POTATO

@@PAGE POTATO CHIPS, or Saratoga Chips, very thin shavings of peeled potatoes, cut with a machine, steeped in ice-water to draw out the starch, and fried in boiling lard. With proper care they remain fresh for a long time. ‘They are retailed both in bulk and cartons and have within the last few years become a free-selling grocery article. For use, it is only nece ary to heat in the oven, or in a pan. The title of ‘‘Saratoga chips” is attributed to their first introduction by a colored chef at Morris Lake, Saratoga, N. Y. POTATO-FLOUR, or Potato-starch, the tubers ground to a pulp and freed of fibre hy water-washings. It consists chiefly of starch, but also contains some protein. Large quantities are consumed in Hurope, mixed with wheat or rve flour in the making of bread, in the preparation of soups, ete. It is also employed to some extent in this country by sausage-makers, bakers, confectioners, and cooks, and for various conunercial purposes. It has heen very largely crowded out of the American household by cornstarch, but it is better for the thickening of gravies as it does not carry a raw flavor even with very hurried preparation. It is interesting to note that flour made from frozen potatoes is especially delicate in flavor because of the check to the activity of the cell protoplasms and the consequent accumulation of enzyme-converted sugar.