- beets
- oil
- salt
a couple weeks back a friend asked me if i have ever made beet chips. i’ve made kale chips and i’ve even made apple chips so how hard could beet chips be?
my goal was to stay away from frying. if i was going to make beet chips i wanted them to be healthy. something i can give to my kids, you know, that’s not saturated in oil.
i tried baking them…i really did. all i got was a mushy mess. i tried low temperatures and i tried high temperatures, all i was doing was wasting beets and you all know how much i hate to waste food (i freeze all my leftover veg and chicken bones for soup stocks). my only option left, break out the oil.
if my kids like the “green” chips so much why wouldn’t they like the red and yellow ones. they did and it’s a great snack to make after school, especially since we are making “chips”.
red & golden beet chips
- if you have a steady hand, i do not, you can cut the beets into thin slices, i like to use my mandoline. it makes for easy slicing and easy cleanup, and less chance of chopping off one of my fingers.
- heat up oil in a frying pan. about 2 cups.
- when oil is hot, you can test by throwing a chip in, if it bubbles up and starts “frying” you are ready. slowing place chips in oil, flipping with a fork when chips start to curl up and brown (about 30 seconds to a minute on each side).
- when chips are brown and crunchy looking place on a paper towel to drain off the oil.
- when chips cool down sprinkle with salt and enjoy.
one day i will figure out how to make baked beet chips, until then…we fry.
Just wanted to share a frying story. I just finished watching “The Help” and one of the scene in the movie was about using Crisco to fry chicken and it was the best taste and the only way to fry. So I tried it, and it did work great! You definitely feel it in your body afterwards so I say maybe a once every 2 month treat. But boy, it was the best to fry a floured meat!
The problem was the clean up! I use my dishwasher for everything, all of my pans are stainless steel so I can throw them in without a worry. So I drain the leftover Crisco into a old coffee canister and I put the pan and the spoon I used to scoop out the Crisco into the dishwasher with my regular load. Lesson learned NEVER put veg shortening into the dishwasher! Every dish had a white greasy film. I had to hand wash everything and then wash the dishwasher with a special soap to get the stuff off it it!
So what do you do with your left over oil and how many times do you reuse it (if you do).
Hey Melanie, I use my leftover oil for at least a week. I let it sit in the frying pan on top of my stove top covered with a lid. I don’t usually “fry” so when i do decide to, i fry all week to make good of all that leftover oil.
Hello. Do you use raw or cooked beetroot to make the chips before frying in oil?
Thanks
Hi Diane, I use raw beets.