What are Tater Tots? How to Make the Best Homemade Tater Tots
Tater tots are more than just crisply fried potato brands; they’re more than your typical after-school or work snack. They demonstrate that you can make something spectacular out of scraps and leftovers.
What are Tater Tots?
Tater tots are deep-fried grated potatoes formed into small cylinder pellets.
In 1953, Nephi. F. and Golden Grigg, the founders of Ore-Ida, an American frozen food company, invented them.
As entrepreneurs who despise food waste, they devised the idea of mashing up leftover potato slivers with flour and seasoning.
They pushed the mixture through holes and then fried the pieces that came out the other end into bite-sized morsels.
Because “Tater” is slang for potato and “Tot” refers to the small size of a toddler, tater tot generally refers to baby potatoes.
Tater tots first appeared in 1954 at the National Potato Convention in Miami’s opulent Fontainebleau hotel.
Nephi Grigg and his brother Golden Grigg went and bribed the chef to make tater tots for the audience, which ended up going well.
They then held a naming contest among their staff and friends, and Clora Lay Orton, a housewife, came up with Tater Tots.
They first appeared in stores in 1956 and are now a registered trademark of the Ore-Ida company.
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How to Make Tater Tots at Home
To make tater tots at home, you don’t need a chef’s kitchen or sophisticated equipment; all you need is a flair or a love of trying out new recipes and a cheese grater for the potatoes.
You only need to grate the parboiled potatoes, mash them with seasonings, and cut them into bite-sized nibbles.
Then, simply toss them into hot oil and watch them crisply golden; that’s all there is to it.
You can eat them with your favorite dip, such as ketchup or whipped cream, and if you can’t finish them, freeze them for later.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of peeled russet potatoes
- 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tbsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp dried dill
- freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt
- 1 quart of vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Cooking Instructions
1. Peel the potatoes and boil them for about 6-7 minutes, or until they are tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
2. Shred the potatoes with a cheese grater, and make sure there is no water left in them.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the shredded potatoes with flour, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and dill, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Mash everything together and make sure the mixture isn’t too dry to mold.
4. Make tots or pellets out of the potato mixture.
5. In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat.
6. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until the tots are evenly golden and crispy.
7. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
8. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley or any other sauce, if desired.
Here are some tater tots fun facts you need to know;
Tater Tots Fun Facts
1. National Tater Tot Day is observed on February 2nd.
2. Clora Lay Orton, a young housewife suggested the name “Tater Tots”
3. It is an Ore-Ida registered trademark for a deep-fried, grated potato side dish.
4. Tater is slang for potato.
5. Tater Tots first appeared in stores in 1956.
6. Every year, the United States consumes approximately 70 million pounds of tater tots.
7. They are known as “potato gems,” “potato royals,” or “potato pom-poms” in Australia.
8. In Canada, they’re known as tasti taters or spud puppies.
9. Fans in the United Kingdom refer to them as oven crunchies or croquettes.”
10. Tater tots are literally “baby potatoes.”
11. Tater tots were featured prominently in the 2004 film “Napoleon Dynamite.”
12. Sonic fast food restaurant is famous for its tater tots.
13. The potato has been a mainstay of food for over 400 years and is the world’s fourth-largest crop.
14. Jim Parker, a culinary genius, created “totchos” by combining Tater Tots and nachos.
Tater Tots Jokes
1. Q: What goes on in the mind of a potato?
A: Tater thoughts.
2. Q: What exactly is a dictator?
A: A nefarious tater tot.
3. Q: What vegetable is capable of working as a sportscaster?
A: A common tater.
4. Q: What does a phony potato say?
A: “I’m a tater,”
5. Mrs. Potato Head is upset.
She claims he won’t tater anywhere.
6. I have a Russet potato tattoo on my right shoulder and a Sweet Potato tattoo on my left.
They’re called Tater Tats.
7. Potatoes in glasses are never the main attraction.
They’re nothing more than spec taters.
8. Q: How do you transport potatoes?
A tater tote bag.
9. Q: What do you call an irritable potato?
A: An agi-tater.
10. The tater tots I brought to a friend’s Super Bowl party looked exactly like the Patriots.
A little old, but perfectly seasoned.
11. Q: How do you describe a potato who wears glasses?
A: A spec-tater
12. A: What kind of potato is Kim Jong Un?
A: A dic-tater
13. Q: What does the average potato do for a living?
A: He’s a common tater.
Fun Tater Captions
1. Taters over haters.
2. Just a girl who loves tater tots.
3. Can I have your tots?
4. I just really like tater tots.
5. I have ice in my heart and tater tots in my veins.
6. Tater tot pride.
7. Love you lots like tater tots.
8. Hottest tater tot in the oven.
9. Tater tot connoisseur.
10. Keep calm and eat tater tots.
11. Couch tater.
12. I think we all agree on one thing. Tater Tots.
13. Squats? I thought you said, tater tots!
14. Potatoes gonna tot.
15. I love tater tots—the end.
16. Professional tater tot eater.
17. Hot, hot tater tot.
18. You say potato; I say, tater tot.
19. Later Tater.
20. Mommy’s little tater tot.
21. Tater tots: the food in my beard.
22. Team Tot.
23. Tater Nation!
24. Taters gonna tate.
25. Tater tot is short for a potato toddler.
26. Termi-tater.
Final Words
Make the most of the tater tots day celebration by attempting to cook some tots for your loved ones.
Invite them over to see your creation and snack on some crispy brown, crunchy pellets to while away the day.
You can also watch the previously mentioned film, share some tater tots fun facts trivia and hold a tater tot eating contest in which you try it with any dip that appeals to you.
Have a good time!
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