That is very cool......I have the same addiction!

Unrepentant gadget person here too. ;-) I'm going to Target this afternoon so I'll have to look for them.

Do you have Mastrad TopChip Kit? That's my newest gadget purchase, and it's for making vegetable and fruit chips. Hubby is a big potato chip lover, but the cost/fat/salt make them a rare purchase at our house, and now I can make them at home in 3-minutes. We've been munching our way through home-grown sweet potatoes made into chips on sandwich night.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: TopChip Maker and Slicer

How adorable is that?!

Maybe we all should start a club. LOL!

Grainlady - that Chip Maker looks interesting. I am also a big chip lover of any kind, though I am on no chip diet. What kind of fruits and veggies, other than potatoes, do you use? And let me know what you think of the Bella Fluted Cake Maker. I have a Mini Bundt Pan by Nordic Ware but it is a pain to use because no matter how much I grease it, they stick. And I use Crisco not spray oil.

Clare

I am not a gadget person but I agree that Mastrad Top Chip Kit looks really interesting. Can you put herbs & spices on the chips before going into the micro?

I checked out the Cake Maker but didn't get it. I'm on a practical "kick" lately, but the cakes are so sweet looking it was tempting. If I was entertaining more than we do now, it probably would have come home with me (lol). I also wondered about altering the cake recipe enough to work with my "oddball" list of foods that doesn't include bleached/unbleached flour and sugar.

The Chip Maker suggestions using it for potato, sweet potato, carrot, apple, pear and mango - not recommended for use with any other root, fruit or vegetable. Look for purple potatoes for something different. A mix of white, purple, as well as sweet potatoes makes a nice mix of colors. Make sure you use the fat end of carrots because they will end up being micro-chips.

It is suggested you season your chips AFTER cooking is completed, and from using it, I agree. Salt draws the moisture out of the raw veggies and they don't dry evenly. Be sure to try these chips unseasoned - you really can't beat the flavor. Something else we noticed, we consume a lot fewer chips if we don't salt them.

My tip for use: After I make the chips I put them on a cookie sheet (or rimmed pan) in a single layer and stick them in the oven with the light on for a couple hours before serving. This will assure they are completely dry and stay crisp. Any leftovers go into an air tight container.

-Grainlady

Grainlady - Thanks for getting back to me with your report. I am tempted by the Cake Maker, but I wouldn't use it enough to justify the expense. In regards to the chip maker, do you think the Mastrad Chip Maker is better quality than the other brands of microwave chip makers out there?
Thanks.
Clare

grainlady, You are certainly right about one thing. "Something else we noticed, we consume a lot fewer chips if we don't salt them." I know I would eat a lot less without salt!!!

Clare-
This is the only brand I've tried so I have nothing to compare it to.

BTW, there are lots of instructions for making chips in the microwave without the non-stick trays (see link below for just one such site).

Additional tips... Bake all the smaller end slices first in one batch, so all the slices are a similar size. They may also require less cooking time. This is especially true with sweet potatoes that have a greater degree of taper to the tubers (say that three times - LOL). Then bake the larger inside slices in additional batches, which may take an additional 30 or 60 seconds of baking time due to the larger size of the slices. This is one of those principles I also use when dehydrating. This will help prevent the smaller end pieces from over-cooking and the large slices from under-cooking. Alternatively, you can also place the smaller slices on one side of your tray and the larger slices on the other side. Cook long enough to bake the smaller end slices, remove, then finish baking the larger slices. A cutting mandoline is a must for paper thin slices that are the same thickness whether you use a nifty gadget, the glass turntable (if you have one in your microwave), or a glass plate. After a few batches you'll have it mastered for your particular microwave.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Homemade Potato Chip Recipe

Grainlady - Thanks for all the information and recipe. I love potato, sweet potato, carrot, apple chips. I really like sweet potato and apple with a little cinnamon. The reason I gave up chips was because of the salt. If I make them salt free then I can have them again. Hurray!
Clare

I am a collander nut. I have 36 of them. Most of them old but some new. I had more at one time but a niece liked a few and I happily unloaded my addiction on her. She lives in a condo which used to be a flour mill (1800's) overlooking the Mississippi. Brick walls and 22 foot ceilings. The collanders look great on the brick wall in the kitchen.

And this has come up on this forum before. Do you say?

cole AN der
or
CALL an der

Teresa

CALL an der. Wow, 36 of them. Must be all different types. I would love to see the pictures.
Clare

oh how sweet...and for one or two..it would be great....i think i will wait till it goes on clearance,tho

Here's another microwave potato chip recipe I came across this morning.

The author said to remove the chips to another plate to completely cool, and that makes them crisp.

Here is a link that might be useful: Another Microwave Potato Chip Recipe

jasdip - Thanks for the recipe. I will have to try it - today! LOL.
Clare

Ah, Clare, you're a girl right after my own heart. I don't care for sweets at all.......but potato chips....I'd knock someone over if they were on sale!

Ice cube trays are pretty useful for seperation during microwave dehydration. Sliced turkey frank example.