According to Kaleta Doolin, daughter of Fritos inventor C. E. Doolin, the key to a Frito’s distinctive taste comes from the unique hybrid variety of corn developed by her father specifically for the chips. Even today, Frito-Lay makes fresh masa dough for the chips from its own proprietary corn! I won’t make you go so far as to make masa from scratch—a process that involves lots of soaking and a lye-like powder—though there are a number of online tutorials, should you feel curious. We’ll use the pre-ground stuff instead. But do C. E. Doolin a favor and eat your Fritos freshly fried; that’s how he did it, grabbing them straight from the conveyor belts.
YIELD: about 50 crackers
TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes
DIFFICULTY: 2
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: electric deep fryer (or a large pot and a candy/oil thermometer), pastry or pizza cutter, heatproof tongs or a metal skimmer or mesh strainer
vegetable or canola oil for frying
1/2 cup (2 ounces) masa harina (see page 13)
1/3 cup (2 ounces) yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
Heat at least 2 inches of vegetable or canola oil to 350°F in an electric deep fryer or large, high-sided pot. Line a large baking sheet with paper towels and top with an upside-down wire cooling rack (see Deep Frying 101, page 188).
Whisk the masa harina, cornmeal, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl.
Whisk the water and 1 tablespoon oil together in a small bowl, then stir into the dry ingredients to form a moist dough. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
Roll the dough into an 8 by 10-inch rectangle approximately 1/8 inch thick. Using a pastry or pizza cutter, slice the dough into a grid of 1/2 by 1-1/2-inch strips.
Fry the strips in the hot oil in batches until they are golden and the bubbling around the edges has mostly subsided. Frying time will vary depending on the size of your equipment, so watch carefully. Transfer the fried strips to the prepared baking sheet with heatproof tongs or a metal skimmer or mesh strainer to cool.
Serve fresh; the strips will become soggy after a day or two.