Okay, so I’ve been trying to perfect my air fryer game, and frozen tater tots are a staple, right? But I wanted to really know what I was putting in my body (and my air fryer). So, I grabbed a bag of frozen tater tots and started my deep dive.
The Experiment Begins
First, I dumped the tots out onto a plate. They were, well, frozen. Solid little potato cylinders. I figured the best place to start was the ingredients list on the back of the bag.
Ingredient Breakdown
Here’s what I found, plain and simple:
- Potatoes: Okay, duh. That’s the main thing.
- Vegetable Oil: This one can be a mix of stuff, like soybean, canola, cottonseed, or sunflower oil. My bag said “Contains one or more of the following,” so it’s a bit of a mystery blend.
- Salt: Makes sense. Everything needs a little salt.
- Dextrose: This is a type of sugar. I guess it helps with browning and maybe adds a tiny bit of sweetness.
- Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate: Whoa, that’s a mouthful! Apparently, this helps the tots keep their color and prevent them from turning gray after cooking. Good to know, I suppose.
- Other Spices and Flavorings: My bag listed things like onion powder and garlic powder. Pretty standard stuff for that classic tater tot taste.
There might be some other minor things, depending on the brand, but that’s the basic rundown. I added nothing and I took nothiing away from that list.
The Verdict
Honestly, it wasn’t as scary as I thought. Mostly potatoes, oil, and some stuff to keep them looking and tasting good. I’m still going to enjoy my air-fried tater tots, maybe just a little more mindfully now that I know what’s in them. My deep-dive was done and I proceeded to fry these little guys up.
