Easy Oven-Baked Zucchini Chips (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep baked zucchini from getting soggy? ›

Don't overcrowd the pan, which can cause the zucchini to steam instead of roast. Unless you have time to salt and drain the zucchini, wait to salt it until after they're cooked so the salt doesn't draw out the moisture in the oven—this can lead to sogginess.

Why are my zucchini chips soggy? Zucchini is naturally over 90% water, and the water is released as they cook. To prevent soggy zucchini chips, slice the rounds thinly, around 1/8″ thick, with a knife or mandolin.

Slice and salt zucchini in advance of cooking to draw out some of the vegetable's excess moisture (while also seasoning it more thoroughly). To do this, cut up a pound of zucchini and toss it with ½ teaspoon of table salt. Let it drain in a colander for about 30 minutes before patting it dry and cooking it.

How to Sweat Zucchini. Lay your zucchini slices over a double layer of paper towels and sprinkle both sides with salt. Allow the zucchini to rest for about 10 minutes. The salt will draw out the excess water and you'll see beads of moisture on the surface.

ELEVATE THE ZUCCHINI by placing it on a baking rack, then setting that baking rack on top of your regular baking sheet. This allows air to circulate on all sides of the zucchini and helps water evaporate so the zucchini is beautifully caramelized, not soggy.

Vegetables with high water content tend to become mushy and bland if they aren't rid of excess moisture before cooking. To do that, you need two things: salt and time. Salting these watery vegetables draws out extra water and flavor molecules.

Bitterness in zucchini can be caused by environmental stress (mild bitterness) or plant genetics (severe).

Zucchini thrives in a dry environment, so pop it into the crisper drawer whole, preferably in a plastic or paper bag with one end open for ventilation. The minimal humidity will keep it from going bad. Stored properly, it'll last one or two weeks, though you'll probably see the skin shrivel as the days pass.

In fact, salting before cooking is actually Daniel Boulud's tip for prepping crispier eggplant, and zucchini is much the same. Science is on the side of salting in advance. When salt is sprinkled on the flesh of a water-dense fruit like zucchini and left to sit for a while, a process known as osmosis occurs.

Once the zucchini is caramelizing, you'll continue to cook it until it's until tender all the way through—a paring knife or a fork should slip in without much resistance—but not yet mushy.

How do you process zucchini for baking? ›

The fastest way to grate zucchini is using a food processor with a grating attachment. This method won't always create the most consistent shreds, but that won't matter if you're baking the zucchini. It will melt into the other ingredients as it bakes, making the shred size less important.

Liberally sprinkle salt over the towel and place your cut vegetables on top, making sure to arrange them in an even, single layer. Sprinkle salt over top of the vegetables. Allow them to sit for at least 20 minutes, but up to 30-40 minutes if your vegetable pieces are thick.

On the other hand, they may simply be waterlogging if your garden is poorly drained. Another possibility is squash bugs have damaged them and rot has set in as a result. In the meantime, keep removing the infected fruit as soon as you see signs of the problem.

We'll go over this in more detail below, but in short - If you're looking for the safest way to store zucchini bread - just refrigerate it. Seal your bread in a plastic storage container or plastic bag and store it in the refrigerator.