Vegetable chips

Deep-fried cassava chips
Deep-fried cassava chips
Kale chips
Kale chips

Vegetable chips (also referred to as veggie chips)[1][2] are chips or crisps that are prepared using vegetables. Vegetable chips may be fried, deep-fried, dehydrated, dried or baked. Many various root vegetables or leaf vegetables are used. Cassava chips are a common food product in several areas of the world. Vegetable chips may be eaten as a snack food, and may accompany other foods such as dips, or be used as a topping on dishes. In the United States, vegetable chips are mass-produced by some companies, and several brands are marketed to consumers.

Preparation and ingredients

Vegetable chips may be prepared with sliced vegetables that are fried, deep-fried, baked,[3][4] dehydrated,[5] or simply dried.[6] Vegetable chips may be produced from a variety of root vegetables and leaf vegetables,[7] such as carrot, turnip, parsnip, beet, radish, taro root, sweet potato, garlic,[1][3][4][7] zucchini,[8] cassava,[9] kale, spinach, fennel[2][3][4] and jicama,[10] among others. Some baked versions utilize vegetables that are sliced, lightly tossed in oil, and then oven-baked until crisp.[2] Vegetable chips prepared using this method have been described as more healthful compared to deep fried chips, particularly when prepared using "heart-healthy" olive oil.[2]

Simple versions are prepared by slicing vegetables and drying them,[6] without any cooking involved. Sometimes a mandoline is used to slice vegetables for vegetable chips, which can accommodate thin slicing and enhance size consistency.[11] Vegetable chips may be flavored with spices such as salt, sea salt, pepper, cajun spice, curry, allspice, chipotle powder, sweet or smoked paprika, adobo seasoning, dried chives and many others.[2] Mass-produced varieties may contain food preservatives or monosodium glutamate.[12] Vegetable chips can be homemade[12] using various recipes and preparation processes.

Carrot chips

Main article: Carrot chips

Carrot chips are carrots that have been fried[5] or dehydrated, and are very similar to vegetable chips in preparation. Some U.S. companies mass produce and purvey carrot chips to consumers, such as Connecticut Country Fair Snacks, Ltd. and Caroff Foods Corporation, among others.[lower-alpha 1][14]

Cassava chips

Cassava chips being dried in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Cassava chips being dried in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Cassava chips are a common food in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,[15] Ghana[16] and other countries of Africa such as Malawi.[17] In Ghana, cassava chips are called konkonte.[lower-alpha 2] Dried cassava chips are also used to supplement the carbohydrate content of livestock feed in Ghana.[18] In Malawi, cassava chips are prepared by soaking cassava, slicing it, and then letting it dry.[17] This is the primary means by which cassava is transported to markets from production areas.[17]

In addition to prepared cassava chips from thinly sliced raw cassava root that is then immediately fried or deep-fried,[19] chips may be prepared in a multi-stage process, starting with a dough made from cassava flour.[9] The dough is steamed, thinly sliced, dried, and then fried in oil.[9] This style of cassava flour chips are a popular food in India, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.[16][9]

Consumption and uses

Vegetable chips may be consumed as a snack food,[20] and may be accompanied with various dips such as salsa, guacamole, and bean dips.[4] They are also used as a topping for soups, salads and other dishes.[20]

Mass production

In the United States, varieties of vegetable chips are mass-produced and purveyed in supermarkets.[2]

Potato chips and crisps

Potato chips are a type of vegetable chip, and began to be mass-produced and individually packaged for consumer purchase in the early 20th century.[21][22] Some mass-produced vegetable chips in the U.S. are prepared from a blend of potato flakes, potato flour and potato starch which is mixed with ingredients such as spinach powder, tomato puree and colored with ingredients such as beet root powder and turmeric.[23] In 2012, the U.S. consumption of potato chips exceeded 1.5 billion pounds, an average of approximately 6 pounds per person.[2]

Brands and companies

Brands of vegetable chips include Calbee, Beanitos, Terra, Food Should Taste Good,[24] JicaChips,[10] Sensible Portions,[25] and Uprooted, among others.[26] As of February 2016, Kettle Foods produces the Uprooted brand of vegetable chips in a Sweet potatoes variety and a Sweet potatoes, beets and parsnips variety.[26] The product is "lightly seasoned with oil and sea salt".[26] Marketing of the product to consumers began circa February 2016.[26]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "The old-fashioned potato chip has a couple of new competitors for the nutrition-oriented palate: crisp snacks made from fried carrots. For three years, Connecticut Country Fair Snacks, Ltd., a Southington, Ct., firm, has marketed fried vegetable ..."[13]
  2. ↑ However a large proportion of the total crop is processed at the village level into typical cassava products such as gari, cassava dough, cassava chips (konkonte) or as fufu. The cassava is usually processed because of the extreme ..."[16]

References

  1. 1 2 "Best Vegetable Chips – Veggie Chips". Consumer Reports. December 20, 2012. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Russo, Susan (May 15, 2012). "Even Your Mother Will Approve Of Vegetable Chips". NPR. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 HuffPost (January 14, 2013). "12 Ways To Make Your Own Veggie Chips". The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "How to Make the Best Vegetable Chips". Chow. March 16, 2015. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Salunkhe, D.K.; Kadam, S.S. (1998). Handbook of Vegetable Science and Technology: Production, Compostion, Storage, and Processing. Food Science and Technology. Taylor & Francis. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-8247-0105-5.
  6. 1 2 DeLong, D. (2006). How to Dry Foods. HPBooks. p. 76. ISBN 978-1-55788-497-8.
  7. 1 2 Alterman, Tabitha (April 1, 2015). "Baked Vegetable Chips". Mother Earth News. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  8. ↑ Brazier, B. (2007). The Thrive Diet: The Whole Food Way to Lose Weight, Reduce Stress, and Stay Healthy for Life. Penguin Canada. p. 260. ISBN 978-1-60094-060-6.
  9. 1 2 3 4 IITA Annual Report and Research Highlights; 1986. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture. 1986. pp. 98–100.
  10. 1 2 "Interview: Healthy root vegetable chips made from jicama". FoodBev. February 22, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  11. ↑ Christie, C. (2014). The Messy Baker: More Than 75 Delicious Recipes from a Real Kitchen. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-62336-188-4.
  12. 1 2 Blatchford, Emily (November 2, 2015). "'Are Vegetable Chips Healthy?' -- And Other Snack Questions". The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  13. ↑ Food Development. Magazines for Industry. 1981. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Processed Prepared Food". Gorman Publishing Company. 152: 54. 1983.
  15. ↑ van Trijp, J.C.M.; Ingenbleek, P.T.M.; van Tilburg, A. (2010). Markets, Marketing and Developing Countries: Where We Stand and where We are Heading. Wageningen Academic Publishers. p. 26. ISBN 978-90-8686-145-3.
  16. 1 2 3 Report on Food Processing Sector. UNDP/TTC doc. Technology Transfer Centre (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (Ghana)). 1989. p. 15.
  17. 1 2 3 Phoya, M.M. (2008). Walks of Life: The Other Side of Malawi. Chambo. p. 51. ISBN 978-99908-941-0-3.
  18. ↑ Scott, G.J.; Ferguson, I.; Center, International Potato (1992). Desarrollo de productos de raíces y tubérculos. Product Development for Root and Tuber Crops. Centro Internacional de la Papa. p. 52. ISBN 978-92-9060-163-0.
  19. ↑ Howeler, R.H.; Brawijaya, Universitas; Malang, Balai Penelitian Tanaman Pangan (1992). Cassava Breeding, Agronomy and Utilization Research in Asia: Proceedings of the Third Regional Workshop Held in Malang, Indonesia, Oct. 22–27, 1990. CIAT Regional Cassava Program for Asia. p. 382.
  20. 1 2 Matonis, J. Paleo Snacks: 100 Super Healthy Paleo Snack Recipes – Important Details on the Popular Paleo Diet. Healthy and Fit.
  21. ↑ Smith, A.F. (2013). Food and Drink in American History: A "Full Course" Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 828. ISBN 978-1-61069-233-5.
  22. ↑ Fisher, Mark (March 29, 2014). "At 104, Mikesell's spices up the brand — and its snacks — to stay competitive". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved May 19, 2015. (subscription required)
  23. ↑ Samuels, Debra (February 25, 2014). "Veggie chips, from garden-variety to great". Boston Globe. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Veggie or potato chips: Which are healthier?". CTV News Vancouver. March 12, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  25. ↑ Watrous, Monica. "Hain winning with millennials". Food Business News. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  26. 1 2 3 4 "Kettle Brand Uprooted Vegetable Chips". Candy Industry. February 23, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.

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