eli5: why is potato chips so high in calories but potatoes are relatively low?

Question

eli5: why is potato chips so high in calories but potatoes are relatively low?

In: Other

Answer 1

They’re cooked in oil. When they’re cooked this way, they lose a lot of water and absorb a lot of oil – so you’re replacing something that has zero calories (water) with something that has about 9 calories per gram.