In our column Fake It or Make It we test a homemade dish against its prepackaged counterpart to find out what's really worth cooking from scratch. [#image: /photos/57daf2444caff61056fa7d64]|||Photograph by Levi Brown|||
Okay, so maybe you've never even considered making your own potato chips from scratch. It's kind of a crazy "gotta love to cook" thing, I admit. But armed with nothing fancier than a good mandoline slicer, a heavy pot, and a candy thermometer, homemade potato chips are achievable, and sometimes amazing. At Colicchio & Sons in New York, where I worked as a kitchen intern, we made our potato chips in-house every day; after a few rounds of assisting with the task, I managed to master the technique well enough to do the job by myself. Granted that the procedure isn't all that complicated, is it worth the hassle of frying your own potato chips at home? Our testers weigh in.
The Contenders
Lay's Classic Potato Chips vs. Bon Appetit's Salt and Vinegar Potato Chips*
*Omitting the vinegar powder.
The history of frying potatoes dates back only to the early mid-19th century, at which time one ingenious Frenchman or Belgian (it depends whom you ask) thought to toss some of the newly-popularized tubers into a vat of oil. Potato chips in particular, however, are generally thought to be an American invention. As the story goes, in 1853 a diner at Moon Lake Lodge in Saratoga Springs repeatedly sent "too thick" French fries back to the kitchen, until finally the chef fried off paper-thin potato shavings and sent them out to the guest. And so the potato chip was born, and hasn't changed all that much in 159 years.
Relative Costs
Store-bought wins this one. I paid $4.19 for a large bag of Lay's, and about $7 for potatoes and enough vegetable oil to fry them in.
Relative Healthfulness
About the same. Both products are made from potatoes fried in vegetable oil and sprinkled with salt. The ability to control your salt usage does, however, allow you to make a lower-sodium potato chip at home if you so choose.
Time Commitment
It took me 40 minutes to make potato chips from scratch.
Leftovers Potential
Lay's indicates that their potato chips are good to eat, unopened, for over a year from the date of purchase. Once opened, Lay's potato chips will keep for at least 1-2 weeks before getting stale. Homemade potato chips can be kept in a sealed container for about the same length of time.
What The Testers Said
First let me introduce our panel.
THE HEALTH NUT
A delicate eater, the health nut is calorie conscious but also likes to eat well
THE FOODIE
Calorie agnostic, our foodie judge has a sophisticated palate and a love of cooking
THE DUDE
Ambivalent toward food trends and health concerns, this guy just wants to be fed when he's hungry
THE KID
Between ages of 9 and 12 years old, not jaded, typically not into strong flavors
