Crunchy Pineapple Chips

The Short argument:

It’s a one-ingredient recipe for bottled joy! Pineapple Chips, regardless of the season, the weather, or the current Pandemic, deserve to be eaten.

Seriously, it’s a one-ingredient recipe that cannot get any simpler. Slice pineapples, dehydrate overnight and enjoy while supplies last. Which, thanks to my wife, don’t last long in my house.

Thanks babe…

The Long Argument:

Pineapples are more special than we give them credit for, and for centuries, were a huge status symbol in Europe and the American Colonies. Because they’re a tropical fruit, when Colombus discovered them in America and took them back to Spain, they were a hit!

A very difficult to transport, and impossible to grow commodity that everyone wanted to try. And because only the ultra-wealthy could afford them, anyone holding a pineapple was seen as moneyed. Seriously, look up pineapple rental markets in the 1700s. People would rent them for the night to show off at a party and return them in the morning.

Case in point, this portrait of Charles II of England posing with a Pineapple his gardener managed to grow in the Royal hothouse. And our love for the fruit hasn’t changed in 300 years.

Pineapple chips just make pineapples even more of a hit. In our house, they’re the go-to bar snack.

How to make Pineapple Chips

I told you this was a simple recipe. I meant it! Peel your pineapple and slice it thin. Depending on the size of your pineapple, you may want to cut it in half before slicing.

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Knife VS. Mandolin

If you have a mandolin, use it. It will give you thinner, more even slices. The dehydrator will extract moisture evenly from the pineapple chip and you’ll get an even crunch throughout the whole chip.

A thicker or unevenly cut pineapple chip will have some parts crunchy and some chewy parts- which reduce the quality.

If you are going to use a knife. First cut the pineapple in half, to get as much control when making your slices.

If you’re one of those with a deli meat slicer at home, (you lucky bastards) slice the whole pineapple. You’ll get beautiful circles that will crinkle into flowers in the dehydrator.

How to Dehydrate Pineapple Chips

Dehydrating is extracting water from food. In the case of Pineapple Chips, removing that water concentrates sugars, juices, and flavors- turning a fresh slice of fruit into a crispy chip.

We’ve done the same thing with these amazing Crispy Mango chips!

Slice the fruit thin and set the dehydrator to 135 degrees and leave it working overnight.

Using the Oven

You won’t have the same result, they won’t be crispy because it’s far more difficult to regulate the temperature in the oven vs. a dehydrator.

To dehydrate them in the oven, use a baking sheet with a silicone mat, they’re made specifically so nothing sticks to them in the oven and they will withstand up to 450 degrees.

Line your silicone mat with pineapple slices and set your oven temperature as low as it will go. Some ovens go between 170 and 200 degrees. This process usually takes around 8 hours and the pineapple chips need to be flipped halfway through.

At the end of those 8 hours, you will still have a lovely snack full of concentrated pineapple flavor.

End of steps.

Storing Pineapple Chips

If you carefully store them in an airtight container, they’ll last up to a year.

How to use Pineapple Chips

As a chef, we always try to find new ways to use food. When it comes to these pineapple chips, they make a fantastic snack by themselves.

You can also use them as a low carb crouton in a salad like the one we’ll be featuring next week.

However you use them, make sure you make enough. This is one of those recipes that plays very well with others.

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