A History of Potato Chips

There is little consistency in the English speaking world for names of fried potato cuttings. American and Canadian-English uses 'chips' for the above mentioned dish – this term is also used in continental Europe – and sometimes 'crisps' for the same made from batter, and 'French fries' for the hot crispy batons with a soft core. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, 'crisps' are the brittle slices eaten at room temperature and 'chips' refer to the hot dish (as in 'fish and chips'). In Australia, New Zealand and some parts of South Africa, both forms of potato product are simply known as 'chips', as are the larger "home-style" potato chips. Sometimes the distinction is made between 'hot chips' (French fried potatoes) and 'packet chips'.

Call them what you will, they are thin, salted, made from potatoes and are America's favorite snack food. This week, a look at potato chips.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "We are confronted with insurmountable opportunities." - Walt Kelly, "Pogo", (US animator & cartoonist, 1913 - 1973)

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A History of the Potato Chip

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Bread

Why do we have bread? That's a great place to start. We could just as easily munch on dry wheat kernels instead. Or we could grind the wheat into flour, mix the flour with water and eat it as a wet mush. Or we could pour the mush out on a table and dry the mush into thin brittle sheets.

We don't do that, mainly because bread tastes a lot better, and it also works a lot better for sandwiches. Bread is moist (not wet like mush or dry like dried mush), soft (unlike wheat kernels), spongy and delicious. Bread is a bio-chemical technology for turning wheat flour into something tasty!

This week, we look at the history of bread.

TTFN, Fred.


Quote of the week: "Where we have strong emotions, we're liable to fool ourselves." - Carl Sagan, Cosmos, (US astronomer & popularizer of astronomy (1934 - 1996)

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Bread

How Cheese Works 2

According to legend, the first cheese was made when someone, probably in the Middle East, discovered that storing milk in a calf's stomach over a long journey made it separate into curds and whey. Cheese was found in an Egyptian tomb dating to 3200 B.C., and Homer mentioned it in "The Odyssey".

It became popular as a way to preserve milk and keep it from spoiling in warm climates. Eventually, travelers brought cheese to Europe. During medieval times, cheese was perfected by monks in monasteries, who aged it in caves. Bacteria and molds that are now added by hand originally existed naturally or were accidentally introduced, creating new types of cheeses.

This week, a look at how cheese is made.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance." - Kurt Vonnegut, Hocus Pocus (US novelist, 1922 - 2007)

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How Cheese Works 2

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How Cheese Works 1

Cheese is everywhere. There's a theory that it can make just about anything – from sandwiches and hamburgers to pasta and salads – taste better. It's a classic topping for crackers, and it's hard to imagine pizza without warm, gooey mozzarella. When something is kitschy, we might refer to it as "cheesy." When you get your photo taken, you "say cheese." Fans of the Green Bay Packers football team wear foam cheese wedges on their heads. Cheese, glorious cheese.

This week, a look at the various types of cheese.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "The supreme irony of life is that hardly anyone gets out of it alive." - Robert Heinlein, "Job", 1984 (US science fiction author, 1907 - 1988)

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How Cheese Works 1

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