Yes Virginia, you can make your own fritos-type corn chips. Do they taste exactly like fritos? No. Are they super easy? I think so. Can I feel good about consuming all of the ingredients in homemade fritos? YES! One of the things we try to stay away from is corn or any corn derivative in food products because it's most likely a GMO. I know the GMO debate is a touchy subject, but we try to avoid it in my house. That means that items we would normally just buy (like Fritos) I try not to because of the potential of the GMO corn.
These were fairly simple to make, they make a good corn-y tasting chip and they take 4 ingredients. I made them today and used them in frito pie for our lunch. now, sometimes when I make frito pie 2 things happen: 1) it can seem really salty because of the commercial fritos and 2) the fritos seem to dissapear into a soggy mass of congealed chips. Some people may like that, and more power to ya, but I don't.
Like I siad, I used these today and they not only kept their shape, they also added a delightful polenta type flavor to the dish. It was good and my kids LOVED it.
You may not want to make these every time you want to snack on a chip, but they would be good for dipping guacamole, salsa or bean dip for something fairly healthy and special.
I found the recipe here, but I changed the directions to suit me a little better.
Homemade Fritos
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon oil
Put the cornmeal and salt into a bowl; pour the boiling water over the cornmeal. Stir really well and add the oil. Stir to combine. At this point, I felt like the dough was a little too thin, so I added some more cornmeal, a teaspoon at a time, until I had a fairly stiff dough. I lined a cookie sheet with parchment paper and put the dough on that. Then, I put a piece of wax paper on top of the dough so I could roll it without the doough sticking to my rolling pin. I rolled it out to about 1/8 inch thick, then I cut it into frito shaped pieces. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Yes, it takes some effort. No, they don't taste exactly like a frito.
I think they taste better, like actual corn, but that's just me. You'll have to make them and see for yourself! :)
deep frying would make them a lot more like a frito but why lose the health benefits?
ReplyDeleteOh, don't think I didn't fry some of them! They taste liked the baked ones, but crispier. Either way, healthier and easier on your mind than buying them. I'm going to make them with polenta meal next time and see if the finer texture makes a difference.
ReplyDeleteOh these sound so good and easy! I will have to give them a try. Love your blog! I hopped over from Chickens In The Road. Thanks for sharing! Marla
ReplyDeleteJust made these for Cinco de Mayo Frito Pies. In an effort to make them taste more "southwest " added garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and cumin. Also a twist of lime. Man they taste a lot like Fritos now! Very good, thanks for giving me something fun to do with all this cornmeal I've got laying around!
ReplyDeleteThank you for leaving such a nice comment! We have been making these for a while now and it's fun to spice them up with chili seasonings to make them like the chili cheese ones as well :) Glad you liked them!
ReplyDeleteWell, I"m always looking for a healthier way to eat chips! They seem to be my downfall, but if I know the ingredients and that they are baked (and not fried), that eases some of the distress of eating them:-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe!
I'm a salty kind of girl so I'm always looking for DIY snacks and these look so yummy! I can't wait to make them myself!
ReplyDeleteSounds delish! I made something similar a few months ago and when I popped them in oil to fry, they plumped up like a pillow. I was attempting Halloween puffy corn chips cut out using bat and pumpkin cookie cutters.
ReplyDeleteI made them. They were good. Sturdier than I thought - you can use them for dips. I added the spices. They ended up tasting more like tortilla chips from restaurants that make them, so I thought they were tasty.
ReplyDeleteYes, they are pretty sturdy...but perked up with some spices they are pretty tasty. Glad you liked them.
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