Fry Your Own Tortilla Chips

The problem with store bought tortilla chips are the high price, the fact that half will be broken little bits, and the freshness. Why not make your own tortilla chips at home instead? Sound too difficult? Too messy? Boiling hot oil freak you out? These are all normal concerns but watch just how easy it can be.

Step 1: Gather Items

You'll need the following items...

Corn tortillas, 10-12 to start is good.

Salt

Oil (many options here, I like avocado oil but peanut or canola works well too)

A pan to fry in (saute pan works well and keeps most oil splatter inside)

Paper towels

Metal spatula or two forks

Step 2: Cut Into Chips

Stack up 10-12 store bought tortillas (or make your own). Cut them into fourths.

Step 3: Heat Oil

Pour enough oil in your pan so that you have about 1/4 of an inch covering the bottom. Heat the oil up but here is where you need to be careful. You want the oil hot enough to cook the tortillas but not so hot that it reaches the smoke point and goes bad on you.

Each oil has a different smoke point but avocado oil, peanut oil, or canola oil should have a high enough smoke point. If you see your oil starting to smoke turn the heat down. Note that as you cook more and more chips, you will see some tiny bits of smoke. This is the little bits of tortilla that remain in the oil and is normal.

So when is the oil hot enough? As it heats up test it by dipping the tip of a chip in. If it does nothing it's not hot enough yet. If it starts to bubble around the chip you're good to go.

Step 4: Fry The Chips

Gently put a few chips in, one at a time. You want to do this slowly as the cooler chips will cool the oil down so don't try to put a bunch in all at once. As you put them in you may need to add more heat and as they start cooking you may need to lower the heat. So be ready to constantly adjust the heat as you go.

Cook time? Depends on many factors but likely around 1 to 1.5 minutes per batch of chips. After 30-45 seconds, flip each chip and cook the other side. As you do a few you'll get the hang of it. You want them to just a nice golden color. As for flipping and removal, a metal spatula works well but so does a pair of forks.

Step 5: Salt & Eat

When they turn a nice golden color, pop them onto a plate with a paper towel on it. As you cover the paper towel with chips, give them a good dusting with salt. Then cover with a paper towel and keep stacking up the next batch. When they're cool enough to eat, well, eat!