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7 things you didn’t know about Kettle Brand chips
Made from whole potatoes, cut thick, and seasoned with authentic flavor recipes, this Campbell Snack has a history as long as its flavor lineup. Here are 7 things you didn’t know about Kettle Brand chips:
1. From cheese to chips.
The business that would later become Kettle Brand chips began in 1978 in Salem, Oregon. The brand’s founder, Cameron Healy, was a food entrepreneur and started with a borrowed van selling cheese. He convinced a Seattle-area cheese maker to let him sell their natural cheese around the Northwest to natural food stores. He named his van the Northwest Cheese Express.
After a brief stint making soybean margarine and peanut butter, Cameron was inspired to experiment with the process of frying sliced potatoes while on a trip to the island of Maui.
It turned into his third business venture in 1982: Kettle Brand chips!
2. Each potato that goes into our chips is grown with love and care from our trusted farm partners—also known as our Tater Makers!
Want to take a walk in their shoes? Kettle Brand’s Tater Tracker lets you meet our farmers and explore where your chip’s potatoes were grown.
3. Can’t decide which flavor chip to snack on next? It’s tough when Kettle Brand has around fifteen flavors—from Farmstand Ranch to Backyard Barbeque to Pepperoncini.
Which bags are people grabbing from shelves the most? Sea Salt and Vinegar and Jalapeño were the most popular varieties last year!
4. Better for the environment.
In 2019, we redesigned our Kettle Brand chip bags, which resulted in a 43% reduction in plastic—keeping two million pounds of plastic out of landfills each year!
5. And Kettle Brand has been making inventive flavored chips since the very beginning—like these early varieties: Red Chili and Yogurt & Green Onion.
6. Speaking of flavors, we still take flavor innovation very seriously. The Campbell Snacks team comes up with new chip flavors inspired by culinary trends—like flavors found in specialty shops and on trendy restaurant menus.
Flavor testing is one meeting invitation we love on our calendars!
7. Kettle Brand was the first chip brand to launch the people’s choice award.This year we brought back a seasoned veteran, Buffalo Bleu, which was the #1 fan-voted flavor when the contest originally launched years ago.The flavor is the perfect addition to tailgate season!
Where to buy
Discover all Kettle Brand chips and find where to buy a bag of this favorite Campbell Snack.
FAQs
The term kettle cooked refers to the vessel in which the chips are fried. Long ago, before the invention of mass production, if you wanted potato chips you'd have to go out in the yard, dig up a few spuds, slice them up, and then toss them in a kettle of hot oil.
What is so good about kettle chips? ›
A kettle is essentially a large vat of oil (remember the Kettle chip brand logo?) in which sliced cold potatoes are added in batches. As the raw spuds are plopped into the oil, the temperature fluctuates and results in a crispier, chewier, and more varied chip.
Who owns Kettle Brand chips in the USA? ›
Kettle Foods
| A bag of sea salt and vinegar-flavored Kettle potato chips |
|---|
| Owner | Campbell Soup (2018–present) |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1978 (as N.S. Khalsa Company) |
| Markets | United States, Canada, Europe, Middle East, Australia |
4 more rowsThe kettle chips contain 9 grams of fat per serving and a bag of regular potato chips has 10 grams of fat. Overall, the fat content of these chips make up over a third of the 22-gram daily recommended amount for a 2,000-calorie diet. It's a draw.
What makes kettle chips so crunchy? ›
This is because kettle chips are cooked in batches, while regular potato chips are cooked in a process called continuous fry. Cooking in batches causes the oil to cool down as soon as each round of chips is added, so the potatoes end up cooking longer. This results in a slightly darker, thicker, and crunchier chip.
Why are kettle chips so addictive? ›
“The combination of refined carbohydrates and fats often found in UPFs seems to have a supra-additive effect on brain reward systems, above either macronutrient alone, which may increase the addictive potential of these foods,” Gearhardt and the study's authors wrote in their new findings, published in The BMJ.
Why are kettle chips expensive? ›
Prices rose in recent years largely in response to a higher cost of producing goods, including wages, transportation, warehousing, raw ingredients and, more recently, interest rates. Supply chain issues also meant there wasn't always enough product on shelves to meet demand.
Are kettle chips baked or fried? ›
Kettle chips, unlike their continually processed brethren (what you might picture when thinking of the standard Lay's chip), are fried in batches, dipped and swirled around in hot oil for longer periods of time until they're crunchier and caramelized to a deeper color.
What is the new flavor of kettle chips? ›
Kettle Brand Releases New Gochujang Chips
Each crunchy chip features a mouthwatering blend of peppers, cayenne, garlic, onion, and sesame flavor—just like you'd find in the traditional Korean condiment. Gochujang is a chile paste known for its sweet heat flavor hailing from Korea.
Are Kettle Brand chips kettle cooked? ›
Kettle Brand Air Fried chips are batch cooked in kettles then air fried for a light and crispy crunch.
The primary difference between regular chips and kettle chips is the processing method. Regular chips are continually cooked at a steady temperature all at once whereas kettle chips are cooked in batches. Kettle chips are also usually cut thicker than regular potato chips, which makes them crunchier.
Is popcorn healthier than chips? ›
Because of popcorn's high fiber content, its low calorie count and its low energy density, popcorn is considered to be a food that can aid in weight loss. For example, popcorn has been shown to make people feel fuller than a similar calorie amount of potato chips.
What is the difference between kettle chips and regular chips? ›
The primary difference between regular chips and kettle chips is the processing method. Regular chips are continually cooked at a steady temperature all at once whereas kettle chips are cooked in batches. Kettle chips are also usually cut thicker than regular potato chips, which makes them crunchier.
