We may be geeks, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know how to create great things in the kitchen. Some of the best dishes – even snacks! – can be made quickly and easily as long as you know what you’re doing. Let’s get cooking!
One morning, I went to make quesadillas for breakfast and discovered – much to my disappointment – that the corn tortillas I bought from Amazon Fresh had been delivered in… not the best state. There was no way the tortillas would support being filled with cheese and folded over. So, I decided to make the best of a bad situation and make some chips.
This is one of the easiest snacks to make, since all you really need is the tortillas and some oil. And some salt, I guess, depending on your tastes.
Break up as many corn tortillas as you think you want to turn into chips. With a mostly-intact pile of tortillas, I usually chop them up into sixths. With these mostly-damaged tortillas, though, I just kind of crumbled them a bit until they were little chip-sized pieces. Once they’re broken up, let them sit for a bit to dry them out.
When my mother would make tortilla chips – and remember, I get most of my cooking ideas from having watched my mother cook – she would let the tortillas sit overnight to dry out, because they cook better that way. Again, I’m lazy and impatient, so I’ll just let them sit for about 20 minutes, maybe half an hour.
Take enough oil to cover the first group of chips and heat it up in a pan on the stove for a couple minutes. Test the oil with some drops of water, if the water dances on the oil when you drop it on, the oil is ready to go. Once the oil is heated, toss some of the tortilla bits in.
When the chips feel crispy and just starting to brown, fish them out of the pan and set them in a bowl lined with a paper towel to sop up any excess oil. Toss a pinch of salt over top and repeat the process until all your tortilla bits have been fried.
Of course, if you have a deep fryer, this process is even easier. Getting the oil right and dropping the basket filled with tortillas for a couple of minutes is no problem. I have no problems doing it either way.
Once you have your tortillas fried and sopped and salted, take whatever dips or toppers your heart desires and snack away.