Crisps

How to make crisps

Making your own homemade crisps can be deeply satisfying but takes a little trial and error to find the perfect crisps for you and your family. It all starts with a good potato, something like a Maris piper, which is fluffy but firm. After this the only choice is whether to leave the skins on or not. The skin on a crisp really adds taste so we recommend leaving it on.
1) Slice the potato into 3mm slices, you can only do this with a mandoline, unless your happy to visit A&E with a missing finger.
2) Wash out as much of the starch from the potatoes as possible. Rinsing them thoroughly in water several times. Then dry the potatoes (hot oil and water does mix well).
3) Deep fry in oil at 160C (320F) until the desired colour and texture. Don’t overcrowd the pan!
4) Season and enjoy!
If you store your hand cooked crisps in an airtight container, they should stay fresh for days.

Who invented crisps?

The potato crisp was invented by George Crum in 1853. He owned a restaurant in Saratoga Springs New York, which was popular for its French fries. A customer complained that the French fries were too thick, so as a joke George mad some extra thin slices of potato and deep fried them. The customer loved them, and the potato chip was invented. The first British crisps were not available until 1913, when a man called Carter brought back the recipe from France. It wasn’t until 1920 when they went into mass production. Mr Smith started production of Smiths Crisps from his garage in London, delivering them by pony and trap and his famous little blue bag of salt.

Who owns Walkers crisps?

Walkers crisps was originally founded by Henry Walker in 1948 and his first factory was in Leicester. The company was purchased by Lay’s crisps owner Frito-Lay which is owned by Pepsi. Walkers current plant in Leicester is the largest in the world, producing over 11 million bags of crisps a day.

Are crisps bad for you?

Back in 2006 the British Heart Foundation suggested eating a packet of crisps a day was equivalent to drinking 5 litres of cooking oil a year! Since then crisp manufacturers have concentrated in bringing down the saturated fat content by up to 80% and reduce the salt levels by nearly 55%. The combination of fat, salt and starch is still irresistible but moderation, as with all foods is the best way to enjoy your favourite crisps.

Top 10 Crisp Brands in the UK

We eat more crisps per person than anywhere else in the world, with a whopping 3Kg per person per year. The UK loves its crisps and the Top 10 favourite crisps brands of 2020 are:
1) Walkers crisps
2) Seabrook crisps
3) Golden Wonder crisps
4) Kettle crisps
5) McCoys crisps
6) Brannigans crisps
7) Pipers crisps
8) Phileas Fogg crisps
9) Smiths crisps
10) Tyrrells crisps