View source for Tater tots

{{Short description|Deep-fried grated potato cylinders}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name             = Tater tots
| image            = File:Tater Tots Close Up (24782852665).jpg
| image_size       = 250px
| caption          = 
| alt              =
| alternate_name   =   <!-- other generic product names from united states-->
| country          = United States 
| region           = [[Ontario, Oregon|Ontario]], [[Oregon]]
| creator          = F. Nephi Grigg, and Golden Grigg<ref name="Ore-Ida Fun Zone - Fun Facts">[https://web.archive.org/web/20060622162414/http://www.oreida.com/funzone/funfacts.aspx "Ore-Ida Fun Zone{{spaced ndash}} Fun Facts"]. [[Ore-Ida]].</ref><ref name="cnnmoney" /><ref name="UofUtah" /> (in 1953)
| course           = [[Entrée]] or [[side dish]], sometimes as part of a [[main course]]
| served           =
| main_ingredient  = Potato
| variations       =Veggie tots
| calories         = (serving size: 86 g) 160<ref name="Ore-Ida Tater Tots - Nutrition Facts">[http://www.oreida.com/products/or-tater-tots.aspx "Ore-Ida Tater Tots{{spaced ndash}} Nutrition Facts"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120814103751/http://www.oreida.com/products/or-tater-tots.aspx |date=August 14, 2012 }}</ref>
| other            =
}}

'''Tater tots''' are [[grated]] [[potato]] formed into small cylinders and [[deep-fried]], often served as a [[side dish]].<ref name="Ore-Ida Fun Zone - Fun Facts" /> "Tater" is a dialect form of the word ''potato''.<ref>{{cite web |title=tater |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tater |publisher=Merriam-Webster |access-date=March 21, 2019 |language=en |archive-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113065810/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tater |url-status=live }}</ref> The name "tater tot" is a [[registered trademark]] of the American [[frozen food]] company [[Ore-Ida]], but is often used as a [[genericized trademark|generic term]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Elliott |first=Stuart |date=August 25, 2014 |title=Ore-Ida Campaign Focuses on Authenticity of Tater Tots |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/25/business/media/ore-ida-campaign-focuses-on-authenticity-of-tater-tots.html |access-date=May 14, 2016 |work=The New York Times |quote=Tater Tots became successful enough that the brand name grew to be synonymous with the product, a delightful dilemma shared with other brands that pioneered a product category, among them Band-Aid, Kleenex, and Xerox. |archive-date=May 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518123515/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/25/business/media/ore-ida-campaign-focuses-on-authenticity-of-tater-tots.html |url-status=live }}</ref>  Ore-Ida also markets a coin-shaped version called "Crispy Crowns".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.directionsforme.org/product/26632 |title=Ore Ida Extra Crispy Easy Tater Tots Crispy Crowns |work=Directions for Me |access-date=May 15, 2023 |archive-date=May 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230515143907/https://www.directionsforme.org/product/26632 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==History==
Tater tots were developed in 1953 when American [[frozen food]] company [[Ore-Ida]] founders F. Nephi Grigg, Golden Grigg, and [[Ross Erin Butler Sr.]] were trying to devise a recipe to use leftover slivers of cut potatoes that would otherwise be thrown away.<ref name="Ore-Ida Fun Zone - Fun Facts" /><ref name="cnnmoney">{{cite news |title=Mr. Potato Head – A Dirt-Poor Farmer Turned Spud Scraps into Gold |publisher=[[CNN Money]] |url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2003/11/01/358297/index.htm |author=Lukas, Paul |date=November 1, 2003 |access-date=May 1, 2012 |archive-date=October 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009215213/https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2003/11/01/358297/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="UofUtah">{{cite web |title=The Francis Nephi ("Neef") Grigg Papers |publisher=[[University of Utah]] Library Special Collections |url=http://content.lib.utah.edu/u?%2FUU_EAD%2C973 |access-date=March 5, 2011 |archive-date=January 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126133506/http://content.lib.utah.edu/u?%2FUU_EAD%2C973 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  They chopped up the slivers, added [[flour]] and seasoning, then pushed the mash through holes and sliced off pieces of the [[Extrusion|extruded]] mixture. 

The product was first offered commercially in stores in 1956.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vc9KAQAAIAAJ&q=tater+tots,++1956 |title=The United States Patents Quarterly<!-- Bot generated title --> |date=1978 |access-date=October 29, 2016 |archive-date=May 31, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531014751/https://books.google.com/books?id=vc9KAQAAIAAJ&q=tater+tots,++1956 |url-status=live}}</ref> Originally, sales were slow; the family speculated the product was priced too low, so it had no perceived value. [[Giffen good|When the price was raised, people began buying it.]] By 1960 Ore-Ida captured 25% of the frozen potato market.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tater Tots and Ore-Ida Foods, Co. |url=https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/tater-tots-and-ore-ida-foods-co/ |access-date=2025-06-13 |website=www.oregonencyclopedia.org |language=en}}</ref>

The name "Tater Tot" is a [[registered trademark]] of Ore-Ida—which has been a subsidiary of [[Heinz]] (now part of [[Kraft Heinz]]) since 1965—but has become so widely associated with the dish that it is often used as a [[genericized trademark|generic term]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Elliott |first=Stuart |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/25/business/media/ore-ida-campaign-focuses-on-authenticity-of-tater-tots.html?_r=0 |title=Ore-Ida Campaign Focuses on Authenticity of Tater Tots |work=The New York Times |date=August 25, 2014 |access-date=May 14, 2016 |quote=Tater Tots became successful enough that the brand name grew to be synonymous with the product, a delightful dilemma shared with other brands that pioneered a product category, among them Band-Aid, Kleenex and Xerox. |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612201828/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/25/business/media/ore-ida-campaign-focuses-on-authenticity-of-tater-tots.html?_r=0 |url-status=live }}</ref> "Tater" is short for ''potato''.<ref>{{cite web |title=tater |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tater |publisher=Merriam-Webster |access-date=March 21, 2019 |language=en |archive-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113065810/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tater |url-status=live }}</ref> The name "Tater Tot" was created in the 1950s, and soon [[trademarked]] by a member of the Ore-Ida company's research committee who used a thesaurus to come up with an [[alliterative]] name.<ref name="McKinney">{{Cite news |last=McKinney |first=Kelsey |date=August 28, 2017 |url=https://www.eater.com/2017/8/28/16159710/tater-tots-ore-ida-history |title=The Tater Tot Is American Ingenuity at Its Finest |work=Eater |access-date=July 29, 2018 |archive-date=May 31, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531014751/https://www.eater.com/2017/8/28/16159710/tater-tots-ore-ida-history |url-status=live }}</ref>

Today, Americans consume approximately {{convert|70|e6lb|t}} of Tater Tots, or 3,710,000,000 Tots per year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Culinary Corner: The Fries Have It |publisher=[[WSOC-TV]] |url=http://www.wsoctv.com/food/13455388/detail.html |access-date=February 8, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403031908/http://www.wsoctv.com/food/13455388/detail.html |archive-date=April 3, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="autogenerated1" />

Since at least 2016, vegetable companies (like the [[Green Giant]] brand) have introduced "veggie tots" which seek to substitute more nutritionally dense vegetables (e.g., [[broccoli]] and [[cauliflower]]) for the potato.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Watrous |first1=Monica |title=B&G Foods unveils Green Giant innovation |url=https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/8573-b-g-foods-unveils-green-giant-innovation |access-date=February 25, 2023 |publisher=Food Business News |date=June 9, 2016 |archive-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225011538/https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/8573-b-g-foods-unveils-green-giant-innovation |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kimball |first1=Molly |title=10 nutritious finds on the freezer aisle for healthful home cooking |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/cooking/healthy-eating/2016/10/10_hidden_gems_on_freezer_aisl.html |access-date=February 25, 2023 |publisher=The Oregonian |date=October 18, 2016 |archive-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225011538/https://www.oregonlive.com/cooking/healthy-eating/2016/10/10_hidden_gems_on_freezer_aisl.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

While he was with the St. Louis Cardinals, [[major league baseball]] outfielder [[Harrison Bader]] partnered with Sonic Drive-In to sell "Bader Tots" at participating St. Louis area locations; in 2018 a young fan had given Bader a tater tot, and during the [[Players Weekend]] Bader’s baseball jersey read “TOTS.”<ref name="p423">{{cite web | last=Cole | first=Ashley | title='Bader Tots' are a thing and here's where you can get them | website=ksdk.com | date=May 10, 2019 | url=https://www.ksdk.com/article/entertainment/dining/whats-cookin-in-the-lou/bader-tots-are-a-thing-and-heres-where-you-can-get-them/63-c4d42d07-3089-4e56-979e-cb3042edc564 | access-date=October 29, 2024}}</ref>

==Usage==
=== Asia ===
Tater tots, locally known as ''mat-gamja'' ({{langx|ko|맛감자}}), are a common ''[[bunsik]]'' item in Korea.<ref>{{cite news |author=강병오 |title=2021 '뉴' 프랜차이즈 |url=https://www.ilyosisa.co.kr/mobile/article.html?no=227203 |access-date=October 24, 2021 |work=Ilyo Sisa |date=March 22, 2021 |language=ko |archive-date=June 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612152956/https://www.ilyosisa.co.kr/mobile/article.html?no=227203 |url-status=live }}</ref> They are often served in a [[paper cup]], with drizzled sweet [[gochujang]]-based sauce.{{fact|date=May 2022}}

=== Europe ===
In the United Kingdom, [[Ross Group|Ross Frozen Foods]] once produced "Oven Crunchies", although generic versions remain widely available.{{fact|date=May 2022}} [[McCain Foods]] currently produce "Hash Brown Potato Bites" that are similar to classic tater tots. [[Birds Eye]] also have "Hash Brown Potato Bites" in their "Chicken Shop" range.

===North America===
In Canada, [[McCain Foods Limited]] calls its line "Tasti Taters".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://mccain.ca/en/products/fun/tasti-taters/ | title=Tasti Taters® }}</ref>
[[File:Hotdish.jpg|thumb|In the [[Midwest]] states, tater tot [[hotdish]] is a popular [[Canned soup|soup]]-based [[casserole]] consisting of tater tots, [[ground beef]] and various vegetables.]]
In the United States, tater tots are common at [[school lunch|school-lunch]] counters and [[cafeterias]].<ref name=autogenerated1>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Wq3tvL_uIHcC&pg=PA695 Fast Food and Junk Food: An Encyclopedia of What We Love to Eat: An ... - Andrew F. Smith<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531014751/https://books.google.com/books?id=Wq3tvL_uIHcC&pg=PA695 |date=May 31, 2024 }}. p. 695.</ref> They are also sold in the [[frozen food]] sections of [[grocery store]]s.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> Some [[fast-food restaurant]]s also offer them.

Supermarket chain [[Safeway Inc.|Safeway]] sells a generic brand of tater tots known as "Tater Treats".{{fact|date=May 2022}} Cascadian Farm calls its line "[[Potato#Etymology|Spud]] Puppies". [[Sonic Drive-In|Sonic drive-in]] also features tater tots on their regular menu: available toppings include cheese and [[Chili con carne|chili]].{{fact|date=May 2022}} Sonic also sells "Cheesy Tots", coin-shaped tots that contain melted cheese and potatoes.{{fact|date=May 2022}} Several restaurants in the [[Pacific Northwest]] offer a [[nachos|nacho]] version of tots known as "totchos", covered in nacho cheese sauce and toppings. Totchos were invented by [[publican]] Jim Parker in [[Portland, Oregon]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Jim Parker, beloved Portland publican who invented the totcho, has died |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/dining/2019/02/jim-parker-portland-publican-who-invented-the-totcho-has-died.html |access-date=February 11, 2019 |archive-date=September 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914070705/https://www.oregonlive.com/dining/2019/02/jim-parker-portland-publican-who-invented-the-totcho-has-died.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Some [[Tex-Mex|Mexican-style]] fast-food restaurants offer seasoned tater tots: [[Taco Time]] and [[Señor Frog's]] call them "Mexi-Fries", while [[Taco Bell]] used to sell them as "Mexi-Nuggets" and "Border Fries".{{fact|date=May 2022}} [[Taco Mayo]] in the [[Southeastern United States|Southwest]] offers round disc-shaped tater tots called "Potato Locos".{{fact|date=May 2022}} [[Taco John's]] also has coin shaped tots called "Potato Olés".{{fact|date=May 2022}}

Food franchises [[Potato Corner]] and [[Papa John's]] also offer tater tots in select locations, though in the latter case these are branded as "Potato Tots".{{fact|date=May 2022}}

=== Oceania ===
In [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]], they are known as "potato gems", "potato royals", or "potato pom-poms".{{fact|date=May 2022}} The New Zealand [[Pizza Hut]] franchise offers "Hash Bites" as a side dish, available alone or with an [[aioli]] dipping sauce.{{fact|date=May 2022}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Food}}
* {{annotated link|Croquette}}
* [[Dumpling]] - piece of cooked dough made from a starchy source, often wrapped around a filling
* {{annotated link|French fries}}
* {{annotated link|Hash browns}}
* {{annotated link|Hotdish}}
* {{annotated link|List of deep fried foods}}
* {{annotated link|List of frozen food brands}}
* {{annotated link|Potato cake}}
* {{annotated link|Potato pancake}}
* [[Potato processing industry]]
* [[Potato salad]] - a salad dish made from boiled potatoes

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Heinz}}
{{Potato dishes}}
{{Deep frying foods}}

[[Category:American inventions]]
[[Category:Fast food]]
[[Category:Fried potato]]
[[Category:Frozen food brands]]
[[Category:Heinz brands]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 1953]]
[[Category:Food for children]]