Interesting Facts About Chips: How Chips Were Created and Their Impact on Health

This world-famous product is mainly made from potatoes. However, chips can also be made from vegetables (cassava, sweet potatoes, beets, cabbage, etc.) or fruits (apples, bananas, durian, etc.). The following facts testify to the worldwide popularity of this product.

• Sweet potato chips are eaten in Korea, New Zealand, and Japan.
• Parsnip, beet, and carrot chips are available in the United Kingdom.
• India is known for its numerous "chip shops," selling not only potato chips but other varieties such as plantain chips, tapioca chips, sweet potato chips, and even carrot chips.
• Plantain chips, also known as chifles or tostones, are also sold in the Western Hemisphere from Canada to Chile.
• In the Philippines, banana chips are sold in local stores.
• In Kenya, chips are made from arrowroot and cassava.
• In the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, and Australia, a new type of Pringles chips made from rice has been released, which is sold with less fat content than its potato counterparts.

In this article, we will talk about potato chips. Hereafter, the word "chips" will refer specifically to potato chips.

Chips became very popular worldwide in the second half of the 20th century. Now chips make up a large part of the snack market in many countries, especially in Western Europe and the USA.

History of chips

It is believed that chips were accidentally invented by George Crum on August 24, 1853, while working as a chef at the expensive restaurant Moon’s Lake House at a resort in the southern part of Lake Saratoga Springs, New York, USA.

According to legend, one of the restaurant Moon’s Lake House’s signature recipes was "french fries." One evening, railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt sent the fried potatoes back to the kitchen, complaining that they were "too thick." Chef Crum, deciding to play a prank on the magnate, sliced the potatoes paper-thin and fried them. But the dish was enjoyed by the magnate and his friends.

The recipe was dubbed "Saratoga Chips" (from English "chips" — slice, piece, "Saratoga" — the city of the restaurant). After some time, the chips became the most popular signature dish of this restaurant. By the way, the trademark "Saratoga Chips" still exists today.

In 1860, George Crum opened his own restaurant, with a basket of chips on each table. The restaurant quickly became a fashionable place among wealthy American visitors. Crum did not sell chips for takeout, but soon, due to the simplicity of the recipe, chips began to be offered in most other restaurants.

In 1895, William Tappenden started "small-scale production" of chips, first in his own kitchen, later building a factory. Supplies were made to Cleveland, Ohio.

In the 20th century, potato chips went beyond restaurant dishes and began to be mass-produced for home consumption. The Mikesell's Potato Chip Company from Dayton, Ohio, founded in 1910, is considered the oldest potato chip manufacturer in the United States, which still exists today.

Initially, potato chips were packed in barrels or tin cans and delivered by horse to stores, causing the chips to remain stale and crumbly. In the 1920s, Laura Scudder, an entrepreneur from Monterey Park, California, suggested using wax paper for packaging. This innovative method reduced crumbling and kept the chips fresh and crispy longer. This innovation, along with the invention of cellophane, allowed potato chips to become a mass-market product.

In 1932, Herman Lay founded the Lay's brand in Nashville, Tennessee, which became the first national brand of chips, surviving to this day and gaining worldwide popularity.

How chips are made

There are 2 main recipes for chips.

• Method 1 (classic). To make chips, varieties of potatoes with a high starch content are used. Potatoes are cut into thin slices and fried in vegetable oil for 3 minutes. In the USA, soybean oil is preferred, in Europe - palm oil, and in Russia - sunflower oil. With the right slicing board, this can easily be done in an ordinary kitchen.
• Method 2 (alternative). Often in machine production, a completely different recipe is used. Potato flour is made into dough, and from the dough, chip shapes are formed, which are then fried.

Chips are often added with salt, flavorings (natural or synthetic), and flavor enhancers (monosodium glutamate).

Watch the video at the end of the article to see how potato chips are made in factories using each of the above methods.

The impact of chips on health

Unfortunately for chip lovers, this treat is harmful to health. Therefore, it is recommended not to consume chips in large quantities. Below we will list 3 main health threats.

Salt

Most potato chips contain a lot of sodium due to the salt. This can lead to health problems such as high blood pressure.

In this regard, the long-standing British brand Salt 'n' Shake began producing unsalted chips. These chips are not seasoned with salt but instead include a small packet of salt for seasoning to taste. Many other popular brands in the USA, such as Frito-Lay, also offer such a product.

It is worth noting that researchers at Queen Mary University of London noted in 2004 that a small packet of ready-salted chips contains less salt than a serving of many breakfast cereals, including cornflakes of all brands sold in the UK.

Acrylamide

Another health threat associated with potato chips is acrylamide, which is formed when frying potatoes at high temperatures. This discovery, made in 2002, caused worldwide concern. Acrylamide is a toxic substance that primarily affects the nervous system, liver, and kidneys. According to animal studies, acrylamide can provoke cancer.

However, subsequent studies have shown that acrylamides in burnt or well-fried foods are unlikely to cause cancer in humans. The world's largest independent cancer research organization, Cancer Research UK, classifies the idea that burnt food causes cancer as a "myth."

Nevertheless, in August 2008, some major American potato chip manufacturers were fined because they could not document that their chips did not contain high levels of acrylamide, which has been considered a carcinogen in California since the 1990s.

Since then, many potato chip manufacturers have tried to remove burnt and therefore potentially acrylamide-rich chips before the packaging process.

Trans fats

Chips also contain trans fats (trans isomers of fatty acids), which impair human immunity, increase the risk of diabetes, cancer, reduce testosterone levels, disrupt the metabolism of prostaglandins (which regulate many processes in the body and are found in almost all tissues and organs), and impair the function of the main enzyme that neutralizes carcinogens and some drug toxins.

According to the results of a 14-year observation by British scientists published in the British Medical Journal (issue 11, 1998), the mortality rate from ischemic heart disease and the number of myocardial infarctions among lovers of products containing trans isomers of fatty acids is much higher, and breast cancer is 40% more common.

Interesting facts about chips

• To make 1 kilogram of chips, about 4 kilograms of potatoes need to be processed.
• Chips are packaged in polyethylene bags, which are inflated with nitrogen gas before sealing to extend shelf life and provide protection from crushing.
• According to sociological research, in Europe and the USA, about 95% of people snack on chips when they feel slightly hungry, most often between lunch and dinner. In addition, many consume chips while watching TV - 57%, on the road - 41%, while reading a book - 34%, when in a bad mood - 30%, and when there is nothing to do - 27%.
• The record amount of potato chips is sold annually in the USA. The average American eats about 3 kilograms of chips per year, and 11% of all potatoes grown in the country are used to make them.
• The USA has a National Potato Chip Day. It is celebrated on March 14. On this day, millions of people across the country enjoy this crispy snack.
• Research by PepsiCo shows that about 80% of the salt in chips is not tasted by the tongue before they are swallowed. In 2009, Frito-Lay spent $414 million developing the product, including developing salt crystals that would allow reducing the salt content in Lay's potato chips without sacrificing taste.

The successful history of Frito-Lay

Finally, we want to tell the success story of one American company, which, of course, is associated with chips.

• In 1932, 28-year-old Charles Elmer Doolin from San Antonio (USA, Texas) bought a business from a local corn chip manufacturer for $100, which he borrowed from his mother. With the help of his parents and brother, he started making corn chips in his mother's kitchen and selling them from the garage for 5 cents a pack. By the time of Doolin's death in 1959, his company The Frito Company already had factories in 18 cities.
• In 1931, Herman Lay began selling potato chips from his car. In 1939, he founded H.W. Lay & Company in Atlanta (USA, Georgia). By 1956, the company had factories in 8 cities.

In 1961, the two aforementioned companies merged to form Frito-Lay, and in 1965, Frito-Lay and The Pepsi-Cola Company formed PepsiCo.

Thus, Frito-Lay became a successful American subsidiary food company (corn chips, potato chips, etc.), part of the PepsiCo holding.

The main brands produced by Frito-Lay today are corn chips Fritos, cheese sticks Cheetos, tortilla chips Doritos and Tostitos, potato chips Lay's, Ruffle, and Walkers, as well as pretzels Rold Gold. In 2009, the annual sales volume of each brand worldwide exceeded $1 billion!

Classic way to make potato chips

Alternative way to make potato chips