5 Tips for Making Crunchy Kale Chips
I decided to try and make kale chips the other day and quickly realized that they can either be a huge success or a huge disaster. I wanted to share a few kitchen troubleshooting tips with you all to hopefully help you avoid some of the problems I ran into. So here are my top 5 things that can go wrong when making kale chips - and tips to prevent them!
Top 5 Things that Can Go Wrong: Kale Chips
1. Washing and Drying. So you washed your kale nicely, but you skimped on drying. You really want to either spin your kale or squeeze it dry with a few paper towels. Dry kale will help prevent soggy chips and will allow you room to add in some seasonings.
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2. Too Hot. The number one cause of wilted "kale chips" is placing your chips in a too hot oven. Kale chips are best when made in a dehydrator - they get super crispy - but you can totally make delicious kale chips in your oven by baking for a long time on the lowest setting. Don't try to speed up the process by placing the kale in a 300 degree oven. You will end up with ROASTED kale rather than crispy chip kale.
3. No Grease. You really want to remember to grease, oil or properly line your baking sheet. Those kale chips will easily stick to ungreased baking sheets or foil. So slather on some EVOO, coconut oil or any veggie oil. You can also experiment with using fancy non-stick liners and even wax paper.
4. Too Much Sauce. If you add too much sauce or coating to your kale you may end up with soggy chips no matter how perfectly you bake them. Clumpy-sauced kale chips just won't be nice and crispy. Although .. they might still be delicious.
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5. Spacing. You really want your chips to breath as they bake. So allow only one layer on your baking sheet and space the kale out as much as you can. Clumped kale will not get light and crispy, but rather thick and mushy.
Last Word. I can say from personal experience, even if you "mess up" the baking process and come away with soggy, roasted, over baked, underbaked, clumpy or sticky kale chips .. they will probably still be yummy! And practice makes perfect with these tricky little green crisps of love. Keep trying! - By Kathy Patalsky
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