@msimard8 Pretty simple, actually. I have one tray that I got at a thrift store. Basic idea is that you cut potatoes (or a similar veggie) very thinly, and microwave it on the tray. Boom, chips.
@Cinoclav It's as if we're unwitting participants in... I dunno, some kind of deranged retail experiment. It's as if this website is some sort of laboratory, and we're all... just... rats! Well, rats with money, of course.
@JazzyJosh I'd say if you're getting it just for the mandolin there's probably better deals out there. I do have these trays from Pampered Chef several years ago. Pretty neat kitchen thingy!
@JazzyJosh Americas Test Kitchen recommended the $15 OXO mandolin. Wondering ... Can't you just microwave sliced potatoes on some wax paper or a microwave safe plate? And if they taste like baked ... then just bake them?
@saodell I think the reason these work is the elevation of the trays allowing the microwaves to cook from both sides. You could get by without the mandolin too, but inconsistent slice widths will make for inconsistent cooking on the tray.
I've worked as a chef in the past and barely trust myself to avoid chopping off my finger with a high quality mandoline--I can't imagine a janky one from a potato chip making kit.
Unless you live in some non-American health care paradise you're going to pay for this piece of equipment 100x over in an ER bill.
@c0ldfuse Buy some gloves then. Maybe that doesn't work for a chef, but in your own home it should. But yeah just avoid cheap cutlery in general. Nothing wrong with it per say, it's just cheap.
@c0ldfuse It looks like the mandoline comes with a guard, just use the guard. Ive been using one for years now and never had an issue because... I always use the guard.
@c0ldfuse I heart my mandolin. The first time I used it, I took a little tiny bit of the tip of my right index finger off, but you can't tell now, there isn't even a scar. I use the mandolin for scalloped potatoes, slicing onions, tomatoes... I just make sure to use the guard thing that came with it. I learned my lesson (and got out of doing the dishes for about a week).
@Headly No, it wasn't in a salad, it was slicing potatoes. And the top wasn't completely off, it was hanging on by a thread of skin. And it bled like a son of a bitch. But none of my biological matter ended up in the food. lol
@HELLOALICE We're all taken except for @Broseph. He's the handsome young bachelor in the black shirt. His hobbies include the Kansas Jayhawks, dank cronuts, and Hooters Chicken Wings. He also lived in the apartment that had ebola in Dallas, so he clearly has a great immune system in his genes.
@christinerenee I don't have these specifically, but have the ones Pampered Chef sells (or at least used to). Mine are made of the bakeware-type silicone, but hard plastic, if that makes a difference to you.
@wisenekt I don't know anything about Katy Perry, so I was kind of like… eh, lady riding a giant metal trojan horse and singing, that's pretty cool I guess! Then the sharks happened, and I just lost my shit… So. Damned. Good.
@SteveOOO I have loved Katy and her wild ass costumes and props since I first laid eyes on her. the impressive natural rack did nothing to discourage me. In fact, rumor has it that Vegas had odds on whether or not she would be in any cleavage baring outfits tonight.
"Hey, guys, did you know I could play the mandolin? mimes guitar playing OH GOD, OH GOD, MY FINGERS. THE BLOOD, OH GOD, ALL THE BLOOD. I DIDN'T THINK THAT THROUGH. IS THAT BLADE 9Cr18MoV? BECAUSE I WON'T GO TO THE HOSPITAL FOR ANYTHING LESS."
@llandar Process of elimination; it's not like there were that many of you in the writing department. It's no different with the shirt staff, in which there used to be just 3, briefly 2, then back to 3 and nowadays 4.
@unixrab You thin-slice your food of choice -- potatoes, sweet potatoes, apples, etc -- using the mandolin, arrange the slices on the round tray things, then you pop them in your microwave to turn into chips. I think they recommend foods similar in density to a potato, so you could maybe use other root-type foods, but it wouldn't really be so great for say bananas or pineapple.
@msimard8 the gift set has a GIFT BOX!!!! (and a stainless steel peeler and a cookbook). I am guessing the cheap one comes packaged in a BUILT NY Neoprene sleeve.
@msimard8 that I'm not sure. I have the Pampered Chef version of the chip makers and already had a PChef mandolin and veggie peeler. I can't really speak to this brand. If it's for your own personal use and you already have a veggie peeler tool that you'd like, I'm sure you can snag enty of recipes off PChef's website and save the $14. Buuuuut if packaging matters, you may want to go with the "gift" set. Like @thismyusername said, who knows how it'll arrive otherwise. ;)
Potato chips are the crap I eat when I am at my laziest. Now you're trying to sell me on putting effort into making my own? This product is a paradox, like a speaker-dock for the deaf.
@jeffrebbeck i worked in the engineering dept. at a hospital once- we were issued official directives to PRINT engraved, enameled signs that read "Blind People Not Permitted Beyond This Point". 22 of them.
I can't lie, we have this tiny little potato chip maker and it works amazing. You literally slice quick, microwave the hell out of them, and you have awesome healthy chips in a few minutes. Healthy IF you consider a potato healthy, AND don't mind something that has been microwave nuked to the heavens. I love them. This darn thing has me tempted, I just wish it was like $5 and then it would be a no brainer.
Well, hell, I bought these from Woot a coupla weeks ago. Let's see:
The advantage of these mandolines is that they're permanently set to 1/32", the supposed ideal for potato chips. This means that one inch of potato gives you 32 chips. Each tray fits about 15-16 chips, so three trays will use up 1.5 inches of potato. You really end up with a lot of leftover potato with these. Have a potato plan B.
It's time-consuming to make two trays (which is what I got), so I assume three trays takes even longer. The mandolines are pretty decent quality and since you're only slicing off an inch to an inch and a half, you probably won't get injured. Once you've got as many slices as you need, you need to dry them on paper towels. That isn't in the instructions, but they're just too wet to cook otherwise. Don't just let them sit on the paper towels. You need to cover both sides and press to soak up as much water as you can.
I have to cook them a lot longer than the manual says, although the manual warns you that might happen. Season them before you cook so that the residual moisture will hold onto the seasoning. It'll just bounce off if you season them after you cook them.
After all that, they're still not as good as real potato chips.
@editorkid I have a different brand of these, and mine say you can stack the trays in the microwave. You have to cook longer and probably rotate the stack, but it beats nuking one at a time.
Potatoes make me chubby. I don't like that. Easier to do without than to try to not eat a huge bag in one sitting. I imagine if I bought this and made some I'd eat them all right away each time. No thanks! Meh!
@editorkid They can even learn something from the present Woot; they currently have 1659 items versus just one here. That means they're (currently) 1659 times better, right? /s
After the super bowl, I'm all meh-ed on potato chips, and I didn't even eat any! Besides, I fear this would be just another addition to the small, (non-)electric, kitchen appliance graveyard that has become my one cupboard.
@SteveOOO Especially when that next person is your 2-year-old son who can somehow take off the super duty "childproofing" cabinet locks better than you can!
If you're using a mandoline, I strongly recommend getting a protective cut-resistant glove to wear. Besides looking like kitchen Michael Jackson, it really is liberating to be able to plow through a pile of veggies with nary a fingertip (or worse, a fingernail, because they're not edible) in the pile.
25 years ago, I laboriously hand-sliced potatoes and microwaved them on a greased glass pie plate. I'm glad we live in the future now.
I got this from Woot back in the day (based on said video in the write up) -- they were tasty, but lots of work. They didn't always all turn out good either.
The video almost suckered me in. But, yesterday's realization that I've spent over $1k on Meh so far has me seriously reconsidering my life decisions. Plus, no pagination. I'm out.
We've been using this same brand for more than a year now. We like them a lot. You indeed have to cook them longer than advertised (three full trays is about 7 minutes), but mind you, not too long, or they'll catch fire and melt the trays (it's happened several times). I would not agree that you have to dry the potatoes; we put them directly on the trays. I'd imagine the only thing you'd accomplish by drying them would be faster cooking. We also cut up the slices ahead of time and kept them in vinegar or water in the fridge; saves prep time but adds moisture and thus increases cook time.
If you're reasonably careful, you won't slice yourself with the mandolin slicer -- it's a fairly thin slice, so it's not easy to get a finger in there. And yes, it seems cheap, but it's held up to our use a couple of times a week for a year-plus.
Bottom line: yes, it's more time-consuming than opening a bag of chips, but if you like the idea of potato chips that are just that, chips of potato, and not coated in industrial slick 'em, etc., it works as advertised.
I ordered this a few years ago from that other site. It's kind of meh. It does a decent job on potatoes and particularly sweet potatoes, but if you want to try something else like apple chips, carrot chips etc, they dry up into shriveled nothings. We've experimented with all kinds of different root veggies, thicknesses, and then about a month after getting it, it went to the top of the cabinet not to see light again. Much happier with doing them in my dehydrator.
Clearly everyone is clamoring to get their hands on this hot technology so I figure why not GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT!?
Leave a passive aggressive note on your office microwave, sign it anonymous, then take a picture and post it in a reply to this comment. The note can be totally nonsensical or real if you have some issues to work out.
@RedOak I deleted it to avoid confusion - you need to right click on the image, copy image link, paste that link in your comment. (Now it's looking great!)
I threw some random stuff with your names on it into the microwave and based on what exploded first...@Thumperchick@Hades@narfcake Congrats! You all win one of the 5-piece basic sets!! And congrats to @RedOak for being the grand prize winner of the 6-piece gift set!
@JonT Maybe I will send y'all some of my homemade chips. I feel that I owe you something for that fine assortment of neoprene sleeves you sent me. cough-cough.
Friend had one of these and wanted to do a few batches for the party... It burnt out her microwave. I recommend only doing 1 or 2 runs with this before letting your microwave cool down.
@darkzrobe Actually you just need multiple levels so there is plenty of food in there...Microwaves don't run well empty. My kids burnt ours out accidentally using it as a timer...
I have now successfully made 2 batches. Each batch used 2 small red potatoes. I found it best to run in 2 minute spurts, swapping the 3 levels around so they cooked evenly.
I evaluated the total amount of time it took to make a batch (11:37) and determined I could have found my keys, driven to the store, purchased a bag of chips and been home before the batch was complete. Of course I live 1 mile away from 2 grocery stores and 3 mini-marts, so my options may not reflect those of the general public when it comes to the near instant satiation of the crunchy/salty snack urge.
The flavor and consistency was fair (meh?), the salt level is hard to get right and the chips don't cook the same on both sides. Cooking time was nearly linear to the amount of potato used, the second batch had .3 more potato (15%) and took 15% longer to cook. I attribute this to the spacing density on the tray as well as the total volume of moisture in the batch.
The mandolin slicer is surprisingly easy to use and consistent. I compared it to a much more expensive slicer from Pampered Chef and determined that in this particular usage the cheap slicer that is preset to the optimal thickness is ideal. No fingers were harmed in the slicing action.
@tightwad good write up and pretty much reflects our experience, athough with Idaho russets. Our family showed like and dislike for the results. Our initiation runs were with a single tray but when we jumped to three (and added the 1 min/tray) the results deteriorated.
We have great results making our own via the traditional deep fried method and will return to it for fresh chips. This item now sits on the table boxed and ready to donate to the Salvation Army. @JonT, thanks for the fee experiment, where can I send the tax deduction receipt?
@tightwad How much time did you place in microwave? I can do 1 tray in 3 min or 3 trays in 6 minutes. I used Idaho potatos and they cooked evenly. I made a couple batches for work and everyone seemed to like them a lot.
@StrangerDanger I didn't try any other varieties of potatoes. Cooking time was close to 9 minutes total, to get a crispy chip. Nearly every available spot was taken on the tray, so that would add to it.
@lisaviolet no, not really that bad. Just wasn't seeing much enthusiasm for the results from our family. Trying to keep the hoarding tendency under control. I know, "Then why the heck are you looking at meh?"
@lisaviolet follow the above operational advice, pat the potatoes dry to reduce the moisture that has to be cooked out, and season them prior to cooking. Good luck!
@StrangerDanger oh how I (sometimes) miss the 2-4 yr old phase for our 4 kids. Great fun times. But that was almost a decade ago for our youngest. Still fun now, but in different ways! ;)
Our first batch of potato chips was no good, the second and third were much better but overall, so so experience. The slicer on the other hand has gotten a lot of use for a lot of other meals.
@samgau I ordered this and then cancelled, thinking I could make them in the oven instead. I have a batch of sweet potato chips in now and make chips of some kind a few times a week.
@samgau It did take me a few tries to get them consistent, but I do like it a lot now. But I feel like they're closer to Pringles than real potato chips.
Specs
Trays are made of silicone and are dishwasher safe
5-Piece Basic Set
6-Piece Gift Set
Condition: New
Warranty: 90 Day Mediocre
Estimated Delivery: 2/12 - 2/16
Shipping: $5 or free with VMP
What’s in the Box?
5-Piece Basic Set
6-Piece Gift Set
Pictures
Look at all the chips
Gift set box
Inside the gift box
What is included with the gift set
What is included with the 5 Piece set
Mandolining potatoes
You can’t do that!
Price Check
$16.44 for just two trays at Amazon
$13.00 for additional tray and slicer
$57.00 for Gift Set missing one tray
Warranty
90 days
Estimated Delivery
Wednesday, May 11 - Monday, May 16
@mediocrebot instameh but then I saw the video and the trip down memory lane. good times!
@mediocrebot So, does this have toaster over/actual oven instructions as well as the microwave instructions?
Meh
Meh! I don't care!
PATS WON THE SUPER BOWL!!! WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
yawn
@Mac454 Here's your trophy:
@Mac454 woohoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
@Mac454 Pretty sure you didn't win, Seattle just choked. Extremely hard. Who passes on 2nd and goal with 2 yards to go?
@Mac454 Luckiest catch in the history of the world, 2nd and goal on the 1 yard line, lets pass the ball.
@SteveOOO can't stand the Pats- but I hate the Seahawks more- that was karma in action
@Mac454
@Mac454 Meh don't care
@JazzyJosh yeah seattle choked on all those new england scoring plays too right?
@editorkid Suck it, Sherman!
Yum
Mehtato chips
shower
Total basura.
I heard you can make nachos with it
I am intrigued and have no idea what it is
@msimard8 Pretty simple, actually. I have one tray that I got at a thrift store. Basic idea is that you cut potatoes (or a similar veggie) very thinly, and microwave it on the tray. Boom, chips.
How meh can you get? You say potato, they potata, I say potatmeh!
$14 for a peeler?
@Cinoclav That's what I was wondering....
@Cinoclav And recipe book with retail gift box vs. 'brown'... but still. :/
@Cinoclav not just a peeler, a stainless steel peeler!!!! (and a cookbook)
@thismyusername lol meh
I like purple.
@Barney Can use purple taters!
@Cinoclav It's as if we're unwitting participants in... I dunno, some kind of deranged retail experiment. It's as if this website is some sort of laboratory, and we're all... just... rats! Well, rats with money, of course.
@saodell purple taters = taro. From Hawaii. And it's surprisingly good.
@Sarahsda Or purple Peruvian potatoes
@Avxyvei Dunno, I think this laboratory is rather mediocre.
a chip down memory lane
not today.
I don't currently have a mandolin so worth it?
@JazzyJosh
?
But seriously, you can use a knife instead.
@JazzyJosh It doesn't look like the greatest mandolin in the world. So if that's what you want it for I think you can do better.
@JazzyJosh I'd say if you're getting it just for the mandolin there's probably better deals out there. I do have these trays from Pampered Chef several years ago. Pretty neat kitchen thingy!
@JazzyJosh Americas Test Kitchen recommended the $15 OXO mandolin. Wondering ... Can't you just microwave sliced potatoes on some wax paper or a microwave safe plate? And if they taste like baked ... then just bake them?
@saodell I think the reason these work is the elevation of the trays allowing the microwaves to cook from both sides. You could get by without the mandolin too, but inconsistent slice widths will make for inconsistent cooking on the tray.
@JazzyJosh So, what's your plan with the mandolin? Getting laid at a medieval fair?
@JazzyJosh That was going to be my question too. I need a mandolin.
Me thinks no...
Appreciate the item diversity... but this one's not for me. Thanks anyways, Meh... :)
Yes! Yes! Potato Chips! Yes!
I've worked as a chef in the past and barely trust myself to avoid chopping off my finger with a high quality mandoline--I can't imagine a janky one from a potato chip making kit.
Unless you live in some non-American health care paradise you're going to pay for this piece of equipment 100x over in an ER bill.
@c0ldfuse Buy some gloves then. Maybe that doesn't work for a chef, but in your own home it should. But yeah just avoid cheap cutlery in general. Nothing wrong with it per say, it's just cheap.
@c0ldfuse It looks like the mandoline comes with a guard, just use the guard. Ive been using one for years now and never had an issue because... I always use the guard.
@c0ldfuse I heart my mandolin. The first time I used it, I took a little tiny bit of the tip of my right index finger off, but you can't tell now, there isn't even a scar. I use the mandolin for scalloped potatoes, slicing onions, tomatoes... I just make sure to use the guard thing that came with it. I learned my lesson (and got out of doing the dishes for about a week).
@lisaviolet the question is did the tip end up in the salad?
@Headly No, it wasn't in a salad, it was slicing potatoes. And the top wasn't completely off, it was hanging on by a thread of skin. And it bled like a son of a bitch. But none of my biological matter ended up in the food. lol
Homemade potato chips aren't homemade unless you have third degree burns from the hot oil. Meh.
Ooh, for an extra $14, you can have ONE additional piece in the box, that's really worth $5, tops.
Gift Box!
@Thumperchick you get a peeler and a recipe book. Two things.
@HELLOALICE Looks like the recipe book replaces the instruction book - thus only one more item.
@HELLOALICE But the instruction book includes 8 recipes (which is probably 7 more than you need) therefore they both include a recipe book!
if it made cool ranch doritos then I would be in, but meh to this
@griffinua You don't even want to know how they make cool ranch doritos.
@alacrity That is creepy.
Oh my god I had no idea Meh was so attractive. It's like white boy Elysium up in there.
@HELLOALICE We're all taken except for @Broseph. He's the handsome young bachelor in the black shirt. His hobbies include the Kansas Jayhawks, dank cronuts, and Hooters Chicken Wings. He also lived in the apartment that had ebola in Dallas, so he clearly has a great immune system in his genes.
@Moose GASP
THE ONE IN THE MEDIOCRE LABS SHIRT?? HE WAS MY FAVORITE
NEW CELEBONER
Holy mother of meh
Yep, had to buy it. My order is in northern Mozambique it appears. contagious-welcoming-nitrogen
Wish there was a choice for a purple set, right @Barney ?
@Keyeno Use purple potatoes?
February @Barney is so… unfamiliar…
@Barney :3
@brhfl Aww, I'm purple sorry.
@Keyeno Yay! I love purple!
@Barney No need for purple apologies, change isn't bad! Just confusing!
@alacrity Clearly he's disappointed he doesn't have a chip maker, everyone send one to Pete Carroll!
@belowi Be sure to run it over to him since obviously passing it would be the stupidest fucking thing to do on the planet...
@Cinoclav +6
@Cinoclav LOL! Passgate is so much more awesome than deflategate.
I don't remember that video. It is true that I almost never read the writeup, but I did always watch the videos. How did I miss it????
I don't know what I would possibly do meh this.
This is tempting for me even though I hate cooking food on plastic. It seems like a fun thing to do with my niece and nephew on a rainy day.
@christinerenee I don't have these specifically, but have the ones Pampered Chef sells (or at least used to). Mine are made of the bakeware-type silicone, but hard plastic, if that makes a difference to you.
not* hard plastic
(autocorrect)
no relevance- i just love the image
@alacrity Seems like a good reaction to finding out the peeler and recipe book is another $14.
@alacrity:
This one is out o left field, meh.
@SteveOOO The sharks made the halftime show for sure.
@wisenekt I don't know anything about Katy Perry, so I was kind of like… eh, lady riding a giant metal trojan horse and singing, that's pretty cool I guess! Then the sharks happened, and I just lost my shit… So. Damned. Good.
@SteveOOO that shark looks drunk, out of step, and out of water.
@SteveOOO I have loved Katy and her wild ass costumes and props since I first laid eyes on her. the impressive natural rack did nothing to discourage me. In fact, rumor has it that Vegas had odds on whether or not she would be in any cleavage baring outfits tonight.
@Konraden Rumor has it, that was Snoop Dogg in the shark costume.
@PocketBrain I think he was the one who started that rumor...
No Georgia Red. . . for that alone, meh.
I love purple.
"Hey, guys, did you know I could play the mandolin?
mimes guitar playing
OH GOD, OH GOD, MY FINGERS.
THE BLOOD, OH GOD, ALL THE BLOOD.
I DIDN'T THINK THAT THROUGH.
IS THAT BLADE 9Cr18MoV? BECAUSE I WON'T GO TO THE HOSPITAL FOR ANYTHING LESS."
Is the Shawn in the woot video our @shawn?
@SSteve I think it's Sean Adams, one of the woot staff writers. I recognize @llandar in that video too.
(The writers were often the guinea pigs at woot).
@narfcake As always, you are creepily correct with your cataloging of woot staffers.
@llandar Process of elimination; it's not like there were that many of you in the writing department. It's no different with the shirt staff, in which there used to be just 3, briefly 2, then back to 3 and nowadays 4.
More crap. Yaayy
Bad bad Meh! Very very BAD MEH!!
it's a sad day when I can't understand the product from the title and the picture..... wtf is this thing??
@unixrab You thin-slice your food of choice -- potatoes, sweet potatoes, apples, etc -- using the mandolin, arrange the slices on the round tray things, then you pop them in your microwave to turn into chips. I think they recommend foods similar in density to a potato, so you could maybe use other root-type foods, but it wouldn't really be so great for say bananas or pineapple.
@Perkalicious Interesting, and is the gift set worth 14 dollars more of chip stuff
@msimard8 the gift set has a GIFT BOX!!!! (and a stainless steel peeler and a cookbook). I am guessing the cheap one comes packaged in a BUILT NY Neoprene sleeve.
@msimard8 that I'm not sure. I have the Pampered Chef version of the chip makers and already had a PChef mandolin and veggie peeler. I can't really speak to this brand. If it's for your own personal use and you already have a veggie peeler tool that you'd like, I'm sure you can snag enty of recipes off PChef's website and save the $14. Buuuuut if packaging matters, you may want to go with the "gift" set. Like @thismyusername said, who knows how it'll arrive otherwise. ;)
@unixrab It's a load of crap!
@dhilaws agree
I'm not even going to buy these.
Of course it's selling in California. This Hoosier has no idea what this thing is.
@mattchhinn this hoosier in california knows how to read
@vampje No time for that at all.
@vampje But greetings fellow Hoosier.
@mattchhinn didn't know there were so many of us
@hoosier i moved away when i was 3.5, but i still have family there in indy
@mattchhinn ok i'll admit i didn't actually red either, but i watched the video. just like all of the book review papers i did in highschool
@hoosier there are dozens of us!
invincible-textured-stream of blood pouring from my missing fingertip because instructions are hard.
but wait! that's not all- it slices!- it dices (if you are very dextrous)!! and it even circumcises!!!
not approved for Kosher use
Potato chips are the crap I eat when I am at my laziest. Now you're trying to sell me on putting effort into making my own? This product is a paradox, like a speaker-dock for the deaf.
@jeffrebbeck i worked in the engineering dept. at a hospital once- we were issued official directives to PRINT engraved, enameled signs that read "Blind People Not Permitted Beyond This Point". 22 of them.
Previous woot sales of this item: http://home.woot.com/forums/viewpost.aspx?postid=4836382&pageindex=1&replycount=50
I can't lie, we have this tiny little potato chip maker and it works amazing. You literally slice quick, microwave the hell out of them, and you have awesome healthy chips in a few minutes. Healthy IF you consider a potato healthy, AND don't mind something that has been microwave nuked to the heavens. I love them. This darn thing has me tempted, I just wish it was like $5 and then it would be a no brainer.
Well, hell, I bought these from Woot a coupla weeks ago. Let's see:
The advantage of these mandolines is that they're permanently set to 1/32", the supposed ideal for potato chips. This means that one inch of potato gives you 32 chips. Each tray fits about 15-16 chips, so three trays will use up 1.5 inches of potato. You really end up with a lot of leftover potato with these. Have a potato plan B.
It's time-consuming to make two trays (which is what I got), so I assume three trays takes even longer. The mandolines are pretty decent quality and since you're only slicing off an inch to an inch and a half, you probably won't get injured. Once you've got as many slices as you need, you need to dry them on paper towels. That isn't in the instructions, but they're just too wet to cook otherwise. Don't just let them sit on the paper towels. You need to cover both sides and press to soak up as much water as you can.
I have to cook them a lot longer than the manual says, although the manual warns you that might happen. Season them before you cook so that the residual moisture will hold onto the seasoning. It'll just bounce off if you season them after you cook them.
After all that, they're still not as good as real potato chips.
@editorkid I have a different brand of these, and mine say you can stack the trays in the microwave. You have to cook longer and probably rotate the stack, but it beats nuking one at a time.
@Perkalicious I should have said I did that. Cooking 45-50 at a time is faster than cooking one tray at a time, but it still adds extra time.
Is JasonToon the guy who had to eat cake all day for Woot's birthday? If it is, that dude is hilarious.
Potatoes make me chubby. I don't like that. Easier to do without than to try to not eat a huge bag in one sitting. I imagine if I bought this and made some I'd eat them all right away each time. No thanks! Meh!
Wow that woot site looks pretty neat. So they're like meh, but they sell several items per day? Sounds like they're ahead of the game!
@Subbota The Mediocre exec team could clearly learn some lessons from the people who started Woot.
@editorkid They can even learn something from the present Woot; they currently have 1659 items versus just one here. That means they're (currently) 1659 times better, right?
/s
After the super bowl, I'm all meh-ed on potato chips, and I didn't even eat any! Besides, I fear this would be just another addition to the small, (non-)electric, kitchen appliance graveyard that has become my one cupboard.
@adamhansen85 That's the cupboard where you shove everything back really fast and slam the door. God help the next person that opens it.
@SteveOOO That's pretty much all my cupboards. I need more storage in my kitchen. Or to get rid of junk appliances that no one uses.
@SteveOOO Especially when that next person is your 2-year-old son who can somehow take off the super duty "childproofing" cabinet locks better than you can!
If you're using a mandoline, I strongly recommend getting a protective cut-resistant glove to wear. Besides looking like kitchen Michael Jackson, it really is liberating to be able to plow through a pile of veggies with nary a fingertip (or worse, a fingernail, because they're not edible) in the pile.
25 years ago, I laboriously hand-sliced potatoes and microwaved them on a greased glass pie plate. I'm glad we live in the future now.
In for one crabby-breathtaking-moose.
I have to meh, my chipster still works great.
I got this from Woot back in the day (based on said video in the write up) -- they were tasty, but lots of work. They didn't always all turn out good either.
Not worth it in my book.
Thanks for finally taking the hint Meh and auto emailing me instead of making me feel old - fashioned....
@petrosclark So you're to blame! Grrr... https://meh.com/forum/topics/ok-ok-we-give-up-we-turned-on-mehs-order-confirmation-emails
@pwinn get your pitchforks out!
*meh * I DONT need this ---
The video almost suckered me in. But, yesterday's realization that I've spent over $1k on Meh so far has me seriously reconsidering my life decisions. Plus, no pagination. I'm out.
@phatmass This purchase put me at $100.
How about $5 without the crappy mandoline? We already have good mandoline.
Everybody else, buy the full $23 package, it's the best deal. Really.
You do realize, that $14 slicer is headed for the next Fuku, right?
Thanks Meh.
roomy-unpleasant-paste
I love tater chips.
These look like Play-Doh toys
Trail mix with hardly any raisins would be the ultimate snack!
Why do they add so many damn raisins?
Thought it was going to be a set of poker chips, I was like "I could use that" but potato chips? MehhhhHHHHHHhhhh.
I finally caved and got one for my step father. He's retired and has lots of time for silly kitchen projects.
Is it bad that I got the cheap $9 version that isn't in the nice box? I don't like him enough to pay $23 for a gift.
when did i doze off watching a late night rerun? next up ginsu knife set!
@wtsaila No the pocket fisherman.
Oh no, not again!
powdery-unreal-protest
We've been using this same brand for more than a year now. We like them a lot. You indeed have to cook them longer than advertised (three full trays is about 7 minutes), but mind you, not too long, or they'll catch fire and melt the trays (it's happened several times). I would not agree that you have to dry the potatoes; we put them directly on the trays. I'd imagine the only thing you'd accomplish by drying them would be faster cooking. We also cut up the slices ahead of time and kept them in vinegar or water in the fridge; saves prep time but adds moisture and thus increases cook time.
If you're reasonably careful, you won't slice yourself with the mandolin slicer -- it's a fairly thin slice, so it's not easy to get a finger in there. And yes, it seems cheap, but it's held up to our use a couple of times a week for a year-plus.
Bottom line: yes, it's more time-consuming than opening a bag of chips, but if you like the idea of potato chips that are just that, chips of potato, and not coated in industrial slick 'em, etc., it works as advertised.
Meh. I can see this being an "as seen on tv" item at the dollar tree soon enough.
I ordered this a few years ago from that other site. It's kind of meh. It does a decent job on potatoes and particularly sweet potatoes, but if you want to try something else like apple chips, carrot chips etc, they dry up into shriveled nothings. We've experimented with all kinds of different root veggies, thicknesses, and then about a month after getting it, it went to the top of the cabinet not to see light again. Much happier with doing them in my dehydrator.
How is this better than a knife and a paper plate?
@phatmass it's made of not-paper and better at making small slices than most knives.
@phatmass Also, better at making even slices, which I would imagine is crucial for uniform cooking.
Clearly everyone is clamoring to get their hands on this hot technology so I figure why not GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT!?
Leave a passive aggressive note on your office microwave, sign it anonymous, then take a picture and post it in a reply to this comment. The note can be totally nonsensical or real if you have some issues to work out.
You only have a few hours so get it done!
@JonT What if I don't have an office, can I leave a p/a note for my spouse?
@JonT going for 3.
@JonT
@JonT I used to be "Meh" about this problem but you've given me inspiration!
@RedOak I deleted it to avoid confusion - you need to right click on the image, copy image link, paste that link in your comment. (Now it's looking great!)
@JonT I just went for it.
Entries are CLOSED! Thanks y'all, I'll announce the winner(s???) shortly.
I threw some random stuff with your names on it into the microwave and based on what exploded first...@Thumperchick @Hades @narfcake Congrats! You all win one of the 5-piece basic sets!!
And congrats to @RedOak for being the grand prize winner of the 6-piece gift set!
@JonT sweet! Thx. Now what are these fine gadgets again?
@JonT Awesome! Thank you so so much! (Personally, my fav. was "Till mess do us part") - but extra congrats @RedOak!
@JonT Thanks!
@JonT Thank you!
By the way here's an exclusive outtake from todays video of @Moose enjoying some delicious apple chips :
@JonT Poor @Moose.
@JonT Is it too late to ask for my money back?
@barnabee Yes. Just don't completely douse your apple chips in a couple inches of cinnamon and you'll probably be fine.
@JonT Maybe I will send y'all some of my homemade chips. I feel that I owe you something for that fine assortment of neoprene sleeves you sent me. cough-cough.
I've been looking for my mug!!!!! Thanks @moose for finding.
@JonT @moose took one for the team there. Also, YouTube needs a one-click slo-mo feature.
Friend had one of these and wanted to do a few batches for the party... It burnt out her microwave. I recommend only doing 1 or 2 runs with this before letting your microwave cool down.
@darkzrobe Actually you just need multiple levels so there is plenty of food in there...Microwaves don't run well empty. My kids burnt ours out accidentally using it as a timer...
@darkzrobe Yeah I should have paid this comment more heed. Just busted the microwave do single trays, while prepping the other trays.
Calfornia always takes the lead when it comes to buying stupid shit.
The Patriots can suck the snotty end of my fuck stick.
Amusingly, I just saw this on nomorerack for $19. ;)
So after a bit of practice this does make some decent chips. My 4 year old loves them, I'll have to see what the wife thinks.
I have now successfully made 2 batches. Each batch used 2 small red potatoes. I found it best to run in 2 minute spurts, swapping the 3 levels around so they cooked evenly.
I evaluated the total amount of time it took to make a batch (11:37) and determined I could have found my keys, driven to the store, purchased a bag of chips and been home before the batch was complete. Of course I live 1 mile away from 2 grocery stores and 3 mini-marts, so my options may not reflect those of the general public when it comes to the near instant satiation of the crunchy/salty snack urge.
The flavor and consistency was fair (meh?), the salt level is hard to get right and the chips don't cook the same on both sides. Cooking time was nearly linear to the amount of potato used, the second batch had .3 more potato (15%) and took 15% longer to cook. I attribute this to the spacing density on the tray as well as the total volume of moisture in the batch.
The mandolin slicer is surprisingly easy to use and consistent. I compared it to a much more expensive slicer from Pampered Chef and determined that in this particular usage the cheap slicer that is preset to the optimal thickness is ideal. No fingers were harmed in the slicing action.
@tightwad good write up and pretty much reflects our experience, athough with Idaho russets. Our family showed like and dislike for the results. Our initiation runs were with a single tray but when we jumped to three (and added the 1 min/tray) the results deteriorated.
We have great results making our own via the traditional deep fried method and will return to it for fresh chips. This item now sits on the table boxed and ready to donate to the Salvation Army. @JonT, thanks for the fee experiment, where can I send the tax deduction receipt?
@tightwad How much time did you place in microwave? I can do 1 tray in 3 min or 3 trays in 6 minutes. I used Idaho potatos and they cooked evenly. I made a couple batches for work and everyone seemed to like them a lot.
@StrangerDanger I didn't try any other varieties of potatoes. Cooking time was close to 9 minutes total, to get a crispy chip. Nearly every available spot was taken on the tray, so that would add to it.
I just won the 84 page recipe book on eBay for $3.74. Slightly used.
@lisaviolet If any of the recipes are good, please post them.
@dashcloud I will!
@lisaviolet 'wish I had known you wanted it. We're seriously considering donating the entire kit to our local Salvation Army.
@RedOak That bad, huh?
@lisaviolet no, not really that bad. Just wasn't seeing much enthusiasm for the results from our family. Trying to keep the hoarding tendency under control. I know, "Then why the heck are you looking at meh?"
@RedOak Good to know. I'm fortunate in that my husband is pretty enthusiastic for just about anything I cook.
@lisaviolet follow the above operational advice, pat the potatoes dry to reduce the moisture that has to be cooked out, and season them prior to cooking. Good luck!
@RedOak I couldn't stop my 4 year old from eating every batch. She hours later asked if we can buy potatos because then we can make them forever.
@StrangerDanger oh how I (sometimes) miss the 2-4 yr old phase for our 4 kids. Great fun times. But that was almost a decade ago for our youngest. Still fun now, but in different ways! ;)
Our first batch of potato chips was no good, the second and third were much better but overall, so so experience. The slicer on the other hand has gotten a lot of use for a lot of other meals.
@samgau I ordered this and then cancelled, thinking I could make them in the oven instead. I have a batch of sweet potato chips in now and make chips of some kind a few times a week.
@samgau It did take me a few tries to get them consistent, but I do like it a lot now. But I feel like they're closer to Pringles than real potato chips.