Baking chips

Simple recipes, that take minimum preparation and attendance, and shall give back fullness of flavour and a smile to your spouse or children. They are easy to make, less messy, packing fewer calories than their fried counterparts, and surely a lot healthier than the ones you buy in a store. To conserve on energy, it’s best to make these after cooking something else in the oven, when you won't spend much electricity to maintain the low temperature required to bake the chips. Find below four recipes to suit your particular taste. For the salty chips serve them together with a simple sauce based on tomato or greek yogurt. A horseradish sauce sounds really nice, for the beetroots.

Baked beetroot chips

Baking the beetroots in the oven instead of frying makes them shrink quite a bit, since the moisture content isn’t replaced by the oil. You will need :

• Beetroots (red or yellow)
• Olive oil to spray
• Salt to taste

Peel the beetroots, and slice them very thinly with a cheese cutter, a vegetable peeler, mandolin, or even a food processor if you have one. Use a baking sheet on your oven tray, so that they won't stick to it, and you won't have to thoroughly clean it afterwards. Spray a thin layer of olive oil over the paper, or brush the paper with as little oil as you can. Arrange the beetroot slices on the baking sheet, snugly but not overlapping, and spray them with some olive oil. 

Preheat the oven to 120°C. Bake at 100°C for 35-40 minutes, flip the chips, and bake for 30-35 minutes more. Use your own feel as to the time necessary since we want them very crispy and dry, but not burnt. They may require another flipping or two (for less time). When finished baking, salt the chips on the tray, let them cool for a couple of minutes, take them of the baking sheet, drain them on a piece of kitchen paper if necessary then serve them.

Baked potato chips

You will need :

• Potatoes or Sweet potatoes
• Olive oil to spray
• Salt to taste

Peel the potatoes, and slice them very thinly with a cheese cutter, a vegetable peeler, mandolin, or even a food processor if you have one. Use a baking sheet on your oven tray, so that they won't stick to it, and you won't have to thoroughly clean it afterwards. Spray a thin layer of olive oil over the paper, or brush the paper with as little oil as you can. Arrange the potato slices on the baking sheet, snugly but not overlapping, and spray them with some olive oil. 

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Bake at 200°C for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, then flip the chips, and bake for 10-15 minutes more. They may require another flipping or two (for less time). When finished baking, salt the chips on the tray, let them cool for a couple of minutes, then take them off the baking sheet, and drain them on a piece of kitchen paper if necessary then serve them. Sweet potatoes shrink a bit more than potatoes, but require lower temperatures, so adjust accordingly. 

Baked pita chips

Baking pita bread into crispy little chips is one of the quickest treats. They're healthier and far less expensive than store bought crackers. You can season these with something as simple as a sprinkle of salt and pepper, or get creative with different spice or dried herb combinations. You will need :

• Arabic pitas
• Olive oil to spray
• Salt to taste
• (optional) cumin, oregano, etc., to season according to taste or mood

Open, separate the two layers, then cut them to manageable pieces. Use a baking sheet on your oven tray, so that they won't stick to it, and you won't have to thoroughly clean it afterwards. Spray a thin layer of olive oil over the paper, or brush the paper with as little oil as you can. Arrange the potato slices on the baking sheet, snugly but not overlapping, and spray them with some olive oil. 

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Bake at 200°C for 15-20 minutes or until brownish, then flip the chips, and bake for 10-15 minutes more. They may require another flipping or two (for less time). When finished baking, salt and season the chips on the tray, let them cool for a couple of minutes, then take them off the baking sheet, drain them on a piece of kitchen paper if necessary, and serve them.

Baked apple chips

And now something more sweeter, for those times that you need something more dessert like, or for your breakfast. Depending on the apples' variety that you'll use, and the tanginess or sweetness you want, you may need to adjust the quantity of sugar, or skip the cinnamon altogether. You will need :

• A couple of apples (any variety)
• 2-4 tablespoons of brown sugar
• Half a tablespoon (or to taste) of cinnamon
• A bit of the juice from a lemon

Do not peel the apples, in order for the resulting slices to hold together. Slice the apples thinly (but not too much) with a cheese cutter, or a mandolin. Use a baking sheet on your oven tray, so that they won't stick to it. Use some of the juice of a lemon to brush the slices (use your hands). In that way the slices won't get brown (it depends on how mature are the apples). Use a medium bowl to prepare a mix of the brown sugar and the cinnamon. Dip and flip the apple slices in the mix, until largely covered. Arrange the apple slices on the baking sheet, snugly but not overlapping.

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Bake at 200°C for 1 hour or until brownish, then flip the chips, and bake for 1 hour more. They may require another flipping or two (for less time). When finished baking, let them cool for a couple of minutes, then take them off the baking sheet, and serve them.