Check Out Fun Facts & Recipes

February 2nd is National Tater Tot Day!

So who invented the Tots and when?

The founders of Ore-Ida had been concerned about food waste, way back in the 50’s, before it became a ‘thing’.

In 1953, the founders, brothers F. Nephi Grigg and Golden Grigg, wanted to figure out how they can use the leftover slivers of potatoes from their other products and not waste them.

The brothers thought up the idea of chopping up the potato slivers, adding some flour and seasonings, and then pushing the concoction through a device with small holes and slicing off bite-sized pieces of what came out of the other side.

And bam! Tater Tots were born!

Now that the recipe was tested and approved, the brothers needed a name.

They held a contest with their employees and their friends. Clora Lay Orton, a young housewife, suggested the name Tater Tots, and the rest is history.

The Tots were a success and became available in stores in 1956.

It didn’t take long for American families to embrace the new frozen potato option available in their supermarkets. Moms loved the ease of preparing them, and kids LOVED the crunchy exterior and soft interior…especially dipped in ketchup. A win-win for everybody!

It’s reported that Americans love Tater Tots so much, they eat about 70 million pounds of them every year. That’s a hell of a lot of Tots!

The Disney Food Blog reports that The Longest Wait Time in Disney’s Hollywood Studios is For…Tater Tots?!

Oh, and don’t forget about Joey Tribbiani’s family holiday tradition of serving tater tots.

“But my mom always makes them. It’s like a tradition. You get a little piece of turkey on your fork, a little cranberry sauce, and a tot! It’s bad enough I can’t be with my family because of my disease.” – Joey Tribbiani

Monica had a lot of potato requests for their Thanksgiving dinner, including Joey’s Tots. (See E1 S9, “The One Where Underdog Gets Away”)

Ask a Minnesotan what their go-to comfort meal is, and chances are they’ll say Tater Tot Hotdish.

Taste of Home has an excellent recipe for the Hotdish, with ground beef or turkey, for a leaner version, onion, cream of mushroom soup, milk, cheese, and of course, frozen Tots. Check out the recipe below:

How to Make Hotdish Like a Real Minnesotan

Recipes to make with Tater Tots

Check out the “Totchos” recipes on the Ore-Ida website for some great inspiration and recipes.

Chef Kendra Nguyen has tons of awesome recipes, especially her tater tots. Be sure to Follow her on YouTube!

Be sure to follow Laura in the Kitchen! She is an Italian cook who has been featured on Food Network. She cooks and bakes some pretty amazing recipes.

If you aren’t already following AllRecipes, what are you waiting for? They have thousands of recipes that work perfectly every time.

Don’t want to make tater tots? Check out these two restaurants offering tater tots on their menus.

• Johnny Rockets
• SmashBurger

Have a favorite Tater Tot recipe? Share it in the comments below.