Huffington Magazine Issue 83 | Page 85

EAT THIS Exit to make my own. Kale, salt, pepper, garlic and Parmesan, baked.” “Homemade, please.” So in typical HuffPost Taste style, we gathered a large group of tasters to sample four different kinds of kale chips: two store-bought brands, and two homemade kinds. Without knowing that any of the varieties were homemade, our testers ranked them. Here are the amazingly clear results: #1: Homemade chips made with Tuscan kale, olive oil, salt and pepper (81 points) #2: Homemade chips made with curly kale, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder (69 points) #3: Kale Krunch (42 points) #4: Brad’s Raw Kale Chips (40 points) Both varieties of the homemade chips were light, shatter-in-yourmouth crispy, perfectly seasoned, and unexpectedly satisfying, with a deep, almost roasted flavor. In contrast, both varieties of the storebought chips were heavy, soggy, and laden with a thick, gunky coating of unidentifiable flavorings. They weren’t even in the same ballpark. Here’s the great news about these results. Store-bought kale chips are expensive, and HUFFINGTON 01.12.14 Here’s the honest-to-gosh truth: Kale chips are delicious. Here’s another truth: You’re never going to find that out if you buy them at a store.” homemade kale chips are not. A 2.5-ounce bag of kale chips costs approximately $8 (!!!). Even with steep NYC prices, organic kale is $3.50 a bunch. Let’s be real and assume you have olive oil, salt and pepper in your own kitchen. Turns out, one bunch of $3.50 kale makes the same amount of kale chips that you get in the $8 bag. You can put your eyes back in your head now. If you’re one of those crazy hooligans who actually likes controlling what goes into your body and you like to save money, you might want to consider making your own kale chips. They couldn’t be much easier to make, and require only 15 minutes of patience. Like this basic recipe from Epicurious: INGREDIENTS 12 large Tuscan kale leaves, rinsed, dried, cut lengthwise in half, center ribs and stems removed ■ 1 tablespoon olive oil ■ DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 250°F. Toss kale with oil in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange leaves in single layer on 2 large baking sheets. Bake until crisp, about 30 minutes for flat leaves and up to 33 minutes for wrinkled leaves. Transfer leaves to rack to cool.