Have you ever wondered if you might be taking your favorite snacks for granted? That might sound like a weird question, but have you ever really considered how much time, energy, and technology goes into making your preferred between-meal bites as delectable (and affordable) as they are? I never did. Not until I started watching Bon Appétit‘s Claire Saffitz try to recreate them from scratch. The pastry chef, whose attempt at making gourmet Lucky Charms we told you about before, has brought to light just how difficult it would be to replace some of our favorite brand-name items if they weren’t available at our local grocery stores. And her latest video, which sees her take on maybe the most iconic potato chip on the market, Pringles, highlights just how insane it would be if we were forced to cook them ourselves, especially if we wanted them to be the same shape.
Pringles’ unique texture, lack of grease, stack-ability, and of course curves have always made them stand out in an overcrowded field of potato chip bags. However, until you see the trial and error that Saffitz endured through the process of getting every element of the recipe just right—from their paraboloid shape, to their tiny surface air bubbles, to their combined crispiness and melt-in-your-mouth quality—you can’t appreciate the degree to which our favorite foods are the byproducts of huge undertakings on a massive scale.
These videos aren’t just entertaining, they’re highly educational. They might not make us real pastry chefs, but they do offer a lot of insights into the finer methods of food preparation, and even how much tinkering goes into perfecting recipes. As for her gourmet chips, they looked fantastic. If you saw them on their own you would just assume they were real Pringles.
I’ve already had some Pringles since watching this video, and let me tell you, I’ve never appreciated them more. Because I’ve never been so grateful I didn’t have to make them myself.
Featured Image: Bon Appétit
