Snacks, potato sticks

Potato sticks are thin, crunchy strands of fried or baked potato, often more heavily salted and crisper than standard chips because of their smaller surface area and quicker fry time. They are eaten straight from the bag as a snack, used as a crunchy topping over casseroles and green bean dishes, or scattered over salads in place of croutons for extra crunch. Their thin shape means they crisp up quickly and can turn soft faster than thicker-cut chips if left exposed to air, so they are usually eaten in a single sitting once opened rather than saved for later.

Unopened bags keep well in a cool, dry pantry, but once opened they should be resealed tightly and used within a few days to keep their crunch. At 522 calories per 100 grams, a standard ounce serving adds up quickly for a snack food, and while the fried potato base leaves them fairly light on fiber at 3.4 grams per 100 grams, they do carry 61% of the Daily Value for vitamin E and 53% for vitamin C per 100 grams from the potato itself and the oil used for frying. Their high sodium content of 633 milligrams per 100 grams makes portioning out a single serving rather than eating from the bag a practical way to keep sodium intake in check.