Okay, so I’ve been on this kick lately trying to find super easy, quick meals. And let me tell you, frozen tater tots are a lifesaver. But I wanted to know exactly what was in them, you know? So I did a little digging, a little experimenting, and here’s the lowdown.
My Tater Tot Deep Dive
First, I grabbed a few different bags of frozen tater tots from the grocery store. I wanted to compare brands, see if there were any major differences. I noticed right away that the ingredient lists were pretty similar across the board.
Then, I started looking at each ingredient, one by one. It’s pretty basic stuff, really. You’ve got:
- Potatoes: Obviously, this is the main thing. Some brands said “russet potatoes,” others just said “potatoes.”
- Vegetable Oil: This is what makes them crispy when you cook them. I saw things like canola oil, soybean oil, and sunflower oil.
- Salt: For flavor, of course.
- Dextrose: This is a type of sugar. I guess it helps with browning?
- Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate: Okay, this one sounds scary, but it’s just to help keep the color of the potatoes, so they don’t turn gray.
- Other simple ingredients:Such as natural flavor, etc.
After I was sure of the basic ingredients, I decided that I would look for the above basic ingredients every time, and the fewer ingredients in addition to the basic ingredients, the more I would prefer that brand of product.
So that’s it! Nothing too crazy. I felt a little better knowing exactly what I was eating. Next time you’re munching on some tater tots, you’ll know what’s up!
