I tried the method and the seasoning mix with an apple and a sweet potato. I cooked. I did the apple first. I love the snap, the texture. The taste is off, to me. It has a bitter edge to it. My guess was that I may have overcooked. I cooked the sweet potato 20 minutes per side, then let them sit an extra five minutes in the oven, turned off with the door cracked. I didn't weight them, just to see what would happen. They curled in a very nice way, and like the apple have a nice crisp "chip" quality. Still not happy with the flavor, although it's better. I'll definitely keep playing with this technique, and Terese had fun, too.

And a convection oven really helps as well. The fan action really speeds the drying process. I also find that doing them on a silpat works best.

Oh boy, can't wait. Will be doing the apple version today. Thanks, Amanda, and to the original poster. I hadn't thought of naming my mandoline, but it makes perfect sense to me. I'll call mine Terese. That was Mme. Defarge's first name. Of course, Henry VIII was good with a blade, too...

Or really, really good knife skills and a really, really sharp knife.

You will also need a tool like a mandoline aka Robespierre to get the slices thin enough in the first place.

Nora, here's a recipe for pear crisps -- you could skip the seasonings if you want to serve them plain. To keep them flat, you need to do them between pieces of parchment, weighed down between 2 baking sheets. http://bit.ly/gcUfPl