Ever heard the adage that “cooking is an art and a science”? Even the simplest tasks, such as boiling a pot of water or baking something at 350°F, involves a bit of chemistry. For people who are truly passionate about the relationship between cooking and science, the next level is molecular gastronomy, which explores how ingredients physically and chemically change during cooking. The results are mesmerizing recipes like Flamin’ Hot Cheeto caviar and clear potato chips.
With a bit of time and patience, you can play with your food’s composition at home. This recipe for clear potato chips is a great place to start!
How to Make Clear Potato Chips
You’ll need to make your own potato stock for homemade clear potato chips, so keep this recipe in your back pocket for the next time you boil Yukon potatoes—for mashed potatoes or potato salad, for example. That way, you can have clear potato chips without wasting an entire sack of potatoes.
The recipe below is from @tastemade on TikTok. The process is different than making homemade potato chips, but it’s still approachable at home.
Ingredients
In addition to the following ingredients, you’ll need a large stockpot, a whisk, parchment paper, a sheet pan and a squeeze bottle or recycled condiment bottle.
Potato Stock:
- 6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups water
Potato Gel:
- 4 tablespoons potato starch
- Chives and rosemary, for garnish
- Olive oil, for garnish
Directions
Step 1: Make the potato stock
Wash the potatoes with cold water and dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Cut an X halfway into potatoes with a knife. (This allows the steam to vent.)
Place potatoes, salt, and oil in a large stockpot and cover with 4 cups water. Bring to a boil and cook for 25-30 minutes.
Step 2: Cool the stock
Remove the stockpot from heat and let the potatoes cool at room temperature. Strain the potatoes and reserve the liquid. Save the potatoes for another recipe, like our Oh-So-Good Creamy Mashed Potatoes.
Cover potato stock and refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight.
Step 3: Prep the potato gel
Preheat your oven to 225°F. Pour the chilled potato stock into a large saucepan. Add potato starch.
Over medium-high heat, whisk to dissolve the starch into the potato stock. Continue whisking until gelatinous consistency forms, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Pour gel into a squeeze bottle and let cool slightly.
Step 4: Make the clear potato chips
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and squeeze gel into chip-sized shapes. Bake for 4 hours.
Remove from oven and let cool. Carefully remove chips from parchment paper and garnish with chives and rosemary.
This is the perfect kitchen science experiment to tackle with kids who love to cook! Be sure to have our Test Kitchen’s favorite potato chips nearby for a taste test.
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