Another Reason to Celebrate
In case you're not already it's giddy it's Friday, or getting a jump on eating and drinking green stuff, you'll probably want to know that there's even more reason to celebrate today: It's National Potato Chip Day. Yes, every March 14 this day rolls around, giving us another excuse to eat more chips.
Of course, it's also an opportune day for a history lesson. Did you know that the original recipe is credited to a certain chef George Crum, way back in 1853? Of course, the crisp chips show up here and there in cookbooks prior to this date. but it's still nice to celebrate Chef Crum's achievement in popularizing this essential snack food. Also, somewhere along the way I read that chips were first sold in a grocery store in 1895.
Now that this "holiday" is on my calendar, I feel it's my duty to honor it. I'm already trying to decide what kind of chips to get for lunch. My old favorite, sour cream and onion? Or, a recent love, Kettle salt and pepper?
What are your favorite potato chips and how will you celebrate this special day? Let us know!
--KitchenMaus
Buford Gooch on March 14, 2008 at 05:37 PM
The world's best potato chip flavor is "All Dressed". They are sold in Canada by various companies. I have been trying to get them sold in the US, but no lick so far. I'm told by Frito Lay that there is some ingredient in them that is illegal in the US. Surely they could find some substitute, and make them for this market. They truly are potato chips at their best.
Robbins Mitchell on March 14, 2008 at 05:46 PM
The story goes that Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt was dining at the establishment wherein Mr. Crum was the chef in residence...the Commodore had ordered a portion of fried potatoes with his meal and sent them back to the kitchen repeatedly complaining they were 'too thick'....so,more or less out of spite,Mr.Crum deliberately sliced the potatoes as thin as possible before frying them and sent them out to the Commodore certain that he would complain yet again that this time they were too thin...to his amazement,the Commodore was delighted with them...and the rest,as they say,is history
JorgXMcKie on March 14, 2008 at 07:21 PM
The Kettle Spicy Thai chips are really good, too, if you like Thai food.
As for "All-dressed" chips, my brother fell in love with them when he lived in Canada 20 years ago, so when I moved to the Detroit area he told me to get him some and mail them if I ever went over to Windsor.
Well, I happened to be coming back thru Windsor at around 2AM when I remembered the chips and I pulled into the first grocery I saw. They didn't have any chips out, but they got me a case from the back and I bought a case (20 bags as I remember). Then I headed for the border. This was around summer 2002. As I pulled into bridge line the Canadian border guard asked if I had "anything to declare" and I said it was the first time I'd been to Canada in years and didn't know what I needed to declare. He said, "anything you bought in Canada." (Since I had bought my wife a Beanie Baby-style little stuffed moose) I said, "Nothing but a moose and a case of potato chips." After a longish pause he said, "Don't shit me, sir. It's been a long day and I can pull you over and take that car apart." I said, "Look! The chips are in that big cardboard box and here's the moose!" He glared at me and let me thru.
I sure hope those chips were as good as they were supposed to be.
JorgXMcKie on March 14, 2008 at 07:22 PM
The Kettle Spicy Thai chips are really good, too, if you like Thai food.
As for "All-dressed" chips, my brother fell in love with them when he lived in Canada 20 years ago, so when I moved to the Detroit area he told me to get him some and mail them if I ever went over to Windsor.
Well, I happened to be coming back thru Windsor at around 2AM when I remembered the chips and I pulled into the first grocery I saw. They didn't have any chips out, but they got me a case from the back and I bought a case (20 bags as I remember). Then I headed for the border. This was around summer 2002. As I pulled into bridge line the Canadian border guard asked if I had "anything to declare" and I said it was the first time I'd been to Canada in years and didn't know what I needed to declare. He said, "anything you bought in Canada." (Since I had bought my wife a Beanie Baby-style little stuffed moose) I said, "Nothing but a moose and a case of potato chips." After a longish pause he said, "Don't shit me, sir. It's been a long day and I can pull you over and take that car apart." I said, "Look! The chips are in that big cardboard box and here's the moose!" He glared at me and let me thru.
I sure hope those chips were as good as they were supposed to be.
on March 17, 2008 at 10:41 AM
Kettle Foods thinks green too:
http://www.kettlefoods.com/about-us/sustainability/