Recipe: Vegetable Crackle Chips (dehydrated)

Vegetable Crackle Chips (dehydrated)
rec.food.cooking/Katie E Green
This is from Sunset Magazine, suitable for oven or dehydrator processing. They are quite lovely. The zucchini looks like cellophane. Nice for a tasty snack alternative to overprocessed and salted chips. This is long, as the poster requested overall instructions.

Vegetable Crackle Chips

Dried chips are not as snappy; their taste and texture grow on you. You blanch thin slices of carrot, parsnip, potato, yam or zucchini in a water brine of vinegar or citrus juice and water, to enhance and preserve flavor and color. Blanching also softens vegetable fibers so the chips are crisp, but not hard.

You then dry the vegetable slices for several hours in a dehydrator or oven. The dehydrator is easier to use. The oven would be kept at the lowest possible temperature, but not exceeding 150f if possible. 200F is an ok temperature, if that is the lowest oven setting. Your product will simply have better color, texture at the lower setting. The chips are so light, they may blow off racks in a convection oven. Dry them between two screens, perhaps.

Ingredients:
Your choice of Parsnips, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, zucchini
salt optional

General Instructions:

Peel vegetables, as directed below. Cut into 1/16 inch uniform slices with a power slicer, food processor, or mandolin. It is too difficult to cut slices think enough with a knife. Uneven slices will dry unevenly.

In a 5 to 6 quart pan, combine 3 cups water and the vegetable acid recommended below. Bring to a boil over high heat. Dump half of vegetable slices in and push under water with a spoon. Cook as specified for specific vegetable below. Quickly lift cooked slices out of water with slotted spoon. Repeat to blanch remaining vegetables.

Arrange slices in a single layer (edges can touch) on dehydrator racks or wire cooling racks. If first batch of oven chips stick, lightly oil racks or screens before using again. Sprinkle vegetables with salt.

Set dehydrator at 140F or high heat and load filled racks. In oven set racks or screens equal distance apart. Turn slices over after 30 minutes and let dry until chips are crisp, firm and very dry. To test for doneness, let chip cool (its flexible when warm). Slices will not be as crisp as potato chips, but they will not bend easily. If they do, dry longer. Avoid scorching; different vegetables require different drying times.

Let cool and store in moisture proof jars or containers. These will keep up to two weeks at room temperature. Freeze to store longer. I suppose it depends on the vegetable, but I have successfully kept dried mushrooms and Walla Walla sweets for up to a year.

CARROTS:
Peel 6 large (1 1/2 lbs). Use 1 cup white wine vinegar or 1/2 cup lemon juice in blanching water. Blanch in this boiling liquid for 2 minutes, until slightly opaque. Drain and dry 3 to 4 hours in dehydrator or oven. Makes 1 1/2 ounces or 2 cups.

PARSNIPS:
Peel 6 large (1 1/2 lbs). Follow sames steps as for carrots. Blanch for 3 minutes. Makes 4 ounces or 4 cups

POTATOES:
Scrub 2 medium (1 lb.) Blanch in 1 cup cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, or malt vinegar in blanching water for 5 minutes or until opaque. Drain and dry 3 to 4 hours. Makes 3 oz/4 cups.

YAMS:
Peel 2 medium (1 lb.) Blanch in 1 cup vinegar, or white wine or red wine vinegar, or cider vinegar in blanching water for 5 minutes or until opague. Drain and dry 3 to 4 hours. Makes 2 ounces or 3 cups.

ZUCCHINI:
Trim ends from 4 large (1 1/2 lb) Blanch in 1 cup tarragon white wine vinegar or 1/2 cup lime juice in blanching water for about 1 minute or until opaque. Drain and dry 2 to 3 hours. Makes 1 ounce or 2 1/2 cups.