Kale Chips

The snack of the superfood era: curly kale torn into pieces, dried thoroughly, tossed with the barest film of oil and salt, and baked low and slow until shatteringly crisp

Origin: California, United States

From the journey of Kale.

The kale chip is the snack that the superfood age built, the most playful expression of kale's improbable rise from cattle fodder and salad-bar garnish to global health icon. Born in the raw-food and health-conscious kitchens of California and spreading across the world from around 2010, it answers the question of how to make a virtuous green genuinely moreish: curly kale, torn into bite-sized pieces and dried with great care, is tossed with the merest film of oil and a little salt and baked low and slow until the moisture has gone entirely and the leaves turn brittle, crackling, and intensely savoury, collapsing on the tongue like the lightest crisp. The secret is dryness: any water left on the leaves steams them limp, so they must be washed well ahead and dried thoroughly, dressed with only the thinnest coating of oil, and spread in a single uncrowded layer. The result is a snack of almost nothing, mostly air and flavour, that can be seasoned in endless ways, with smoked paprika, with the cheesy tang of nutritional yeast, with sesame and seaweed, or simply with good salt. For a few years no health-food shelf or hipster bar menu was without them, and they remain the definitive way to turn a leaf of kale into something a child will happily eat by the handful.

Ingredients

The Chips

1 large bunch curly kale, about 200g, washed and very thoroughly dried
1 tbsp olive oil
0.5 tsp flaky sea salt

Seasoning

1 tbsp nutritional yeast or finely grated Parmesan (optional)
0.25 tsp smoked paprika (optional)

Method

Heat the oven to 150°C (fan 130°C) and line two large baking trays with greaseproof paper. Strip the kale leaves from their stems and tear into pieces roughly the size of a large crisp.
Make absolutely sure the kale is bone dry, patting with a clean tea towel or using a salad spinner. Any moisture will steam the leaves limp.
Put the kale in a large bowl, drizzle over the oil, and massage it in with your hands so every piece carries the thinnest possible film. Use no more oil than this.
Spread the kale in a single, uncrowded layer across the trays, leaving space between the pieces. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turning the trays once, until the leaves are completely crisp and dry but still green, not browned.
Sprinkle with the sea salt and any optional seasonings the moment they come out of the oven, while still warm. Cool completely on the trays; they crisp further as they cool. Eat the same day.

Notes

Curly kale makes the best chips, as its ruffles crisp beautifully; lacinato (Tuscan) kale also works but gives a flatter, more fragile chip. Seasoning is wide open: try sesame oil and crushed nori, chilli and lime, or cheesy nutritional yeast for a vegan 'cheese' flavour. The keys to success are unwavering: bone-dry leaves, the barest film of oil, a single uncrowded layer, and a low oven.

The Gastrographer

Name: Kale Chips
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 1 large bunch curly kale, about 200g, washed and very thoroughly dried; 1 tbsp olive oil; 0.5 tsp flaky sea salt; 1 tbsp nutritional yeast or finely grated Parmesan (optional); 0.25 tsp smoked paprika (optional)

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control