How it works: Mastrad Microwave Chip Maker

There comes a time in everyone’s life when really all you want are crispy, salty chips. But with everything we hear about deep frying (plus the trip to the shops to buy some), is it any wonder we’re all skirting the plate of moreish snacks? What if we told you there were a way to have healthy chips in minutes? Meet the Mastrad Microwave Chip Maker, folks.

Designed to harness the power of the microwave, the silicone plate of the Mastrad Chip Maker has a bunch of holes in it to help air circulate around the potato slices. An included mandoline ensures that every slice of potato is super even, thin and delicious. Keen to know more? Here’s how it works.

How it works:

1. Use the mandoline included in the box to slice potatoes super thinly. A uniform thickness will help to ensure that the crisps cook evenly.

2. Lay the slices on the plate a little apart (one batch we made was piled all higgledy-piggledy, and not only did it take forever to cook, they came out as one giant crisp – completely joined to one another!).

3. Salt and season your crisps while they are raw. Salt will help to draw moisture from the slices, and flavour them. Go quite lightly though – you can add more afterwards.

4. Microwave on high for 3 minutes, then check for doneness. You want them to be stiff and crisp, so if they are not done, just give them another minute or so.

The plate takes about one potato (these were small Pink Fir potatoes) and you can do multiple batches. Impatient? Mastrad also have a set of two stacking plates to add to your collection. Just increase the cooking time by a few minutes for every plate you add, and remember to check for doneness.

Want to know the best part? These have all the crispy, salty deliciousness without any of the oil, foreign ingredients or chemicals. You can even make veggie crisps. All you need are some fresh veggies and very little time. Try beetroot, carrots, sweet potato and even apples and pears for a sweet variations. The sky’s the limit, as they say.

Buy the Mastrad Microwave Chip Maker.

If you have a thing for nifty gadgets check out some more products in our How it works series. Sometimes even seemingly simple things deserve a little more explanation. Seen something interesting but still wondering how it works? Leave us a comment below and we’d be happy to oblige.