Always Pack This Salty Snack For Camping, It Doubles As A Fire Starter - Tasting Table

Many chip brands contain calorie-dense, starchy carbohydrates coated with combustible fats such as sunflower, canola, or vegetable oil. Chip composition, size, and shape affect how well they burn, so not all chips perform identically. Testing found that blue corn tortilla chips produced more heat, reached higher maximum burn temperatures, and burned longer than sea salt and vinegar chips and plain potato chips. All chip-type snacks tested ignited, indicating that bringing chips can provide a viable fire starter. Foods with higher caloric density and relatively lower protein content were more flammable, while foods with less saturated fat burned longer. Corn-based chips like Fritos and Doritos tend to catch fire more easily, and thin potato chips can work well due to airflow. Excess seasoning can reduce flammability, making plain or ready-salted flavors more reliable.

"Most chips comprise a thin mass of calorie dense, starchy and flammable carbohydrates, coated by a layer of fats like sunflower oil, canola, or vegetable oil, all of which are highly combustible. Because of differences in chip composition, size or shape, not all chips burn the same, however."

"A study by the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland showed that blue corn tortilla chips greatly outperformed both sea salt and vinegar and plain potato chips, measuring overall heat produced, maximum burn temperature, and burn time. They also tested a range of other potential trail foods, and all chip-type snacks they tested did ignite, meaning that if you brought any type of chip, you may have a viable fire starter."

"The study found that foods that were more calorically dense but with relatively lower protein content were more flammable, and those with less saturated fat (not overall fat) burned longer. Those academic findings are echoed by anecdotal tests across the internet, with corn-based chips like Fritos and Doritos catching fire more easily, and burning hotter and longer."

"For the spud-carriers, even potato-based chips like Lays (perhaps due to their thinness and shape that allows airflow) seem to be very effective. Chips with excessive seasoning, however, seem to be the most flame resistant. Plain or ready-salted flavors appear to be the most reliable as fire start"

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