Salty Snacks: Make Your Own Chips, Crisps, Crackers, Pretzels, Dips and Other Savory Bites

Nims, the president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, turns her attention to the salty side in this imaginative collection of 75 recipes for DIY chips, dips, crackers, and other appetizers. Relying on detailed though text-heavy instructions rather than step-by-step photos, Nims (Gourmet Game Night) guides readers through the process of creating duck fat potato chips, bacon-chive bread with goat cheese, sesame chicken bites, and other savory fare. While the expected litany of fried veggie chips are well represented, Nims does a nice job of expanding readers' repertoires to include roasted salami chips, cumin lentil crackers and anchovy crisps, not to mention duck jerky, tempura green beans with tapenade, curry-pickled quail eggs, and deviled bacon. Novice entertainers hoping for basic guacamole or cheese straw recipes will likely be overwhelmed by Nims' inventive assortment, but experienced cooks looking for some unique riffs should find this to be an engaging and palate-expanding collection. Photos. (Oct.)