos with skin on and shallow frying. So much yummier and healthier than the frozen variety.
Another tip is to put the potatoes thinly sliced beneath a roast (we put the roast on a rack). Then the potatoes cook in the juices ... probably not good for the cholesterol, but so delicious!

Kate said...

These look delicious! I have some potatoes and my husband and I watching a playoff basketball game tonight... I think these will be the snack of the evening. Great job!

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