Homemade Potato Chips Recipe
Learn how to make crispy homemade potato chips by soaking sliced potatoes in a vinegar bath, frying until golden, and seasoning to taste.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- Oil for frying
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Thinly slice the potatoes on a mandolin and completely submerge them in water. I usually add them to a container of water as I slice them.
- Next, drain the water completely and refill them, ensuring they are submerged.
- Add the vinegar and stir the water to infuse it. This will help make the chips extra crispy. Let the potatoes stand for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, add the oil to a wider frying pan or pot. I prefer to use a rondeau.
- Heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches 365° to 375°.
- Once the oil is hot. Drain the potatoes completely. They need to be dried a bit, so I run them through a salad spinner. Use it if you have one, and if not, dry them thoroughly with paper towels.
- Once dry, add the chips in 1 at a time until the pot is filled, but there is still a bit of room for them to move around. This will most likely take 3 to 4 batches until the chips are done frying.
- Cook the chips for 2 to 3 minutes while continually moving them around until lightly browned and crispy.
- Place them on a rack over a sheet tray or paper towels to drain any excess oil.
- Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Notes
The best advice I can give you when making perfect potato chips from scratch is to control your oil temperature. Fry your chips in a heavy pot that retains heat well, like a rondeau pot, and keep the oil between 365°F and 375°F, letting it return to temperature between batches of potatoes. I always monitor the temp with an instant-read thermometer. If you don’t have one, test the readiness by dropping a potato peel into the oil; if it sizzles and crisps up in about 1 minute, the oil is right where you want it.
No mandoline slicer? Carefully slice the potatoes using the wide horizontal slicing blade on a box grater or with a very sharp chef’s knife.
Bone-dry is the goal. If the potatoes are even slightly damp, the oil will splatter, the temperature will drop, and your chips will end up greasy and oil-logged. If you have a salad spinner, use it. Otherwise, press the slices between paper towels.
Don’t dump all the potatoes in at once, or you’ll end up with soggy chips. I highly recommend frying the chips in several small batches, so they all have room to fry evenly and crisp up.
Season the warm chips 1 minute after frying by either sprinkling the seasonings over the top or tossing them with the chips in a large bowl. The residual oil coating the outside helps the seasoning stick.
You can save and reuse the cooking oil. Let it cool completely before straining it through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth. Pour it into a clean jar, and then store it in the fridge until the next time you need it. Most frying oil can be safely used 2 to 3 times before it’s time to toss it.
Make Ahead: The chips are best eaten as soon as they’re seasoned. Alternatively, soak the potato slices in the vinegar water in the fridge up to 24 hours ahead of time.
How to Store: Cover the leftover chips and keep them on the counter for 2 to 3 days.
How to Reheat: If the leftover chips lose their crunch, spread them out in a single layer on a sheet tray and bake at 300°F for 5 to 10 minutes. This should get them nice and crispy again.
Nutrition
Calories: 429kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 5gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0.1gSodium: 12mgPotassium: 946mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 2IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 2mg