+7 votes
I am so tired of all these trendy viral resipes online that use fancy powders and weird sprays with gross chemikals just to make dinner. 🙄 Why cant we just make food the simplur way like normal people used to do with plain vegtable oil and salt? Evry time I try bakking sweet potatos for a quick weeknight side dish they allways turn out soggy and soft insted of crispie. 🤦‍♀️ Does anyone have a real tradishunal method that actually works on a reglar bake sheet without ruined texture?
in Recipes and Cooking by

4 Answers

+2 votes
Best answer
Hello Hannah. I completely understand your frustration with overcomplicated recipes. You truly do not need any artificial additives, specialty powders, or chemical sprays to achieve delicious, crisp sweet potato chips at home. All you need are sweet potatoes, a little standard vegetable oil, and salt.

The primary reason sweet potatoes turn out soggy in the oven comes down to moisture and spacing. Sweet potatoes contain a lot of water and natural sugars. If they are sliced too thick, have excess surface moisture, or are crowded together, they will steam instead of crisping up.

Here is a dependable, traditional method using a standard baking sheet:

1. Slice them thinly and uniformly. Aim for slices that are roughly one-sixteenth of an inch thick. A mandoline slicer makes this quick and consistent, but a sharp chef knife works fine if you slice carefully.

2. Dry the slices thoroughly. Spread the slices out between clean kitchen towels or paper towels and press down firmly to absorb as much surface moisture as possible. Getting them dry before oiling is essential.

3. Use minimal oil. Toss the dried slices in a bowl with just enough vegetable oil to create a very thin, light sheen. If you add too much oil, the chips will soak it up and stay soft rather than crisping.

4. Arrange in a single layer with space. Lay the slices out on your baking sheet ensuring that none of them overlap or touch. If necessary, bake in batches across multiple pans so steam can escape freely.

5. Bake low and slow. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 degrees Celsius). High heat burns the natural sugars before the chip has dried out properly. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, flip each slice, and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until the edges curl and look lightly golden.

6. Season and cool. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and immediately sprinkle with fine salt while they are still hot so the salt adheres. The chips will continue to crisp as they cool for 5 minutes.

Taking care with slice thickness and giving the chips enough room on the sheet will solve the texture issues every time.
by alexander-wolf (6.3k points)
selected by chef
+8 votes
Slice them as thin as possible and wipe off all the moisture with paper towels. Lightly coat in oil and bake at 300 F on a single layer until dry and crisp.
by
+6 votes
I tried making these for my family and they were soggy until I dried each slice with a towel. You're chips will turn out crisp if you dry them and bake slow at low heat.
by
+1 vote
1. Slice the sweet potatos as thinn as possible using a sharp knife... 2. Soak all slices in cold water for 30 minutes to wash off starch... 3. Dry every slice thoroughly with clean kitchen cloths... 4. Toss with a very small amount of vegetable oil and salt! 5. Lay flat on your baking sheet in a single layer with space between each piece... 6. Bake at 220C for 20 minutes until dark golden brown!!! Watch closely so they do not burn... 7. Cool completely before packing into airtight containers for the week... Why do people buy fancy sprays??? Simple oil works perfectly if prepared right!
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