Again, when Eric worked for the salsa company in San Diego, he learned to make homemade tortilla chips. If you have a deep fryer it’s easy. Just find a good tv program to watch and sit while you drop, watch, & dip – you know kinda like the firemen’s saying – stop, drop & roll. I will warn you though. These are so addictive you will not be able to pass by them without grabbing a couple. It’s best to keep them in the pantry or somewhere that is out of sight. You will no longer be happy with store-bought tortilla chips.
Deep fryer
Corn oil*
Corn tortillas
Season salt
Line a large cookie sheet with paper towels. Heat up the oil in the deep fryer (I have a Fry Daddy and Fry Grandpappy, but I usually use the Grandpappy for this to do as many as possible at a time.) Be sure the oil is very hot before you drop the first batch in or they won’t get crisp. Pull out the stack of corn tortillas and cut through them all at once. I originally cut them as a pie in 4 slices. Now I cut it into 6 pieces – usually by slicing it across and then vertically twice so the two middle pieces are more like strips, and the four outside pieces are smaller – it gives smaller and larger options when you are eating them. For my Grandpappy I usually drop about 15 chips in at a time and use my tongs to be sure they break up after I’ve dropped them in so they don’t stick together. It’s best to do a couple of batches to see the desired color and crispness you like. If they are too light, they may not get crispy enough, depending on your deep fryer.
Use tongs to dip them out, shaking off excess oil. Spread on the paper-towel lined cookie sheet and immediately sprinkle season salt on them. Keep repeating until all are done. Once they are completely cool, store them in a plastic container with a lid. I have kept them over a week before, but they usually don’t last that long. I usually do at least 3 packs of 24 for it to be worth using that amount of oil. The more the better, but you will need a long movie to watch if you do over 100 – it’s a boring job – but oh so rewarding.
WONTON CHIPS
I wanted something to serve with the Asian Avocado Salsa, and so I tried frying wonton wrappers like I did the corn tortillas. They were wonderful! As with any other chip, we even enjoyed them without the salsa. My son Logan likes to drizzle honey on them and swears they taste like a crispy sopapilla. I don’t know about that, but I tried his, and I did like the sweet, salty, crispy treat. So obviously there are more creative ideas for these chips that we have yet to discover. Let me know if you find some new way to enjoy them!
Wonton wrappers
Peanut oil*
Salt
Cut the wonton wrappers into 2 triangles by cutting diagonally across them. Follow the corn tortilla directions exactly, except very lightly sprinkle them with table salt.
*Since the oil is the most expensive ingredient, I like to use it again. Once the oil has cooled I put it back in the original bottle and store it in the frig. It will go rancid and ruin your chips if it isn’t refrigerated. I would suggest only using it a couple more times before starting with new oil.
No comments:
Post a Comment