Apple Chips

Growing up, our family preserved A LOT of food. Canning, freezing, pickling, dehydrating... you name it. My sister and I caught on pretty quickly that preserving food was great, not because could we eat delicious food out of season, but because we could enter what we made in the fair and keep the prize money. 

Nowadays, I don't preserve much food. We don't have the dozens of fruit trees my parents did, nor do we have a large garden. We eat what we grow in season and freeze what little is left.  It's been at least 6 years since I've used my canning kettle and at least double that since I've done any pickling.

I have done some dehydrating though. Our family had a dehydrator when I was young; now I use the oven.

Apple Chips

Step 1:
Peel and core apples. Slice into thin slices and place on a baking sheet. (This one is lined with a Silpat, though my other pans weren't. It doesn't really matter.)

Step 2:
Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. (You may also choose to sprinkle with sugar, though most apples don't need it.)

Step 3:

Put pans in a 190° oven. After about 5 hours, they'll have shrunk significantly and darkened slightly. At this point, they are perfectly delicious, but will be soft, not crisp. You can eat them as is, or turn them over and put them back into the oven for a few more hours. The total drying time will differ significantly, depending on humidity, juice content of the apples, etc. 

Step 4: 

When your apple chips are crisp, remove them to a plate to eat immediately or store in airtight containers.