# I declare war on potato flour!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-declare-war-on-potato-flour/590986>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [August 1, 2011, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-declare-war-on-potato-flour/590986 "2011-08-01T00:56:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-declare-war-on-potato-flour/590986/1 "2011-08-01T00:56:47Z")

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like why? flour chips and ‘fries’ simply don’t taste like potato. now as i understand it, potato flour has a little wheat/corn substance mixed with it. it’s supposed to store better and longer than whole spuds. but you still need a machine to fashion thin chips or uniform fries. it’s probably easier to peel and chop whole potatoes into wedges. you still need to refrigerate flour products before cooking. with whole spuds, the only constraint i can think of is cold storage (even refrigerated whole potatoes turn bad.) but with better transport, that’s not supposed to be a problem. i mean, fish are caught, landed, and transported straight to markets and restaurants, aren’t they?

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**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-declare-war-on-potato-flour/590986/2 "2011-08-01T01:25:41Z")

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I thought breaded fries were coated with wheat flour and maybe corn starch.

ETA: Potato flour was used to make real good donuts.

> **[Spudnut Shops](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spudnut_Shops)**
>
> Spudnut Shops were American franchised stores selling donuts made with potato flour called Spudnuts. The parent company no longer exists, but independent stores remain. The original recipe is based on a folk recipe that traces back to Germany.
> After brothers Al and Bob Pelton of Salt Lake City ate potato-based doughnuts in Germany, they tried a number of things, from wheat dough that was flavored with potato water to using mashed potatoes, before creating a dry potato mix that not only worked f...

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**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-declare-war-on-potato-flour/590986/3 "2011-08-01T02:48:48Z")

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Potatoes freeze very well, and the shelf-life of the raw ones is measured in months, if stored properly (cool & dark).

I suspect if restaurants use potato flour “fries” and “chips”, it’s for some kind of flavor or cooking uniformity rather than for shelf life reasons.

Most of the time I see potato flour in things though, it’s as rather small-proportion ingredient- as a binder or something, not as a primary ingredient.

It is common as a gluten-free wheat flour replacement, and also for Passover items that need flour, but can’t use regular flour.

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-declare-war-on-potato-flour/590986/4 "2011-08-01T03:14:41Z")

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War? Isn’t there still room for a possible diplomatic settlement?