Absent the vulgar amount of salt that rests atop a Frito’s corn chip; is there a substantial difference between it and it’s more svelte cousin, the corn flake?
They are made in fairly different ways. The biggest difference is that Fritos are cooked (essentially deep fried) in corn oil. Corn Flakes are cooked under steam pressure and then dried.
You don’t put milk on Fritos or chili on Corn Flakes.
Buttermilk, though…
Corn flakes are the de-hulled, de-germed kernel, cooked and then flattened and dried. Pretty much everything else is added in the coating phase - sugar, glaze, salt, dash of nutrients.
Fritos are made from corn meal, wheat flour, salt, sugar, other flavorings and preservatives, and then deep-fried.
About as different as two things can get from the same basic starting point.
Try burning a Frito. You’ll see the grease bubble out of the Frito ahead of the advancing flame.
I haven’t tried burning a Corn Flake (because come on, who would do that?) but I doubt you’ll see a bubble of grease come out of it.
Fritos go better with beer. Does any other difference really matter?
Fritos have a distinct smell. When my Mother is eating them, I can smell them and identify them immediately.
You can buy low-salt Fritos.
Surprisingly, corn flakes actually has more sodium.
Sodium in a 1 oz. serving:
Fritos original chips - 170 mg
Kellogs Corn Flakes - 200 mg
Thanks for all the info everyone. Seems clear now. (The only thing that doesn’t seem clear is why there is no honey barbecue flavored corn flakes).
People will ask who pissed in your corn flakes.
Moderator Action
Since this is food related, let’s move this corny thread over to CS.
Moving thread from General Questions to Cafe Society.
I think this is a case where supposedly comparative nutrition numbers mislead.
28 grams of corn flakes is around 3/4 cup… maybe 100 flakes? Say it’s only 60.
28 grams of Fritos is about 15 chips.
Weight for weight, they’re about the same. Fritos look to be around 4-5 times more dense than corn flakes, though. In the quantities normally eaten, I’d put Fritos nutrition consumed at 2:1 or more relative to corn flakes.
I do, when I don’t have Fritos.