Recipe: Apple chips

A nice crisp apple chip makes a great garnish for a variety of dishes, be they appetizers, mains or desserts.  I've seen a lot of methods to make apple chips, but many of them leave a lot to be desired.  If you don't peel the apples, it is almost impossible to keep them from wrinkling up, so I always do to make sure the chips stay flat.  There is no need for the chips to be brown either - some methods involve brushing the chips with lemon juice and dusting with icing sugar, but I find that is hit or miss for preventing oxidization.  By submerging the chips in a warm syrup, you give the surface the slightest bit of a cook and make oxidization impossible and will get pure white chips.  By letting the chips sit in the syrup a few minutes, you also allow the chips to absorb the syrup, and then during the dehydration process, the sugar will re-crystallize and the chips will have a terrific snap to them.

You will need:

apples
simple syrup
a mandolin slicer
a silicone mat
pan spray

Method:

 - make the simple syrup in a wide bottom pan and keep it just below a simmer
 - give the silicone mat a light dusting of pan spray
 - peel the apples
 - slice the apples thinly on a mandolin
 - pull the syrup of the heat
 - lay the apple slices one by one into the syrup and submerge completely
 - wait about 5 minutes so the slices can get a slight surface cook and absorb the syrup
 - gently pull the slices from the syrup, drain, and lay on the silicone mat
 - dehydrate at 40C / 104F or in an oven at the lowest possible setting with the door cracked
 - once the chips are dry and crisp, allow to cool down
 - carefully remove the chips from the mat and store in an airtight container
 - use as needed