Recipe: How To Make Tortilla Chips At Home

How to fry your own tortilla chips

You need only three things to make crisp, golden tortilla chips at home: corn tortillas, oil and salt. Sure, you can bake them in the oven, but to put it simply, frying just makes things taste better. Fried chips are thicker and crunchier, making them a better vehicle for your salsa and guacamole. And anyone who has made tortilla chips from scratch can attest that their salty goodness is straight-up addictive.

Here are a few simple steps to fry your way to crisp, golden perfection—and help you forget about store-bought chips:

 

Cut 10 six-inch corn tortillas into quarters. Note: The tortillas will fry better and faster if they are left out for a few hours or overnight to dry out and get a little bit stale.

In a medium heavy-bottomed pot, pour in enough oil to reach a depth of two inches. Heat the oil until a deep-fry thermometer reads 350 degrees. Working in batches, deep-fry the tortillas, flipping occasionally, until they are golden and crisp and have mostly stopped bubbling, two to three minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the chips and transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Season aggressively with salt while still hot.