How to Do Something Your Don Know

If you like bananas, you just might like banana chips. They are sweet and crunchy, and perfect for snacking on. This wikiHow will show you several ways of making them.

[Edit]Ingredients

Baked banana chips

3-4 bananas, ripe
1-2 lemons, squeezed

Deep fried banana chips

5 green/raw (unripe) bananas
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
Oil for deep-frying (peanut oil is a good choice for deep frying)

Deep fried sweet banana chips

5 green/raw (unripe) bananas
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
Oil for deep-frying (peanut oil is a good choice for deep frying)

Microwave savory banana chips

2 green/raw (unripe) bananas
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Spice flavored banana chips

Bunch of just overripe bananas
Juice from 1-2 lemons
Favorite spice, for example, cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Baked Banana Chips

Preheat the oven to 175-200ºF/80-95ºC. The low temperature allows a dehydrating effect as opposed to a real baking effect. Prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or a silicone sheet.
Remove the banana peel. Slice the bananas into thin slices. Make sure they're all fairly much the same slice width, to ensure even cooking.
Arrange the slices across the baking sheet. Arrange in a single layer and do not allow the slices to touch.
Drizzle the freshly squeezed lemon juice over the top of all the banana slices. This helps to hold back natural blackening and adds a slight tang.
Place the sheet in the oven. Bake for an hour to an hour and three quarters. Test after an hour to see if you like the consistency; if not, continue baking.
- Baking times may vary depending on the thickness of the slices.
Remove from the oven. Set aside to cool. Most likely the banana chips will be soft and oozing but in cooling, they'll dry and harden up.

[Edit]Deep Fried Banana Chips

Peel the bananas. Place them into iced water.
Slice the bananas into even slices. Place back in the water as you slice them. Add the turmeric powder.
Leave in the water for 10 minutes. Then drain and place on a clean tea towel to retain the moisture.
Heat the oil. Drop in a few slices at a time to deep fry (don't overcrowd the oil). Use a slotted spoon to add and retrieve the slices.
Repeat until all slices have been fried.
Drain by placing the slices on kitchen paper towel.
Let cool. Once cooled, they can be served or stored. To store, place in an airtight container, such as a glass container or resealable bags.

[Edit]Deep Fried Sweet Banana Chips

Peel the bananas. Place in slightly salted iced water for 10 minutes (note that salt will melt the cubes faster but it'll stay cold).
Slice the bananas thinly. Keep them as evenly sized as possible.
Arrange the banana slices on a wire rack. Leave to dry slightly, to remove moisture.
Heat the oil. Add the banana slices in small batches and fry for about 2 minutes or until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to add and retrieve the slices.
Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper towels.
Make the sugar syrup. Add the two sugars, water and cinnamon to a heavy based saucepan. Cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves and thickens into a syrup. Turn off the heat source.
Dip the fried bananas into the sugar syrup. Toss well to coat.
Arrange on a wire rack covered in parchment paper. Let cool and set.
Serve or store. Place in an airtight container for storage.

[Edit]Microwave Savory Banana Chips

Place the bananas, whole and in their skin, in the saucepan. Pour in water to cover, then bring to the boil for 10 minutes.
Remove from the water. Let cool.
Remove the skin. Slice thinly. Make sure that the slices are even, to avoid uneven microwaving.
Coat in the olive oil and turmeric. Season to taste with salt.
Lay across a microwave-proof flat dish or pan. Keep in a single layer and don't allow the slices to touch.
Place in the microwave. Microwave on high for 8 minutes.
- Every two minutes, stop the cooking, remove the plate and flip the slices over. This ensures even cooking on both sides.
- Be extra vigilant in the final two minutes, to avoid burning the banana chips.
Remove from the microwave. Let cool and the banana chips will crisp up.
Serve. Arrange in a small bowl. To keep, place in an airtight container.

[Edit]Spice Flavored Banana Chips

This method requires the use of a dehydrator.

Peel the bananas. Slice into even thin slices. Be aware that the thinness determines the final crispiness, so keep them as thin as possible.
Arrange the slices in the dehydrator. Only add them single layer and avoid touching.
Sprinkle fresh lemon juice over the top of the slices. Then sprinkle over the top with your favorite spice. If possible, use fresh, such as grated nutmeg or buy as fresh a spice as possible.
Dehydrate at 135ºF/57ºC for 24 hours. They're ready to remove when they look a caramel color and have dried totally.
Place on a wire cooling rack and let cool.
Store or serve. To store, place in an airtight jar or resealable bags. They can be stored for up to a year.

[Edit]Video

[Edit]Tips

Banana chips can be stored for a decent length of time provided they're kept in an airtight container but don't leave them too long, as they taste better when still fresh from cooking than after months of storage.
Iced water can be made simply by tipping a bunch of ice cubes into the bowl with the water. Use a metal bowl to increase the iciness.

[Edit]Warnings

Be careful to note which recipes require unripe bananas and which need ripe ones, as this affects the outcome.

[Edit]Things You'll Need

Knife and chopping board for making slices
Baking sheet or microwave-proof dish; or deep frying gear for cooking
Airtight container for storage
Dehydrator (for spice flavored method)
Wire cooling rack
Bowl for ice water plus ice cubes (for deep fried recipes)

[Edit]Related wikiHows

[Edit]References

Deep fried banana chips adapted from: http://www.indobase.com/recipes/details/banana-chips.php
Microwave savory banana chips adapted from: http://fireworksinmykitchen.blogspot.co.nz/2009/03/microwave-plantainraw-banana-chips.html
Spice flavored banana chips adapted from: http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/03/23/nutmeg-banana-chips/