Why Are So Many Tortilla Chips Triangles?

These shapes force the eater to form a Wallace (of Wallace and Grommit) mouth shape for minimizing messiness when the chips have flavor powders, dip, queso, or nacho toppings. These chips can be (and have been) hazardous, especially if the toppings are hot, melted, or both. Ow!

Besides lots of tortilla chips, most Doritos are also triangles. Note, however, the niche line DINAMITA chip shape is rollup with various flavors. For the Jacked 3D product, the shape is triangular with thickness.

According to some commenters in an online discussion "How did Lays decide to make Doritos in the shape of a triangle?", Doritos and tortilla chips originated as wedges from round tortillas, or emulation of. At "Why are nacho chips triangular?", a commenter offers another explanation for the typical tortilla chip shape:

it represents the shape that creates the least amount of wastage and greatest amount of throughput, while still honoring the original wedge design (created from circular-shaped corn tortillas)

The YouTube video "How Tortilla Chips Are Made" shows the entire process. At the 2:20 time mark, the measurement for thinness displays 0.93 (assuming 1/32", by metric-to-inches conversion. A similar YouTube video with some different details is "How its made doritos Tortilla Chips", even though the product brand is actually Tom's.

In case you're confused about differentiating nachos, Doritos, and tortillas, "What is the difference between nachos, Doritos and tortillas?" succinctly explains, with pictures.

How about more info about Doritos? Visit "102 Doritos Flavors from Around the World". For a site that more emphasizes non-US Doritos, visit "35 Strange Doritos Flavors From Around The World (But Mostly Asia)". Note the Christmas tree shapes in #23 (Winter Cheese) and #30 (Roast Turkey). Another eye-catcher is the PIZZA-LA label.

Want to try making your own tortilla chips from tortillas? "HOMEMADE DORITOS STYLE CHIPS - Nicko's Kitchen" shows how. At the 1:20 time mark, Nicko mentions baking the oiled wedges at 170° C (338° F) for 7 to 10 minutes. He also suggests seasonings, one type being the flavorings from a mac 'n' cheese package.

A Convenient Bean Soup

Now that the weather's getting cooler, thinking about soup. My basic *convenient* soup recipe calls for a can of refried beans and fluid. The image at the top of this article is an idea guide, usable as an auxiliary shopping list. If you can boil water, you can easily make the soup.

The ratio of fluid to canned refried beans is one to one. YMMV for soup thickness, depending on the brand you buy. You might want to start out with half the amount of fluid in case the brand put in more cooking fluid for their processing. (Yes, have done that before, too.)

These instructions make one quart of soup if using a standard 16-oz can of beans. If you want, you can halve the recipe and save the other half of the beans for another time. Or you can store the other half of the processed soup for another sitting.

Instructions

1. Open the can of refried beans.
2. Spoon the beans into a saucepan.
3. Use the can to measure fluid, then pour the fluid into the saucepan.
4. Stir and heat the contents.
5. Add whatever ingredients from the list, or anything else that sounds good. (If you want, add these ingredients AFTER you pour the soup instead of before.)
6. Pour into bowl(s).

If you buy the packaged refried beans, double the amount of fluid and follow the package instructions.

One additional idea—for a group gathering, heat several cans of refried beans and water in a large pot. Set aside bouillon powder. Acquire all the suggested add-ins. Let the guests ladle their own soup and add in what they want. Remember to have extra bowls and spoons on hand. Expand on a party idea. With a bunch of the ingredients, you could even move sideways with the thought and try queso dip and chip ideas.

Another convenient soup recipe you can try is my veggie lentil soup.