description Potato Chips Overview
Potato chips are a popular snack food made from potatoes that have been thinly sliced and deep-fried, baked, or popped until crisp. The slices are typically seasoned with salt or a wide variety of flavorings, such as barbecue, sour cream and onion, or cheese. Although folklore attributes their invention to chef George Crum in Saratoga Springs in 1853, they have since become a mass-produced commodity worldwide. They are commonly sold in sealed plastic bags to maintain freshness and crunch.
insights Ranking position
Potato Chips ranks #10 of 158 in the Potato Dish ranking, behind Gratin Dauphinois, ahead of Tortilla Española.
balance Potato Chips Pros & Cons
- Satisfying crunchy texture
- Wide flavor variety
- Long shelf life
- High sodium content
- High calorie density
help Potato Chips FAQ
Did George Crum really invent potato chips in 1853?
George Crum helped popularize thin fried potatoes at Moon's Lake House in Saratoga Springs, but the famous 1853 origin story is disputed. William Kitchiner's 1817 cookbook The Cook's Oracle already contained a recipe for potatoes fried in thin slices.
Why are potato chips called crisps in Britain?
British English uses crisps for thin, packaged fried potato slices and chips for the thicker fried potatoes Americans call french fries. In the United States, potato chips became the standard name for the packaged snack.
Who created the first commercially seasoned potato chips?
Tayto owner Joe Murphy developed a commercial seasoning process in Ireland during the 1950s. Cheese and onion became one of Tayto's defining flavors and helped establish flavored chips as a mass-market product.
Why do kettle-cooked chips feel harder than regular chips?
Kettle chips are usually fried in batches, allowing the oil temperature to fall and recover as each batch cooks. This produces a thicker, more irregular chip than the continuous frying systems used for products such as Lay's.
explore Explore More
Similar to Potato Chips
See all arrow_forward
Reviews & Comments
Write a Review
Be the first to review
Share your thoughts with the community and help others make better decisions.
