# Kale chips



## spork (Jan 27, 2012)

My aunt introduced me to this very interesting and addictively tasty way to enjoy kale.  I haven't cooked it myself yet, but there's not much to it...

debone kale and cut/shred into large mouthful size, 
toss with a little olive oil and salt (or other seasoning), 
spread on two or three cookie sheets, 
bake/dry in oven at 250° for 20 minutes.
(allrecipes suggests 10-15 min at 350)

It's crispy, thin, lacey, and delicate.  It dissolves in the mouth with a mild bitterness.  Great snack food.


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## FrankZ (Jan 27, 2012)

spork said:


> debone kale



Kale has bones?!?  Yer just trying to trick us into thinking it is a meat...


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## CWS4322 (Jan 27, 2012)

I love making kale chips. What you do is remove the stems. I like to spritz them with EVOO and then add spices--chilpote chile is one favorite. I linei the baking sheets with parchment paper. They are a big hit whenever I make them and serve them to guests. They also keep fairly well.


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## Dawgluver (Jan 27, 2012)

Timely post!  I've been meaning to look up a recipe for kale chips, thanks!


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## MostlyWater (Jan 27, 2012)

kale is an interesting vegetable. i've had it raw in salads, sauteed with fish (okay, actually that's for tonite) and last week made it into a soup.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Jan 27, 2012)

I saw this exact same recipe on another forum (a non-cooking forum with a cooking/recipe section) and it got raves there too. I want to try it!!!


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## CWS4322 (Jan 27, 2012)

Kale chips are...addictive. I love them.


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## vitauta (Jan 28, 2012)

i'm in!  very next time i buy kale for when i cook greens, i will get extra so i can make some kale chips too--sounds awesome!!


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## CWS4322 (Jan 28, 2012)

I make a lot of kale chips in the summer and fall when kale is plentiful in the garden. You can eat kale chips without the guilt associated with potato chips.


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## GB (Jan 28, 2012)

The only problem I have with kale chips is that if I am making them myself then it takes way too much kale to make a worthwhile amount. Or maybe i just eat too much of it


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## Greg Who Cooks (Jan 28, 2012)

How much is too much? What's the price of a head of kale vs. price of a bag of potato chips?

Which is healthier? This is not a rhetorical question. I don't know the answer, but kale sounds more healthy if it's a choice of kale chips it or potato chips.


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## CWS4322 (Jan 28, 2012)

Gourmet Greg said:


> How much is too much? What's the price of a head of kale vs. price of a bag of potato chips?
> 
> Which is healthier? This is not a rhetorical question. I don't know the answer, but kale sounds more healthy if it's a choice of kale chips it or potato chips.


Kale is definitely healthier than potatoes. However, I am biased, I do not like "supermarket" kale. It is tough and bitter. The kale we grow is tender and sweet. We plant kale and potatoes in the garden. Seed potatoes are more expensive than kale seed. Kale is a relatively easy plant to grow. Potatoes get potato bugs (which the chickens love) but s/one has to pick the bugs off the plants, and digging potatoes is a lot more work than picking kale. Kale plants grow "upward" so one could easily incorporate some kale plants in one's flower beds (kinda like planting ornamental cabbage).


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## CWS4322 (Jan 28, 2012)

GB said:


> The only problem I have with kale chips is that if I am making them myself then it takes way too much kale to make a worthwhile amount. Or maybe i just eat too much of it


Your problem is you don't have 60-75 kale plants and have to figure out what to do with all that kale!


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## Greg Who Cooks (Jan 28, 2012)

I wish I could try these kale chips by buying some at the supermarket.


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## CWS4322 (Jan 28, 2012)

Gourmet Greg said:


> I wish I could try these kale chips by buying some at the supermarket.


You should be able to find some there--I know that you can buy them in NYC. A "trendy" food.


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## MostlyWater (Jan 30, 2012)

I'm inNYC and will look for them.  thanks !


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## taxlady (Feb 19, 2012)

Gourmet Greg said:


> I wish I could try these kale chips by buying some at the supermarket.



I found some at the health food store. The bag was the size of a small bag of potato chips or Fritos. It cost $6.95!  

I think I'll try making some. I have some kale in the fridge.


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## taxlady (Feb 19, 2012)

Those are good! A bit weird, but good.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 19, 2012)

I'll have to start a cooking "to do" list, and add kale chips to it. I wish I had a general "to do" list and I'd add "start a cooking/foodie to do list" but alas I don't have that list either. I'll try to remember to check WFM and Trader Joe's for kale chips.

TL I'll look forward to your comments if you cook the recipe. You seem pretty savvy.


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## taxlady (Feb 19, 2012)

Gourmet Greg said:


> I'll have to start a cooking "to do" list, and add kale chips to it. I wish I had a general "to do" list and I'd add "start a cooking/foodie to do list" but alas I don't have that list either. I'll try to remember to check WFM and Trader Joe's for kale chips.
> 
> TL I'll look forward to your comments if you cook the recipe. You seem pretty savvy.



I followed Spork's instructions and they are very easy to make and very tasty. I also followed CWS4322's suggestion to use parchment paper. There was hardly any cleanup. The jelly roll pan and the cookie sheet were still clean.

The taste is unusual, but definitely yummy. I will definitely do that again. BTW, if you want to make these, you should consider getting organic kale. Kale is in the "dirty dozen" for pesticide residue on fruits and vegis. Executive Summary | EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides | Environmental Working Group | EWG.org


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 19, 2012)

Thank you for your advice TL. I have always considered leafy vegetables to be amont the "dirty dozen" as far as pesticide contamination. Too bad that just when you find your vegetables are your best nutritional friends you also discover that the best among them are the most heavily pesticide laden. Oh the irony.


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## CWS4322 (Feb 23, 2012)

Kale grows upright so it doesn't take a lot of space, it is not terribly attractive to bugs, etc. (chickens love it, however). If you have a flower bed, I'd consider adding some kale plants....We dig kale plants up in the fall and keep them in pots in the shop during the winter. We love the little tender leaves...It is sweeter after the first frost, but you can sweeten it up by tossing it in the freezer for about 1/2 hour.


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## spork (Feb 24, 2012)

Found small bags of them ("Kale Krunch" by kaiafoods) at the local Whole Food market's snack isle.  In several flavors:  cheesy, tarragon dijon & orange creamsicle.  I purchased 'Southwestern Ranch with just a little kick' for a whopping $5.  I'd open and try some, but I purchased it as a gift for an acquaintance who recently gave me some kale leaves and this head of bok choi cabbage from his plot in a community garden.


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