Sustainability Potato Chip Project

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1 Sustainability Potato Chip Project For a final project in Sustainability you will be working with your team to create a baked potato chip that can be packaged in a resealable bag (plastic or paper) and sold at a reasonable cost to cover expenses. Starting with a simple recipe you will be working with your team to develop the best tasting, most attractive and salable product possible. At the end of the trimester your potato chips will be judged against all other entries and the best product will become the standard that will be reproduced and sold and distributed by future sustainability classes. In addition to making the best product possible you will have to create a name for your product and design a label for the package that includes nutritional information. The basic ingredients for your potato chip product will include: organic potatoes, olive oil, salt and a seasoning combination of your choice. The seasoning that you choose for your potato chips should improve both the taste and the nutritional benefits of your product, possibilities include: garlic, red pepper, rosemary, apple cider vinegar, curry, brewers yeast, or anything else that meets the criteria for improving the nutritional value of the food. Ingredients that should be avoided include empty calories, like sugar, and things that others might be allergic to, such as, dairy and nut products. There will be three rounds of cooking to develop the best product possible on each of the next three Wednesdays. The final week your team will produce the best potato chip and package design that you can offer for judging. The criteria for judging will include taste, appearance, texture, packaging and nutritional value of the product. The winner will be announced at the end of the Trimester before the Thanksgiving holiday.

2 Origin of the Potato The potato, Solanum tuberosum, is the world s fourth largest food crop, following rice, wheat, and corn. The Inca Indians in Peru were the first to cultivate potatoes around 8,000 BC to,000 B.C. In 136 Spanish Conquistadors conquered Peru, discovered the flavors of the potato, and carried them to Europe. Before the end of the sixteenth century, families of Basque sailors began to cultivate potatoes along the coast of northern Spain. Sir Walter Raleigh introduced potatoes to Ireland in 189 on the 40,000 acres of land near Cork. It took nearly four decades for the potato to spread to the rest of Europe. Eventually, farmers in Europe found potatoes easier to grow than other staple crops, such as wheat and oats. Most importantly, it was found that potatoes contained most of the vitamins needed for sustenance, and they could provide food for nearly people for each acre of land cultivated. In the 1840s a major outbreak of potato blight, a plant disease, swept through Europe, wiping out the potato crop in many countries. The Irish working class lived largely on potatoes and when the blight reached Ireland, their main staple food disappeared. This famine left many poverty-stricken families with no choice but to struggle to survive or emigrate out of Ireland. Over the course of the famine, almost one million people died from starvation or disease. Another one million people left Ireland, mostly for Canada and the United States. Potatoes in the United States The first permanent potato patches in North America were established in 1719, most likely near Londonderry, New Hampshire, by Scotch-Irish immigrants. From there, the crop spread across the country. A. Parmentier helped King Louis XIV popularize the potato in France in the 18th century. Parmentier created a feast with only potato dishes, a concept he realized was possible when he was imprisoned in Germany and fed only potatoes. Benjamin Franklin, ambassador to France, was in attendance at the feast in 1767.

3 French Fries, a dish that was first created by the chef to French King Louis Phillipe, were introduced to the U.S. when Thomas Jefferson served them in the White House during his Presidency of In 183 railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt complained that his potatoes were cut too thick and sent them back to the kitchen at a fashionable resort in Saratoga Springs, NY. As a rebuke to this complaint, Chef George Crum sliced some potatoes paper thin, fried them in hot oil, salted and served them. To everyone s surprise, Vanderbilt loved his Saratoga Crunch Chips, and potato chips have been popular ever since. Did you know In October 199, the potato became the first vegetable to be grown in space. NASA and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, created the technology with the goal of feeding astronauts on long space voyages, and eventually, feeding future space colonies.

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5 Homemade Baked Potato Chips Ingredients 3 medium red potatoes, peeled Salt Black pepper, garlic, herbs, etc. 1 or 2 tbsp olive oil Directions 1. Preheat oven to 40 F. 2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. 3. Cut the potatoes in 1/8-inch thick round slices. 4. In a pot of boiling water cook the potato slices for 4 minutes.. Drain well and combine with oil, salt, pepper and/or spices in a large bowl. 6. Place potato slices on prepared baking sheet in one layer and bake for about 1 minutes until crisp and golden brown. 7. Gently remove the chips and place on a cooling rack or parchment paper; let them cool for few minutes and they are ready to serve.

6 Potato Chip Bake Off: Team Category Appearance Taste = excellent 1=poor Texture Packaging 1 to 6 for appearance 2 for nutritional label 2 for list of ingredients Possible Points Score Comments Total: 30 Potato Chip Bake Off: Team Category Appearance Taste = excellent 1=poor Texture Packaging 1 to 6 for appearance 2 for nutritional label 2 for list of ingredients Possible Points Score Comments Total: 30