Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan) or 375°F. Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper or a silicone mat — do not use foil or grease directly, or you’ll be scraping cheese off for ages. Give the tray a light mist of oil spray if you're worried, though good paper usually does the trick.

In a medium bowl, combine the finely grated Parmesan with your chosen seasonings. I stir through the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and a crack of black pepper. The cheese should look like pale yellow sand with dark specks from the pepper — if it clumps, break it up with your fingers.

Scoop level tablespoons of the cheese mixture and place them onto the prepared tray, spacing them about 5cm apart. Each mound should be roughly the size of a walnut. Gently press each mound down with the back of a spoon until it forms a flat disc about 7-8cm wide and 3mm thick. Don’t make them too thin, or they’ll brown too fast and taste bitter.

Bake for 6-8 minutes, watching carefully from the 5-minute mark. You’ll first smell a nutty, toasty aroma filling your kitchen — that’s the Parmesan browning. The edges will turn a deep golden brown while the centre stays slightly paler. The crisps should look lacy and bubbly, with small golden spots forming across the surface. If the edges look dark amber, pull them out immediately — they go from perfect to burnt in seconds.

Remove the tray from the oven and let the crisps cool on the tray for exactly 2 minutes. They’ll look soft and pliable at first, but don’t touch them yet. You’ll see the surface set and become firmer as they cool. After 2 minutes, they should be firm enough to lift with a spatula without bending. If they still feel floppy, give them another 30 seconds on the tray.

Transfer the crisps to a wire rack to cool completely — about 5 minutes. You’ll hear a faint crackle as they cool, and they’ll become rigid and shatter when broken. If any crisp is still slightly soft in the centre, pop it back in the oven for 1 minute. Once completely cool, they should snap cleanly in half with a satisfying crunch.