Potato chips

Potato chips are thin slices of potato or deposits of potato paste that are cooked until crunchy.

They are commonly eaten as snacks, appetizers, or side dishes. Most basic versions are simply cooked and salted. However, many varieties use herbs, spices, cheeses, or other additives for flavor. These snacks are a massive part of the global convenience food market. In 2005, the potato chip market generated US$16.49 billion in revenue. This represented 35.5% of the total US$46.1 billion savory snacks market that year.

There are several ways to produce these crunchy snacks.

Many people deep-fry slices in hot oil for several minutes. Others use baking or air frying as a popular alternative.

Some producers use a batch process called kettle-cooking. In this method, workers rinse potato slices with cold water to release starch. The slices are then fried at a low temperature and continuously raked to prevent sticking. This results in thicker chips with a "hard-bite" texture. Industrial production often uses a continuous process where chips run through a vat of hot oil and a conveyor dryer.

Flavoring has evolved significantly over the last century. For a long time, chips remained unseasoned beyond simple salt. This changed in 1954 when Joe "Spud" Murphy and Seamus Burke produced the first seasoned chips. Their creation was the cheese and onion flavor. That same year, the first barbecue-flavored chips appeared in Pennsylvania.

This era sparked "flavor wars" between companies like Walkers, Golden Wonder, and Smith's. Smith's eventually launched salt and vinegar, which helped drive competition for decades.

History provides both real recipes and popular myths regarding this snack. The earliest known recipe is found in William Kitchiner's 1817 book, *The Cook's Oracle*. He instructed readers to cut peeled potatoes into round shavings and fry them in lard. A famous legend claims George Crum invented the chip in 1853 at Moon's Lake House. The story says he sliced potatoes extremely thin to satisfy a customer who disliked thick, soggy fries. While this story is widely cited in media, historians consider it a myth. Evidence shows the customer, Cornelius Vanderbilt, was in Europe at the time, and crispy potatoes were already known in Saratoga.

Packaging innovations were essential for the mass-market success of chips. In the 1920s, an entrepreneur named Laura Scudder changed how chips were stored. Her workers would iron sheets of wax paper into the shape of bags. These bags were filled with chips to keep them fresh and prevent crumbling. The invention of cellophane later worked alongside these methods to allow chips to be sold widely. This helped transition the snack from restaurant fare to a common household item.

Terminology for these snacks varies greatly across the English-speaking world.

In North America, they are called chips, though Canadians may use the term for French fries. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, they are called crisps. In Australia and New Zealand, "chips" often refers to hot, fried potatoes, while "potato chips" refers to the snack.

Even in Bangladesh, they are known as chips or locally as *alu bhaja*. In Brazil, different names exist depending on whether the chip is smooth or has a wafer-like pattern.

Global varieties show how local tastes influence production. In Canada, you might find ketchup, dill pickle, or all-dressed flavors. In Japan, companies like Calbee offer flavors such as nori (seaweed) and salt, or even takoyaki.

In Indonesia, brands like Chitato have released unique flavors like beef rendang and mango sticky rice. These diverse options demonstrate how a simple potato slice can be adapted to fit almost any culture's palate.