Hot chips - are they good or bad?
They come in many forms - curly or chunky, microwaved or wedged - but what's the best way to eat them when you're considering your health?
They come in many forms - curly or chunky, microwaved or wedged - but whatever their guise, it seems our love affair with the potato chip is as strong as ever.
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Chip history
Interestingly, the hot potato chip isn't a modern day convenience-food fad. In the 18th century, the French invented 'pommes frites' or today's chip. The first chip recipes were recorded in the UK in a cookbook published in 1854 by a British chef. The first fish and chip shop followed in 1860 in London.
In terms of finding out which chips are the healthiest to buy, the clear winners are frozen chips, which have a lot less saturated fat per 100g than the fast-food variety. So, if you're having a snack-attack, head to the frozen section of the supermarket and opt for a healthy choice frozen chip such as McCain's Healthy Choice, which has a low 3g of fat per 100g and only 0.3% saturated fat per 100g. Better still would be to make your own baked chips or wedges using fresh potatoes and spraying them with vegetable oil.
Potato types
In Australia and New Zealand we have endless varieties of potatoes available all year round in our supermarket and at our greengrocer. However, not all potatoes are suitable to make into hot chips. The best varieties are Toolango Delight, Spunta, Sebagao, Kennebec and Atlantic.
Sweet potatoes or 'kumera' make a change from ordinary spuds, so try these as a delicious alternative. Or experiment with other root vegetables, such as parsnips or carrots.
Good chip; bad chip
The good news is that the chip lover can still indulge when trying to lose weight. A potato is virtually fat-free and, prepared in the right way, is an important part of a balanced diet. But it does mean taking a second look at tomato sauce, full-fat mayonnaise and other hot chip accompaniments where possible, replacing with healthy recipes and low-fat toppings such as lite tomato sauce, low-fat mayonnaise or fat-free tomato salsa.
Healthy chip styles
- Chopping your chips
If you just can't resist them deep-fried, thick-cut chips are preferable to skinny fries when losing weight, as the larger surface will absorb less fat than thinner fries, where there is a small amount of potato compared to a larger surface area.
- Oven chips
Baking chips instead of frying will dramatically cut down the fat content of the chips. On average, a 100g helping of oven chips contains just 4.2g of fat compared to fast-food chips, which can contain anywhere from 1½ tsp to 3 tsp fat per 100g of chips.
Chip benefits
Hot potato chips can lead to danger when they are snacked on between meals - one in ten people can't resist chomping chips after a night on the town. But served as a healthy accompaniment to a meal, a portion of oven-baked chips will provide the starch necessary in a balanced diet. They also contain potassium, vitamin B6 and folate.
A portion of chips can provide a good source of vitamin C. 100g of oven chips contain about 9.6mg of vitamin C; that's about 5mg more than same weight apple.
Potatoes are also rich in fibre, which is essential for healthy digestion. A medium baked potato contains about twice as much fibre as half a cup of brown rice.
Here are a few of our favourite chip recipes.
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