Drill Down: Fritos

What's in a Frito? According to Frito-Lay, only three things:

Corn, Corn Oil, and Salt. 

This is quite remarkable, considering something similar like the Cheeto has 14 ingredients, not including the additional 14 or so additionally listed additives and sub-ingredients :

Enriched Corn Meal (Corn Meal, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Thiamin Monoitrate, Riboflavin, and Frolic Acid), Vegetable Oil (Contains one or more of the following: corn, soybean, or sunflower oil), Whey, Salt, Cheddar Cheese, (Cultured Milk, Salt, Enzymes). Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Maltodextrin, Disodium Phosphate, Sour Cream (Cultured Cream, Nonfat Milk), Artificial Flavor, Monosodium Glutmate, Lactic Acid, Artificial Colors (Including Yellow 6), and Citric Acid.

Simplicity is the Frito. It reminds me of a simpler time: the first time I consciously tried to lose weight. I was a senior in high school, thinking how my life would change when I entered college. All my current friends and classmates would become past-tense, along with their image of me. A whole new group of peers would be met and there would be an opportunity to define myself before anyone else got a chance to. What better way to redefine myself than as not-a-fat ass.

L: Fat Ass. R: Not-A-Fat Ass.

It was around age 17 when I started riding my brother's beat up Ross 10-speed and started experimenting with spandex. (Yes, I wore spandex shorts to school because....it was the 80s and I didn't care.) I had my dad take me to the Staten Island Mall and he bought me a set of free weights, which I still have in the back of the closet; they come in handy to add weight to dishes when I'm curing fish. At some point in my childhood, my parents swapped out whole milk with apple juice as my go-to drink, and realizing that was very caloric, I swapped it out myself for my dad's drink of choice, Diet Coke.

But the main thing I did to my diet my senior year was replacing lunch with a bag of Frito's. The salty savoriness was satisfying enough to get me from breakfast to lunch without powering down or feeling crappy. By dinner I'd be very hungry, but reasonably in control. I did not weight myself at the time, but I lost enough weight that by the end of the year, some people would remark on the loss.

Frito's were my first "diet food", and like any "diet", eventually I went off the diet and the weight came back...with a vengeance. I left Frito's behind, as something weirdly sinful/healthy, a relic of immaturity. In the past year, as I assembled my new diet (opposed to "diet", as this is supposedly for ever more) and looked at what I could eat, I needed balance. Sure, I take the weekend to indulge in anything and everything I feel denied to keep an even keel during the week, but even if my diet becomes 75% vegetable matter and 20% super healthy other stuff, I still need that 5% of something else to keep it happy and interesting. It has to work into the caloric load, but it has to feel....sinful/healthy. Frito's, welcome back. Now get in mah belly!

So Frito's have become my go-to end of day comfort food. It's fatty and starchy, but balanced out by my day's vegetables and quality proteins....and low lighted grains and carbs. Just as McDonald's purports it can be "part of a well-balanced diet", Frito's are made to fit. I've played around a bit with Cheesy Poofs and potato chips, but nothing gives me the visceral satisfaction of Frito's.

I'm in the process of reading "Salt, Sugar, Fat", which is a expose on the incredible work of food scientists to replace chefs and cooks as the designers of food, down to the molecular level. When you see the recipe list of the Cheeto, the fingerprints are kind of obvious. But the Frito? NPR did a nice piece on it's history. There was this guy, Chuck Doolin, who ran a confectionery in Texas during the Depression and wanted to do something to make mo' money. He saw some Mexican guy frying little corn chips at a road side, with masa dough being extruded from a machine. Chuck bought the patent for the machine, and the "Frito" (Spanish for "Little Fried Thing") was born. He tinkered with the recipe until he got it right. What caught my eye was something Frito-Lay does not go into when talking about the magical simplicity of this chip:

Along the way, Doolin started hybridizing his own corn. The secret ingredient in Fritos, Kaleta Doolin says, is her father's own, special corn. He hired farmers throughout Texas to plant his varieties until he found the taste he was looking for.

Sounds a bit like ol' school food science, even in the nostalgic golden glow of Depression-era boot-strap tales....

If it's so simple in the ingredients, it must be easy to replicate at home, right? The fine people at Frito-Lay sure make it sound so simple. So I did some internet-thinkin' and found numerous recipes to make them at home. Some made it fussy with lots of extra ingredients like whole wheat and buttermilk, but I found a recipe that kinda sticks to Frito-Lay's simplicity in an article about home-made junk food in the NY Times.

Time: 30 minutes

• 80 grams (about 1/2 cup) stone-ground or other fine cornmeal (do not use whole grain)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon olive oil or vegetable oil
• Vegetable oil for frying, optional.

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut 2 pieces of parchment the same size as a baking sheet and set aside. Bring about 3/4 cup water to a boil.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornmeal and salt. Add 1/3 cup boiling water and mix with a fork until smooth. Add 1 teaspoon oil and mix again. The batter should be thick and slightly runny; if necessary, add more boiling water 1 teaspoon at a time for the desired consistency.
3. Place one sheet of parchment on a work surface, and scrape the batter into the center. Top with the second sheet of parchment and gently roll out the batter to about 1/3-inch thick. Transfer the parchment and rolled batter to the baking sheet. Remove the top sheet of parchment and score the batter into small rectangles. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool and break apart. Sprinkle with additional salt, if desired, and serve. Or, fry the chips as described below.
4. Set aside a plate lined with a paper towel. Fill a small skillet with about 1 1/2 inches vegetable oil. Place over medium heat and allow to heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Test with a small piece of a chip; it should sink to the bottom of the pan, sizzle, float to the top and turn pale golden brown in about 30 seconds. Fry half the chips, using a metal strainer to transfer to the paper towel to drain. Repeat with remaining chips. Sprinkle with salt, if desired, and serve.

Yield: 2 to 4 snack-size servings.

And here is what I got:

Left: Homemade fried. Center: Store bought. Right: Homemade baked.

And in conclusion, my homemade (fried) Frito was....good. Not bad. I'm sure if I worked with the moisture content, oil temp and quality of the corn meal, I could do a lot better. However,

• the baked version was disgusting. Bland, tasted like corny card board.
• there is just no comparison. My version is the Ringo All-Starrs, Frito-Lay's version is the Beatles.

Oh, I'll never be a Frito!

Clearly there is a lot more going on at Frito-Lay than happy farmers picking corn, then making masa dough in an old stone mill and frying in copper kettle in back of grand paw's shack. Though everyone is hush-hush about it, NPR's hint at hybridizing corn species probably tells the real story. Every single element of this chip, the origin of the corn, the milling of the corn, the oil, the oil temp & time, the extrusion, the moisture of the dough, the salt, the molecular structure of the salt....every single element of the process of making this chip is measured, controlled, and scientifically tested to guarantee a perfect corn chip every time, over billions of bags over decades and decades. That's no small thing, and certainly can not be replicated at home, ever, without a shit-ton of expense, work, research and drama.

Make no mistake, after tasting my Frito's side by side with Frito-Lays, I can not help but think that the Frito is one very industrial food that serves it's purpose very well. Unlike some industrial foods, it's not as incredibly harmful as transfats or ecologically destructive as industrial meats, but in too large quantities can be just as terrible for the consumer. And due to it's perfect corny taste, it's really up to the buyer to be ware, because no one else is looking out for you.

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Thursday night I lost my mind a bit and went to town, inhaling over 1000 cal of junk food compulsively and with out regard to my health or how it would make me feel at any point other than in the moment of eating it. Rather than try to shrug it off, I ask myself here: why?

I see two pressures that are not typical of my daily life. On one side, I have my first longer-than-a-day in-office gig starting next week, going on for 2+ weeks, maybe longer (though if it goes well, will evolve into a regular at-home gig.) Other than the usual first-day-of-school fears, I'm also a bit worried how it will effect the control I have over what I eat. Another pressure is the arrival of some of my wife's family from out of town, a complicated relationship for all involved which has my life partner on edge, and of course effects me, too.

And a third pressure: looking at what I ate on Thursday, I ate few carbs. Breakfast was yogurt based, both main meals was a protein and a veg, and snacks were mostly veg. When I got to the end of day, those Frito's didn't just cap a good eating day -- they primed the pump for an eating day that was unexpectedly out of balance. Funny, had a conversation with my wife the same day about her not getting enough carbs. Huh.

I usually throw off the shackles of my recording and being so strict Friday evenings (it's close enough to the weekend!) but to compensate in raw calorie #s, I did not eat anything unrecorded until I woke up Saturday morning.  It was more difficult than I thought it would be, but I remembered a certain hill on my bike ride during the day in which I felt unexpectedly strong n' light, and with minimal effort passed the other casual riders on the same incline. That motoring was due to this past year's diet, and thinking of that good feeling, made it easier to not stuff M&Ms in my gob while I laid down and watched TV.
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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2380

Over all a good eating week, though I suspect my increasing amount of bike riding is supercharging my desire for carbs and, in effect, sweets.

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MONDAY COUNT: 2660

Oddly, still sore in the arms and shoulder's from last week's work out, perhaps because of the push-ups I did when Edie was on my back or because of my fired-up focus on doing more to make the pull-ups more consistent. Did not do a pull-up this morning due to soreness, but I did get close enough to feel honest that I could if I was at 100%.

Sugar cravings at end of day exploded the budget, but I take heart in knowing I took steps to manage the cravings, rather than give in to them.

AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10:45am, fruit smoothie, 400 cal

PM SNACK: 12:30pm, momma salad, 100 cal

LUNCH: 1:30pm, gravlox, string beans, madras lentils, pickle, 590 cal
Left over brunch lox from the weekend, had to be eaten. Surprised how calorically dense it is, shouldn't be as the best salmon is fatty belly meat.

PM SNACK: 5:30pm, apple/carrot/beet/cucumber/celery/ginger/kale/cayenne juice, 170 cal

PM SNACK: 8:15pm, poppa salad with miso tahini, 100 cal

DINNER: 8:45pm, stir fry with broccoli, snow peas, shitake mushrooms, shiritaki noodles, chicken breast, black bean paste & chili sauce, 700 cal

EVENING SNACK: 9:15pm, Frito's, 300 cal

EVENING SNACK: 10pm, cheesy poofs, 300 cal
Really strong sugar cravings, strongest I've had them in a long time. Maybe due to withdrawal from all the sugar I ate over the weekend? These poofs definitely made me more comfortable.

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TUESDAY COUNT: 2500

Another day that ended in not the greatest fashion. Lunch was designed to be portable, so there was grain and red meat involved, and due to familial obligations, dinner became disordered and didn't have the time to roast vegetables. Unsurprisingly, despite not being particularly hungry in the late evening, I was madly craving sugar....or even maybe just comfort.

AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 9:30am, Fage whole yogurt with almonds, agave and vanilla, 310 cal

LUNCH: 1:30pm,, almond butter & jelly on whole wheat, momma salad, 590 cal

PM SNACK: 3:30pm, beef jerky, 160 cal

PM SNACK: 6:45pm, poppa salad with miso tahini, 100 cal

EVENING SNACK: 8:15pm, Frito's, 300 cal


DINNER: 9:30pm, chicken sausage, black beans, curried whole wheat cous cous, 740 cal

Edie wouldn't sleep and B was out, so I tried to delay dinner as much as possible, eating the snack early, but I started getting a little dizzy and nauseous, so I allowed Edie to sit with me while I made this quick meal. Originally gonna have brussels, but didn't want to take 30 minutes to make them properly.

EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, cheesy poofs, 300 cal

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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 2275

Cookin' da Fritos.

AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10:15am, steel cut oatmeal with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla & salt, 350 cal

PM SNACK: 12:30pm, momma salad, 100 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, broiled flounder, roasted brussel sprouts, madras lentils, 560 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, apple/carrot/beet/cucumber/celery/ginger/kale/cayenne juice, 145 cal

PM SNACK: 8pm, poppa salad with miso tahini, 100 cal

DINNER: 8:30pm, chicken meatballs, spinach, teff, kimchi, 720cal

EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, homemade Frito's & Frito-Lay Frito's, +/-300 cal
I tried to do an accurate calorie count on my own homemade, but I found after frying, the chips got lighter, not heavier, due to extreme moisture loss. Whoops.

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THURSDAY COUNT: 2195 +++

Fell off the wagon big time in the evening, need to think about why. Will write it up above.

AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 11am, Fage whole yogurt with almonds, agave and vanilla, 310 cal

PM SNACK: 12:30pm, momma salad, 100 cal

LUNCH: 2:15pm, shrimp in butter & garlic, roasted asparagus, 635 cal
Oh my, kind of a random meal, really good. Kicked it up a notch with a bit of fish sauce and siracha. Did 3 tbsp of butter, probably will do it next time with 2. Kinda mentally want to "paaaaasta!" but that easily could have made this a 1200+ cal meal.

PM SNACK: 4pm, seaweed sheets, 100 cal

PM SNACK: 5:15pm, poppa salad with miso tahini, 100 cal

DINNER: 7:30pm, grilled chicken breast, roasted broccoli & cippolini onions, pickle,  650 cal


EVENING SNACK: 8pm, Frito's, 300 cal

OFF-WAGON FOOD: 10-midnight, frozen pizza, peanut M&Ms, small amount of kraft dinner, a bowl of cheesy poofs, +1000 cal

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BIKE CREDIT: 660 CAL
FRIDAY COUNT: 2270

Woke up feeling a little "hung over", bathroom took some extra time. Fortunately, circumstance allowed me a morning bike ride out to Coney.

AM SNACK: 8:15am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 8:45am, steel cut oatmeal with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla & salt, 350 cal

BIKE SNACK: 10:45am, home made granola bar, 300 cal

PM SNACK: 12:30pm, momma salad, 100 cal

LUNCH: 2pm, double quarter pounder with cheese, 16oz diet coke, 750 cal

Out with a 9 year old who would eat nothing else. After ordering, noticed a new line of burgers with about 150 less calories. Oh well, not gonna beat myself up.

PM SNACK: 5:30pm, apple/carrot/beet/cucumber/celery/ginger/kale/cayenne juice, 140 cal


PM SNACK: 6:30pm, baby spinach with miso tahini, 100 cal

DINNER: 7pm, Stouffer's French Bread Pizzas, 860 cal


EVENING SNACK: 7:30pm, Frito's, 300 cal