How to make apple chips at home?

Chips from the store contain harmful additives, they spoil the shape and adversely affect health. But sometimes you want to eat something tasty and crispy.A great alternative to a grocery store is apple chips, cooked at home. Such chips are a great snack throughout the day with health benefits.

Apple chips have a completely natural composition: apples and spices. Snacks can also include nuts, sugar or honey. Depending on the ingredients added during cooking, the calorie content of the apple product may be different.

Calorie fresh apples is 47 kcal. In the process of drying, an apple loses a large percentage of water, so the calories per 100 g of fruit become larger. Calorie ready apple chips is 240 - 260 kcal.

Apple chips contain a high content of carbohydrates - 60 g. Carbohydrates are simple and complex, chips contain both types. Simple ones include fructose, glucose, sucrose, complex ones - cellulose and starch. At the same time, starch is represented in a minimal amount, only 0.05 g, but the amount of useful fructose per 100 g of dried fruit can reach 10 g. Also, the composition of apple snacks includes proteins (2.2 g) and very small amount of fat (0, 1 g), which makes apple chips a popular product in many diets.

It is good to include apple chips in the diet diet for weight loss. They do not spoil the figure and even, on the contrary, contribute to getting rid of extra pounds. Due to the presence of fiber, cleanse the body of toxins, and malic acid present in the fruit, improves metabolism.

In general, malic acid has a beneficial effect on the entire gastrointestinal tract. It prevents the acidification of the body, normalizes the alkaline environment of the stomach, prevents various rashes on the body. Malic acid is found more in green sour varieties of apples.

All the healthy ingredients of fresh fruit are preserved in apple chips. High content of vitamins, microelements and easily digestible composition of the product help:

• to establish the excellent functioning of many body systems;
• improve immunity;
• normalize digestive activity;
• improve metabolism;
• strengthen the cardiovascular system.

Separately, it should be noted the high iron content in apple chips. This element improves the blood, prevents the development of anemia. Iron is involved in the synthesis of thyroid hormones and contributes to a better absorption of the B vitamins. Iron contains more in chips than in fresh fruit. If you need to eat at least 5 apples a day to ensure the body's daily iron intake, then one handful of apple chips is enough.

There are almost no contraindications to eating apple chips. But this product should not be used for allergic reactions to apples and spices.

Spices added according to the recipe contribute to the product. So, vanilla increases stress resistance, cinnamon rejuvenates and is an excellent antioxidant, and nutmeg tones up.

According to the classic recipe, apple chips are cooked in the oven. According to reviews of hostesses, this is the best option. The big plus is that there is a lot of space in the oven and you can arrange several batches of fruit snacks on three baking sheets.

Modern housewives prepare this useful product in the microwave. If you need to cook the chips quickly, and the original product a little, it is better to use a microwave. A quick cooking process makes it easy to make several batches of crunchy apples.

The most useful chips are obtained in the electric drier. Cooking at low temperatures provides the greatest safety of nutrients in the product. But the chips do not turn out so crispy and look more like dried fruits.

Apple pulp is very tender and quickly boils soft when heated.Therefore, in the pan apple chips do not work. Even the minimum fire on the stove heats up quite strongly, the chips can lose their taste and all their beneficial substances. The cooking method in the pan is more suitable for potato chips.

To prepare 40 g of chips will take a pound of apples. It is better to choose beautiful apples without wormholes, so the look of the chips will be more appetizing. The battered and overripe fruits are unfit, the fruit must be resilient. The most suitable sweet-sour apples varieties:

• Golden;
• "Duchess";
• "Pink Lady";
• "Champion";
• "Braburn".

Cooking apple chips at home is easy. There are many original recipes for cooking, for some snacks come out more tasty, for others - more useful. The most popular classic recipe. It will need the following ingredients:

• apples - 400 g;
• lemon juice - 2 teaspoons;
• cane or regular sugar - 100 g;
• water - 150 ml.

Apples must be washed, dried and the core removed with a special knife, the peel should not be removed. Next, the fruit is thinly cut into even circles. You can use a special grater, which cuts the apple into very thin neat slices. The slice thickness should not exceed 3 mm, otherwise the chips will not crunch, but will be more like dried fruits. Large circles of apples can be divided into two equal parts.

Then you need to make a syrup. Pour water into a saucepan and set it on fire. As soon as the water boils, add sugar and remove from heat. Mix well until sugar is completely dissolved. Add lemon juice and cool.

In the resulting sugar solution, drop the apple circles. It is necessary that they are completely saturated with syrup and become softer. To do this, it is enough to hold them in a sugar liquid for 10–15 minutes. In some recipes, this item is omitted, but it is the impregnation with syrup that makes the chips more crispy and the taste is saturated.

Using a paper towel, dry the apples and place them on a baking tray pre-covered with parchment paper. Set the oven to 70 degrees and place the apples in it for 2 hours. In order to avoid strong heating, the door can be opened slightly.

If the apples were cut very thinly, about 1 mm, then they can be ready within 1 hour. Therefore, it is necessary to control the process, periodically check readiness - apple slices should be reddened and become wavy. Ready-made chips must be removed from the oven to cool. In order for them to become crispy, they need to stand for a while at room temperature.

If you need to make chips quickly, you can use the recipe for the microwave. Rinse the sliced ​​apples in water and pat dry with a towel. Next, sprinkle the slices with lemon juice and spread out on a wide plate. You should not have apple slices overlap, it is better to put them so that they are slightly in contact with each other.

In the microwave, set the maximum power and send the apples for 10 minutes. After the expiration of this time it is necessary to immediately get a plate with chips. If they stay in the microwave, they will not be crispy.

Apple and cinnamon are a perfect match, so you should definitely try adding this spice to the chips. To do this, cut the apples into circles, wash, dry and sprinkle with cinnamon and powdered sugar before cooking. Cook such chips can be in the microwave or oven.

Vanilla will give apples an extra flavor. Sprinkle the apple slices with vanilla sugar. Vanilla goes well with cinnamon, so it can also be used.

A truly healthy and tasty delicacy - apple chips with honey and pine nuts.Prepare apples: cut, wash, dry with a towel. We spread on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 40 minutes. Observe temperature: no more than 70 degrees. We take apple slices and grease them with a thin layer of honey, put in the oven for another 20-30 minutes. At the end sprinkle with chopped pine nuts.

To cook apple chips in an electric dryer, it is necessary to slice the apples thinly and select the desired program on the kitchen appliance. No additional ingredients required. Apple chips cooked in a fruit dryer do not turn out so crispy, but they can not only be consumed as a separate product, but can also be used to make compotes from them, add to pastries. Especially useful to add such a natural product in the porridge for young children.

When cooking apple chips, you can experiment with various spices. For example, an interesting aftertaste will be left behind by nutmeg, ginger will add freshness and a slight burning sensation, and coconut chips will add a touch of exoticism.

Apple chips are not only an excellent snack, not spoiling the shape, but also a good additive to fruit and vegetable salads. In order for the chips to remain crispy for a long time, they should be stored in an open container. For this ideal wooden or glass container, as well as a paper bag.

The recipe for cooking apple chips you will learn in the next video.