If you're craving a homemade salty snack, potato chips are always sure to hit the spot, but slicing potatoes and frying them yourself isn't exactly fuss-free. If you don’t feel like going to the store and you have potatoes on hand, you can actually use the microwave to make potato chips, with a few can't-miss prep steps beforehand.

Soaking your thinly-sliced potatoes before cooking them is an essential step that helps the tubers release their starch, so the chips get crisp quickly in the microwave. Slice the potatoes paper-thin on a mandoline, put the slices in a large bowl of cold water, and soak them, draining and refilling the water occasionally until it runs clear.

Next, spin the slices in a salad spinner to make them perfectly dry and arrange them in a single layer on a paper towel-lined plate, making sure they don't touch one another. Cook the chips in the microwave for about six minutes, making sure to flip each individual slice at the three-minute mark before finishing them off.