Potato chips are a crowd favorite. No one can say no to it. You do end up eating them more than you desired. Many people like to eat some crisps with lentils, curries or even just like a starter. However the market ones contain palm oil or have too much salt or spices. You can make it with sea salt if not consuming during Navratri and Sawan fasting.
This is a traditional method of making chips in most Indian households. If you cannot wait there is a new method of making them in air fryer too.
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Why make potato chips at home instead of buying store bought packets
Making potato chips at home, rather than buying them, offers several compelling advantages.
- Control over Ingredients:
- Making your own chips lets you choose the oil, salt, and seasonings. This is particularly vital for individuals with dietary needs or a preference for healthier choices.
- You can adjust the salt, unlike many store-bought chips that are too salty.
- Store-bought chips often contain artificial flavors, preservatives, and other additives that you can avoid.
- Freshness and Flavor:
- Chips taste and feel better when they’re fresh, unlike those that have been sitting.
- Freshly cooked chips taste better because of their warmth.
- Customization:
- Experiment with different potatoes, thicknesses, and flavors to make unique chips you’ll love.
- This enables creative cooking and customized chips for any meal or event.
- Fun and Satisfaction:
- Homemade chips offer a fun and rewarding cooking experience.
- Making a delicious snack from scratch is deeply satisfying.
Homemade potato chips offer unmatched freshness and control compared to store-bought ones.
What kind of potatoes are used for homemade potato chips?
- Best Choice: Russet potatoes (floury texture and high starch content)
- Good Alternatives: Red royal, Purple, Sebago (commonly used in Australia)
- Avoid: Waxy or new potatoes, as they retain moisture and don't crisp well.
Potatoes with high amount of starch are considered good for potato chips. A good test is when you slice the potatoes, if the liquid that comes out of the potato slice is white, then the starch content is good. These potatoes are also 'floury' potatoes. Potatoes that are 'waxy' or 'new' potatoes are not good for chips. From the above picture, its clear how the choice of potatoes affect the color of chips. In any case, the older crop of potatoes will always get your better looking chips.
You will need to experiment with a small batch of potatoes to understand the quality of potatoes that works best for you. Russet type of potatoes work best for making chips at home. Here in Australia, we prefer using local variety like Red royal/purple/ sebago.
How do you make potato chips from scratch?
You can actually make it at home easily by drying in hot sun or using a dehydrator. I remember my grandparents making them so much at Bhopal. Huge verandah and solar cooker drying and making for all those papad and savories. My grandpa is way ahead of his time. As a doctor, he always stresses on good food. When men hardly ventured into the kitchen, he used to treat us with his sweet and savory recipes. Dear Bhairah ji you are a gem and a pioneer.
There is something special about Sindhi community. Men are fond of their food but never shy away from making it. They equally help women(working or stay at home) with all chores at home. Even now at age of 80+ he is still sharing with us his tips and tricks. I live in an apartment now so bye bye huge terrace. Welcome dehydrator!
Ingredients
- Large potatoes
- Sea salt/rock salt if eating during fasting period
- Phitkari/alum
- Water
Related recipes
Equipment
- Sieve
- Peeler
- Mandolin slicer / chopper
- Mixing bowl
- Saucepan
- Dehydrator (or sunlight for drying)
- For frying: Indian kadai/deep saucepan and a skimmer spoon
how to make potato chips in a dehydrator ?
For frying: Indian kadai / deep saucepan and a skimmer spoon.
1. Peel and slice the potatoes.
2. Cook the sliced potatoes for a few minutes in boiling water with salt and little alum
3.Drain the excess water
4.Transfer them to cool water in a large bowl so that the cooking is stopped. (optional)
5.Drain the excess water.
6.Let it dry in the sun or dehydrator. Once completely dry, store them in a air tight container.
7. Fry them in oil before serving. You can also air fry them in an air fryer.But with air fryer, its not that easy to get nicely cooked chips,deep frying dehydrated potato chips gives better results here.
Variation
- Classic Salted: Sprinkle sea salt or rock salt.
- Spicy Chips: Add red chili powder or black pepper after frying.
- Masala Chips: Toss with chaat masala, cumin, and black salt.
- Herb-Infused: Sprinkle dried oregano or rosemary for an aromatic touch.
How to make crispy potato chips at home?
Potato chips recipe
Ingredients
- 1 kg large potatoes
- 1 tablespoon sea salt/rock salt if eating during fasting period
- 1 small piece of phitkari/alum optional
- 2-3 litre of water
Instructions
- Using mandolin slicer,thinly slice potatoes.
- Heat a pot with water,salt and alum
- Add the potato slices to water and boil them for 5 mins.
- Remove them from the water, transfer to a pot to cold water for few minutes
- Drain the excess water
- Spread them evenly in a dehydrator or spread it out in the Sun
- Dehydrate for 4-7 hours till crisp or 1-2 days in the sun.
- Store in a dry air-tight jar.
- Fry in hot oil whenever you wish to eat.
Notes
There is no change in taste even if you do not add alum while soaking.
If you are making this specially for fasting: use rock salt and pepper instead of normal salt and red chilly powder.
If you do not have dehydrator dry the chips in hot sun on a plastic sheet in balcony as done in the olden days. As explained in the article, choice of potato is important to get the bright white colored chips.
Storage
- Store dried chips in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Fry whenever you want a fresh batch.
FAQs
Yes, as you seen in the above recipe, you can either dry them in the Sun or make these in a dehydrator.
The Russet variety of potato chips seems to give the best results. Try for potatoes that are floury .
No, not the whole potato, but you need to slice them and then blanch them to make dehydrated chips.
Yes, you can do that using a dehydrator. Dehydrator is a life saver in places you don't get adequate sun to dry chips in balconies. I think it is one of my best gadgets. People usually make jerky in it who are hard core non-vegetarian. However, I use them to make so many vegan Indian items.
We make potato, bitter gourd chips, dehydrate berries and herbs like mint, and even make sago chakli. You can also use it to make aam papad. Dehydrating veggies in batches helps me fulfil all these cravings. I dehydrate and avoid the extra sugar in similar items available in the market like mango slices, peach slices.
Sohail says
My dehydrated potato chips turned black, and taste bitter after frying please guide me in this regard very thank full if you help me out
Regards
Gaurav says
Hi Sohail
Thanks for writing in.
This happens when the potato crop is very fresh and early new ones.The older ones (which are not wet)They should be dry and not sprouted.We have also seen this happen when the potato is very fresh and bit wet.
Hope this helps.
Sohail says
Than you very much , Thank you, i am considering that this is the difference of dehydrator dried and sun dried but you clearify very briefly, also tell me if there is a way out for this phenomenon.
Thanh you in advance
Sohail says
Than you very much , Thank you, i am considering that this is the difference of dehydrator dried and sun dried but you clearify very briefly, also tell me if there is a way out for this phenomenon.
Thanh you in advance
bhavana bhatia says
Did u try adding fitkari alum while making it?
Fitakari when added to potatoes makes it white.
Sohail chouhan says
I tried but same result, can you kindly tell me that , what should be the temperature set for dehydrating potatoes
Gaurav says
The dehydrator that we are using does provide an option for the temperature but it remains in the range of 40-50 degree Celsius
Sohail chouhan says
What will be the effect if we raised the temperature to 55 - 60
Gaurav says
in that case, they tend to get dark pretty quickly. I suggest that take them out a bit earlier this time even if it is 90% done and let them dry out in the open.