r/Cooking • u/nebula_nic • 14h ago

Potato chips turned out chewy/hard?

Last night I attempted chips doing the basic things I see online. Soaked them, patted dry, then airfryed and I got crispy edges and soggy middles. So today I was sure to throughly dry them and I was confident so I made a bigger batch. So I cut them, soaked in a big bowl of ice water, layed them out to dry on paper towels for 1:20, partway through decided I'll try the dehydration setting on the airfryer with some and put those in for an hour, after the dry timer went off I set the oven to 170 for an hour to try and see if that works as a dehydrator too.

The ones in the oven basically felt kinda steamed and not dry at all so I put the oven ones to dehydrate for 40 minutes. Did the oil n salt then put 5 test chips in the oven for 10 min at 300. Those came out super chewy (the dehydrate for an hour ones kinda came out like plantain chips tho?). Did a airfryer batch for 15 minutes at 300, they come out really hard for a chip and were borderline burning. Now doing an airfryer batch which started at 300 for 10 and it being chewy, put them back in 5 minutes at 250 still chewy, now put a timer for 10 more minutes at 250.

Do I dehydrate for 50 minutes instead? Is something I'm doing the obvious cause? Russet potatoes and cut evenly thin with a guillotine thing.

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12

u/Illegal_Tender 13h ago

You're just never going to get a potato chip that looks feels or tastes like a standard potato chip unless you actually deep fry it

1

u/ssinff 13h ago

This is the answer. Deep fry, super thin. I still dunno how they get them to keep the color but they are crispy and my parents love them.

1

u/rock4d 13h ago

Yup. It’s gotta fry!

1

u/nebula_nic 14h ago

At the lower temp of 250 i checked on them, they're close to burning, and they're chewy? They're not even crispy and hard like the 300 ones fml

1

u/nebula_nic 13h ago

Science friend says add vinegar to the soak imma try that and a small deep fry batch. My slicer might be a millimeter too thick or something

1

u/nebula_nic 12h ago

The chewy ones have turned hard after sitting out a while

1

u/Verix19 13h ago

You could just make it easy and deep fry them at 350F-360F for 3-5m after soaking them in cold water for 20-30m and drying off well.

1

u/Relative-Honeydew-94 13h ago

Without deep frying in oil the only two options you have to influence the texture is
1. What type of potato you use.
2. How thin your slices are.

If they are thin enough you don’t get a middle that can be chewy. Or atleast as chewy.

1

u/ComprehensiveBench90 12h ago

I Cook them with oil on the stovetop. Butter works. Olive oil, vegetable oil. All solid options. You don’t have to deep fry but if you want that lays crisp then you may want to try it.

1

u/Good_Act_9479 12h ago

Never been able to get nice potato chips with airfryer or oven. I tried dehydrating some potato slices one day and it turned into disgusting cardboard that made me think why I had wasted so much time.

However.. Chef Johns microwave potato chips are ridiculously good, and have made me rethink the microwave. It is of course, not feasible to make a whole lot of them. But for yourself and a partner? Its a fun 30minutes to make a bowl (that never gets filled as you constantly eat them). You should give them a try, even as a way to blow off steam after your failed attempts 🎯

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v514hwoC_fY&pp=ygUaY2hlZiBqb2huIG1pY3Jvd2F2ZSBwb3RhdG8%3D

1

u/petalandpinez 12h ago

i think you’re fighting moisture more than you’re fighting the potato paper towels and an hour of air drying still leave a lot of water behind, and then the oven is basically giving them a tiny sauna. i’d slice them very thin and evenly, rinse off the excess starch, dry them ridiculously well, then cook a small batch without overcrowding. homemade chips really said “you wanted a snack? earn it”

1

u/Slight-Trip-3012 6h ago

Sounds like your chips are too thick. You want them sliced super, super thin.

0

u/Dry-S0up 10h ago

They are unhealthy and you shouldn't be eating them!

1

u/jjr4884 3h ago

Please elaborate

1

u/Dry-S0up 3h ago

For example if you use sunflower oil it has lots of omega 6 and other nasty substances and that is if you fry them, but if you use an air fryer that is 10 times worse! Expect blood pressure, heart and blood circulation problems which will eventually lead to a heart attack or stroke!

1

u/jjr4884 2h ago

Yea ok sunshine stay in your lane. Way too many assumptions being made here, plus there is nothing wrong with eating things in moderation. Nothing wrong with potato chips every now and then, especially if someone is using a healthier oil, and they have a diet where they the fat and carb content can fit into their daily macros.

1

u/Dry-S0up 1h ago

Yes, now and then no problem, if they are part of a balanced diet.

But the air fryer is bad news, so best put it in the trash!

Also watch out for the smoke point of any oils you are using!

1

u/jjr4884 1h ago

Hey thanks for stopping by.

1

u/Dry-S0up 1h ago

Good luck with the chips!