A month from today I will have been blogging for a full year! I have "met" so many great people in the food blogger community and beyond. Some of them I even consider my personal friends now, even though we have yet to meet in person. These "recipe swaps" I've been doing have been a good way to get to know those friends and their cooking stylea little better and for those that have swapped with me to get to know me and my cooking style.
One of the closefriends I have made is Monica from Sweet Heat Chefs. She made my Spicy Guacamole with Baconrecipe and I'm making her recipe for crispy kale chips.
Now, a little bit about kale, and kale chips.
Kale is a member of the cabbage family, along with broccoli and cauliflower.
If anything but well cooked broccoli bothers your stomach, you might want to stay away from these, just ask my husband 🙁
My only experience with kale is from my years working in the food service of a local private boarding school where we used it as a garnish for EVERYTHING. I had never eaten it, nor did it even really occur to me that I could, until right around the time I started this blog and I started seeing recipes with it all over.
So, when I found these while searching Monica's recipes to find something for the swap, I knew it was time to try it. The first time I made them they burnt really fast, so I asked Monica what I did wrong and after talking to her she updated her recipe to better explain how to cut the leaves, and the second time I was able to make them much better, with just a little modification.
Honestly, you NEED to try these kale chips.
They're REALLY delicious, but they are also addicting! Don't eat all of them yourself, because they WILL give you gas! Just saying.....
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Crispy Kale Chips
Healthy kale is rubbed with oil and spices, then baked up until crispy. It's a healthy snack that you can enjoy any time of the day.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Total Time20 minutesmins
Course: Snack
Servings: 4
Calories: 108kcal
Author: Bernadette
Ingredients
1bunch kalewashed and dried thoroughly
3tablespoonsolive oil
sea salt and ground white pepperto taste.
Instructions
Make sure kale is thoroughly washed and dried. Preheat oven to 300*F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cut off the stems off the kale and remove the ribs from the middle of the leaves, keeping the veins of the leaves intact. Cut the leaves into larger bite size pieces, keeping in mind that they will shrink as they bake and they will burn if cut too small! I cut each leaf in half lengthwise and then in half again crosswise.
Put the leaves on the lined baking sheets, drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Mix to coat well, then make sure they are as spread out and flat as possible so they crisp up nicely. Bake for 12-24 minutes*. Watch carefully to make sure they don't burn and turn over half way through.
Notes
* I know that's a wide range for the baking time. Monica's recipe calls for 24 minutes, turning over after 12. The first time I made them I cut them way too small and some of them burnt after only 12 minutes. The second time I made them and cut the leaves much bigger, they were still almost crispy after 12, so I turned them and put them back in for 3 more minutes. None were burnt and all of them were crisp. Basically your going to have to watch them and adjust your time accordingly. Is it worth standing there and watching? Absolutely!
I haven't made kale chips in quite a while, but you've got me craving them! I'm going to have to pick up some kale and make a batch. And congratulations on your upcoming blog anniversary! Be sure to come to the Weekend Kitchen Link Party to link up another recipe!
To keep them crispy, it is important to let them cool completely. Once cooled, they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. You could also try adding a few grains of raw rice or silica packs (like those found in store-bought kale chips) to the airtight container. & Perfect for snacking!
Wash the kale leaves and then dry completely to avoid soggy chips. I recommend using a salad spinner or patting down leaves with a clean towel. Cut the stalks and thicker midribs from the leaves (they're too tough for chips) and discard.
However what tends to happen at this temperature is that the thinner parts of the kale become brittle, brown and bitter while the thicker parts are either undercooked or chewy. To get perfectly uniform, crispy kale chips, the key is to bake them for longer, at a lower temperature.
Rinse and dry the kale leaves before removing most of the centre stalk, leaving long, thin pieces of kale. Toss the kale in the oil, then sprinkle with the sugar, cinnamon and ½ tablespoon of sea salt. Arrange the leaves in a single layer on a couple of baking trays and bake for 5 minutes, until crisp.
Turn the heat up under the oil and return one blanched chip to the oil as a guide again.Once it's floating and golden the temperature should be about 180°C, which is perfect for frying and will give you chips with those all-important crispy outsides and fluffy middles.
Why are my homemade chips not crispy? It's likely that too many chips were cooked at once (a crowded pan is never a good thing) and doing so means the temperature of the oil decreases, resulting in soggy, greasy chips.
Kale contains a large amount of fiber, which is great for digestion but can be dangerous if you eat too much. If you overeat on kale chips (or any food) then you may experience bloating, gas, and constipation due to the excessive intake of fiber.
And unlike potato chips, kale retains its nutritional value when made into chips. Kale is high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamin A and calcium, as well as B vitamins, vitamin C and potassium. It's fat- and sodium-free, and the minuscule amounts of olive oil and salt used in my recipe barely bump up those amounts.
Any variety of kale – curly or flat – can be made into baked kale chips. Some home cooks prefer to use flat lacinato kale, aka "dinosaur" kale, so named for its leathery appearance, and some like the frilly appearance of curly kale. Try batches of both and see which you like best.
To top it off, kale chips are usually labeled as raw, which means in order to get them crispy they are dehydrated and that takes a looooong time. So we've got expensive ingredients + a long production process = $7 for a mini bag of kale chips!
Storage. In my opinion, kale chips are crispiest and taste the best immediately after baking. However, if you have leftovers, my recommendation is to store them in an air-tight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. They will lose their crispiness, but will still taste delicious.
Blanch in a large pan of boiling water for 3 mins, then drain well. Shake the potatoes out onto a roasting pan, drizzle with oil, ensuring each chip is evenly coated, then season well. Bake for about 15-20 mins, turning the potatoes at least twice, until golden brown and crisp.
It is not likely that you would experience adverse effects from consuming kale chips. If the chips are very salty and you over-consume them, you might feel bloated from the excess salt intake. You may also feel some stomach discomfort from the fiber if you eat a lot of them and are not used to eating high-fiber foods.
Storage. In my opinion, kale chips are crispiest and taste the best immediately after baking. However, if you have leftovers, my recommendation is to store them in an air-tight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. They will lose their crispiness, but will still taste delicious.
To freeze kale chips: Ensure the chips are completely cool and dry. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent clumping. Once frozen, transfer the chips to a vacuum-sealed bag, which will keep moisture and air out, extending their shelf life significantly.
If you want to store your kale chips for longer than a week, you can do so by vacuum-sealing them. When stored like this, kale chips can last at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Whatever you do, don't refrigerate!
How to store & reheat baked kale chips. Homemade kale chips are best eaten the day they're made, but they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a day if you have leftovers. You can warm them up in a 250ºF oven if you need to re-crisp them.
Introduction: My name is Lakeisha Bayer VM, I am a brainy, kind, enchanting, healthy, lovely, clean, witty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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