Who Invented the Potato Chip?

As I begin my quest back into the world of blogging, I felt I needed to reconnect with my snack time favorite…the potato chip. I began to wonder…”Who invented the potato chip and how did they make it SO delicious?”

My quest for the answer began and I was not going to settle for a Wikipedia answer.

Chef George Crum (Inventor of the potato chip)

According to an article by Karen Hochman at THE NIBBLE: The classic treat, known as the potato chip was born a generation after the French Fry…circa 1853. An old diner in Saratoga, New York sent his food back to the kitchen complaining that the fried potatoes were not sliced thin enough and were too soggy.

Chef George Crum prepared a thinner batches that were immediately returned to the kitchen for not being right. Eventually Crum had it and sliced the potatoes “wafer-thing,” fried them to a crisp, over-salted and boiled. Thinking he had overdone it (no gentleman would dare to pick up food with his fingers at the dining table – that’s what forks are for!), they were too crisp. Much to Crum’s surprise the diner loved them. Others began the classic, “I’ll have what he’s having” line and the “crunch potato slices” became a hit, known as “Saratoga Chips.” The chip evolution began.

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