Oven-Dried Kale

Oven-Dried Kale

I don’t despise a lot of foods, but Kale Chips rank right up there. I first heard of them on a Melissa D’Arabian show about 10 years ago. I was so psyched I ran right out and picked up kale and made them. The recipe worked beautifully and I tried to like them but I couldn’t stand them. There are recipes out there that add more seasonings and spices and maybe that helps them, but I’ve yet to give it a second go after an initial tasting. What I do love, though, is not wasting food! And that’s why this recipe for Oven-Dried Kale.

Oven-Dried Kale

Oven-Dried Kale

 


 

And as much as I try not to be wasteful, sometimes the amount of kale in my fridge can be a little overwhelming. Especially if I bought a big bag or maybe got a little overly excited at the farmers market! Usually I’ll have a few ideas of how I’m going to use it up (my Big Fat Green Smoothies on a Budget are one of them) but if I’m waylaid in my plans or my menu “succession” gets thrown off I might be left with what seems like tons of kale crying out to be used – and used now!

About Oven-Dried Kale:

And frankly, kale is not a cheap veggie so I don’t want to waste a morsel of it. Nutritionally speaking, it’s a great value, though and worth the price. Kale really is a powerhouse of nutrients and a ranking superfood. You might want to see what The World’s Healthiest Foods has to say about Kale. I love that site; they’re so thorough and so full of information!

The thing about kale is, although for a green it stores petty well and keeps for several days or longer in the fridge, as it ages, it dulls in color and while still perfectly good, becomes more bitter in taste. That’s something to think about if you’re trying to like kale which admittedly can be a bit of an acquired taste. But it’s also something to think about if you have a huge bag of it!

And while Kale can be frozen (that’s a future post) I’ve found that dehydrating it in the oven is a great solution and helps me to prevent any wasted kale. If you have a food dehydrator, of course, you can use that, but if you have a lot of kale, you could literally be drying for days! The oven is quite a bit faster and really does a great job, and gives you perfectly dried kale to add to your smoothies or other concoctions. (Try sneaking dried kale into some of your standard recipes!) Since kale dries up to practically nothing and can be crumbled up, it takes very little room once dried and can be stored in a jar, at the ready. Oven-Dried Kale will keep literally for months, maybe years, but since I have gotten in the habit of drying smaller amounts at a time when I have too much kale to reasonably use, I just keep using what I have.

My Big Fat Green Smoothies made from wasted vegetable parts

My Big Fat Green Smoothies

Making Oven-Dried Kale:

I’m going to shock some of you. Unless my kale, which I usually buy organic, is looking dirty or there is any sign of “hitchhikers” or other insect damage, I don’t wash it before I dry it and I’m usually a freak about food safety and cleanliness. I’ll shake it off, inspect it, and if all looks good, I trust the heat of the oven to destroy any potential organisms. If it’s not organic, if I have any doubts about where it came from, if I’m concerned about pesticides and/or there’s a lot of dirt, I do give it a wash, but you’ll have to make sure it’s dry when it goes into the oven so it doesn’t just steam; steam will increase the time it takes to dry dramatically. If I think about it, I’ll wash it, spin it and roll it in a towel and chuck it in the fridge the night before.

Speaking of washing, one of the easiest ways is to submerge your kale in water; sometimes I see people say to fill up the sink. Never, never do that! sinks (and counters) are the nastiest places in your home and even I don’t trust the oven to take care of the extreme amount of contamination your kale could potentially pick up. Sinks, especially are a guaranteed breeding ground for all kinds of organisms and even cleaned still aren’t as clean as you think – fill up a big bowl or a huge stockpot with water, add the kale and swish it, then let everything fall to the bottom as the kale floats. Remove the kale and give it a quick rinse under running water. If there are signs of insect damage? It’s unfortunate but an easy fix. Soak for about an hour. Any critters won’t survive and will drop to the bottom when the kale is swished around.

Fair warning on oven drying: all ovens work differently. They cycle heat up and down, circulate air, and retain heat differently. I’ve found this method works great for me but you’ll want to watch, especially the first time, and adjust to what works for you. Jot it down, then the next time you’ll know just how long to dry and you’ll have no worries about letting the oven do it’s thing while you’re occupied with something else.

I found that I can dry three or four large sheet trays of kale at a time, even though my oven only has two racks. I take aluminum foil and make balls, one for each corner of a sheet tray…then I place another tray on top. You’ll probably have to do some rotating and moving around for even drying. You might have other objects you can use if you get creative. Small canning jars, maybe, one in each corner.

Oven-Dried Kale

Oven-Dried Kale

Saving Money on Oven-Dried Kale:

Think outside the box when buying kale. Your farmer’s market is probably a great place, but that can vary by season and location. The Buyer’s Clubs and your grocery stores usually have larger bags – they look huge but they’re usually 14 o to 16 ounces so it never hurts to compare that to buying a bunch of kale; sometimes the bagged kale is much more per pound than a bunch, but in the case of kale, that can depend on how many stems are in the bag compared to the amount of stems on the fresh kale. The leaves weigh practically nothing, it’s the stems that add a lot of weight. The fresh kale in a bunch is generally not irradiated or treated like the bagged and might not last as long in the fridge but may have less risk of contamination.

Where you might find fantastic prices on organic kale is from a farmer or small-time grower, especially one who isn’t “certified” organic. It’s a huge process to go through to get the certification and not all farmers are able to pull it off. Just be open-minded. and keep your eyes open, especially if you’re in the habit of already purchasing items from small farmers.

If you’re purchasing mixed bags of kale and other veggies for salads, think about drying them, too! Sometimes those bags are huge and it might be hard for you to eat them to the end, or maybe you’ve just gotten “over” them after several salads. Toss them on a sheet tray and dry them using this method. It’s a great save.

Oven-Dried Kale

Oven-Dried Kale

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Oven-Dried Kale

Prevent waste by drying kale; sneak it into smoothies or recipes.

  • Author: mollie
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 55
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: varies
  • Category: Preserving
  • Method: Drying
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Kale, torn or cut into 2 to 4-inch pieces, large center ribs removed and finely minced (or reserved for another use)

Instructions

Make sure kale is dried well. Place close together in a single layer on sheet trays; a little overlap is ok. Put in oven, turn oven onto lowest setting. Once heated, bake for about 10 minutes, then prop open the oven door with a wooden spoon or a little ball of foil. Continue to bake, stirring and rotating trays at about 30 minutes. If not completely crunchy, continue to bake, checking every 15 minutes or so.

Kale will need to be completely dry before storing. Store in glass jars.

Notes

Timing may vary depending on oven.

Keywords: kale

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Too much kale? Make Oven-Dried Kale. Super easy to do, prevents waste, and dried kale is easy to store for sneaking into smoothies or recipes. #DriedKale #OvenDriedKale #Kale #PreservingKale

14 thoughts on “Oven-Dried Kale

  1. I am so glad I found this blog! I’ve been wanting to dry and save kale. I was just given a huge bag of it! My dehydrator would not be able to manage it all. This works great! Electric oven, one more batch to dray tomorrow and mission accomplished! Thank you!

    • FrugalHausfrau

      Hi Agnes, I was out of town over the weekend so it was hard to reply right away! I’m so glad you liked the method and then stopped by to comment, too!

      Take care and don’t be a strange…I have lots of posts!

      Mollie

  2. Alice

    Thank you for this valuable information. I have never had enough kale to even consider drying it. But I have a large bag, that was gifted to me for Thanksgiving, and I will finally get to try this. I am saving this on my Pinterest page, under health.

  3. Kale chips are like the only “healthy food” that I really do like (and don’t just tell myself that I like for the sake of it being “healthy”). I could seriously down an entire sheet pan of the stuff, but for the most part I like it roasted until it’s *just* tender. I toss it with roasted sweet potatoes and a vinaigrette dressing. It’s great stuff. Thanks Mollie, I liked reading this post 🙂

    • FrugalHausfrau

      You and my sister BOTH love kale chips, she’s been throwing me some some shade about them!! lol!! I might have to give them another go! I like your sweet potato kale combo!!

    • FrugalHausfrau

      Thanks Dorothy! It might be even better for people who don’t like it! they’d be most likely to have leftover. 🙂

  4. I have an excess of kale in the garden, it really likes our coastal weather although I am not particularly a fan. I keep trying because it is so nutritious and have promised myself that I will attempt several kale recipes this week. I was just reminded of your kale salad with caesar dressing, it’s on the menu for Thursday night. Maybe I will try them massage method to soften it.

    • FrugalHausfrau

      Massaging helps, but it does soften up with that dressing. And that dressing is good and strong tasting and makes that kale take a bit of a background note. I think if you are trying to like something start small. Just like you give babies a teensy bite of something new and they spit it out…then you back off and mix a little bit with something they already like. then you keep upping what the culprit food is and reducing the food the baby likes.

      Try using kale, not too much, and chop it up and add it your onions or bell peppers or whatever you are sauteing for a dish. It almost dissapears and will be like little specks of herbs and the flavor will blend. Then you can start adding more to different things. Eventually, if your like me, you’ll start to appreciate that kale, which can be kind of bitter, can add fun texture and flavor that just goes well with so many things. Ya gotta finesse it at first though. They say it takes seven times to like a food – well there are a lot of exceptions, but maybe kale takes more!

    • FrugalHausfrau

      Hi thanks! I’m so glad to hear that! I do keep it propped. If you have a gas stove like me, that works best. If you have an electric, maybe I should have said this, but i had no way to actually test it. I think they hold heat better and you might be able to turn the oven off and on.. The heat is so low, though, it shouldn’t be a huge deal or even heat the kitchen up much and propping lets all the moisture out. Hope that helps!

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