Tag: #ChipsOnRepeat

National Potato Chip Day on March 14th celebrates America’s #1 snack food. Millions will enjoy their favorite chip this holiday. It’s a good thing there are so many to choose from, too!

Saratoga Chips

On August 24, 1853, an unhappy restaurant customer kept sending his potatoes back to the kitchen, complaining they were thick and soggy. Chef George Crum decided to slice the potatoes as thin as possible, frying them until crisp and added extra salt. To the chef’s surprise, the customer loved them. The crispy potatoes soon became a regular item on the restaurant’s menu under the name of “Saratoga Chips.”

Other explanations point for the existence of the potato chip point to recipes in Shilling Cookery for the People by Alexis Soyer (1845) or Mary Randolph’s The Virginia House-Wife (1824). While many references between these dates sliced potatoes and fried them in grease, uncertainty remains whether the potatoes were fried to a crisp.

However, by the late 1870s, menus across the country used the term “Saratoga Chips” on train cars, hotel restaurants, and street carts. The name carried into grocers when bakeries made the chips in larger batches. They shipped them by wagon to the restaurants and grocers by the barrel. The grocers sold them to private families by the pound. Folks were instructed to bake the chips in a hot oven for a few minutes, and the chips would be as crisp as if fried that same day.

Classic Potato Chips

The Dayton, Ohio-based Mike-sell’s Potato Chip Company, founded in 1910, calls itself the “oldest potato chip company in the United States.” New England-based Tri-Sum Potato Chips, originally established in 1908 as the Leominster Potato Chip Company, in Leominster, Massachusetts, claims to be America’s first potato chip manufacturer.

In the 20th century, potato chips spread beyond chef-cooked restaurant fare and began to be mass-produced for home consumption. Flavored chips were introduced in the 1950s. Potato Chip revenues are over $15 billion a year worldwide!

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalPotatoChipDay

While we enjoy potato chips as a simple snack, they also provide a great ingredient in recipes, too. Favorite recipes include chocolate-dipped chips and crushed chips dusted over fish. Share with us how you enjoy your favorite chip recipes! Or just grab a bag of potato chips to enjoy and use #NationalPotatoChipDay to post on social media.

Ruffles Potato Chips, Variety Pack, 1 Ounce (Pack of 40)#NationalPotatoChipDay — Ruffles Potato Chips, Variety Pack, 1 Ounce (Pack of 40)

Frito-Lay Sweet & Salty Snacks, Variety Mix of Cookies, Crackers, Chips & Nuts, (Pack of 50)#NationalPotatoChipDay — Ruffles Potato Chips, Variety Pack, 1 Ounce (Pack of 40)

National Tortilla Chip Day, a day set aside for the crunchy snack loved by millions across the nation, is observed annually on February 24th.

The tortilla chip is most commonly served with salsa, chile con queso, guacamole, cheese dips or other dips. Tortilla chips are made from corn tortillas cut into wedges and then fried. The tortillas are made from corn, vegetable oil, salt, and water. Typically made with yellow corn, tortillas can also be made with white, blue or red corn.

Even though tortilla chips have always been considered to be a Mexican food, known as tostados, they were first mass-produced in Los Angeles in the late 1940s. It is said that the triangle-shaped tortilla chips were made popular by Rebecca Webb Carranza as a way to use the misshapen tortillas that were rejected from the automated tortilla manufacturing machine that she and her husband used at their Los Angeles deli and tortilla factory.

ONEMORE Chip and Dip Serving Set, 10 inch Ceramic Divided Serving Platter Large Appetizer Tray with 4 Removable Dishes for Nuts, Candy, Snacks, Veggies - Creamy White Serving Bowls for Entertaining
#NationalTortillaChipDay — ONEMORE Chip and Dip Serving Set, 10 inch Ceramic Divided Serving Platter Large Appetizer Tray with 4 Removable Dishes for Nuts, Candy, Snacks, Veggies – Creamy White Serving Bowls for Entertaining

Zanzibar Chip and Dip Bowl, 2 Piece Set#NationalTortillaChipDay — ONEMORE Chip and Dip Serving Set, 10 inch Ceramic Divided Serving Platter Large Appetizer Tray with 4 Removable Dishes for Nuts, Candy, Snacks, Veggies – Creamy White Serving Bowls for Entertaining

Carranza realized that once the discarded tortillas were cut into triangle shapes and fried, they became a popular snack. She then sold them for a dime a bag at the El Zarape Tortilla Factory. Carranza received the Golden Tortilla Award in 1994 for her contribution to the Mexican food industry.

The United States is one of the primary markets for tortilla chips.

Another favorite dish made with tortilla chips is nachos. The dish was first created around 1943 by Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya. Nachos are tortilla chips served with melted or shredded cheese, and often additional toppings are added, such as meat, salsa, refried beans, tomatoes, diced onion, lettuce, olives, jalapenos, guacamole and sour cream.

Try Jen’s Loaded Nachos, of any of the recipes from our collection.