Tempers flared one September afternoon as two friends shared a bag of Cheetos on the St. Thomas plaza during a convo-hour lunch break. It began as a simple question but grew into a much larger issue between us.

“Are Cheetos chips?” I said questioningly.

“Yes, of course, they are. What else would they be?” Jos replied.

Little did we know, this would spark a heated debate between us that was strong enough to prompt this dueling opinion piece.

After many conversations, we decided to take our question to the St. Thomas community. We polled over 200 students for their opinions and the results shocked us.

We both thought that opinions would be much more staggered toward our personal opinions on the topic, but it can be seen that student opinion is just as divided on the issue as ours are.

Cam’s Opinion:

So, are Cheetos chips?

In short, the answer to this question is clearly no. However, my short answer isn’t going to be enough to convince people that this opinion is correct, which is why I have done thorough research.

I scoured the Cheetos website relentlessly in search of the word “chip” anywhere on it. Wouldn’t a website dedicated to chips have that word plastered all over it? One would think so.

However, the word was nowhere to be found.

Instead, the Cheetos website states: “CHEETOS snacks are the much-loved cheesy treats that are fun for everyone.”

Even the way that their own website describes them shows no sign of the word. The website only describes them as “snacks” and “treats”.

If that information didn’t make you at least question your “Cheetos are chips” allegiance, then hopefully this one will.

Merriam-Webster defines a chip as, “a small, thin, crisp, usually salty piece of food typically prepared by frying, baking, or drying.”

By this definition, a Cheeto almost fits the definition of a chip.

But it doesn’t quite fully fit the definition.

According to a Food Network video, Cheetos are made by mixing cornmeal and water and sending the batter through a machine called an extruder.

The extruder builds heat and pressure to make the batter “pop.” After this, they ride a conveyor belt to a fryer where they are then cooked to over 300 degrees. This process is also what gives Cheetos their unique shape.

The frying of the batter in this process fits Merriam-Webster’s definition of a chip, but the rest does not. Cheetos are not thin, flat or salty–they are long, round and cheesy.

Instead of being a chip, through the way Cheetos are made, they fit into a different category completely—puffs.

“It’s actually a corn puff,” the Food Network video stated. “The crunchy variety is fried, while the puffs are baked.”

Cheetos are actually cheesy corn puffs, not chips. The extruder puffs them up into their shapes before they are later made crunchy through the further cooking process.

Another common argument as to why Cheetos are chips comes from the fact that they are found in the chip aisle at the supermarket, which I find to be faulty reasoning.

Although Cheetos can be found in the chip aisle and small bags can be found in variety packs, this is hardly a concrete reason to call them chips. Products like popcorn and pretzels can also be found in both the chip aisle and individual variety packs, but they are not chips.

I find it hard to believe that many people would seriously argue that popcorn and pretzels are considered chips; why is it so hard to believe that Cheetos aren’t chips either?

Despite the silliness of this debate, the answer is evident: Cheetos cannot possibly be considered chips.

Jos’ Opinion:

Picture this, you walk into Target, your favorite store. It’s movie night. The chip aisle is calling your name. You pass the Lays, too greasy. The Sun Chips, lacking flavor.

Then you see the glorious orange Cheeto bag. It’s like the chip god is shining from above and her angels are singing to you. Chester the Cheetah, the face of Cheetos itself, calls to you. A bag full of cheesy, crunchy, goodness.

The crunch. The crisp. The cheddary dust. The three main signifiers of a tasty chip.

According to the online dictionary, Merriam-Webster, the definition of a chip is; a small, thin, crisp, usually salty piece of food typically prepared by frying, baking, or drying.

When I look up the word chip the first photo that pops up is, you guessed it, Cheetos. If it wasn’t a chip why would Google say it is? The internet is never wrong.

My thought is if I was at a neighborhood shin-dig and I asked if someone could pass me the chips, and all of a sudden Cheetos appeared. I would be unsurprised and excited about this chip endeavor.

Cheetos are based on the ingredient cornmeal. A similar ingredient, corn, is found in chips like Doritos. An Odyssey article states that chips are made “of meal or potato and are fried or baked.”

On the website, Junk Food Blog their article Cheetos – The Ultimate Guide states that “There are two different versions of Cheetos – [one of them being] a crunchy fried version.” This reinforces the argument that Cheetos are chips because they’re a fried cornmeal-based food.

In comparison to British culture, french fries are considered chips. In my Google searches fries often came up as an example of chips. If french fries can be chips, why can’t Cheetos?

Cam Kauffman can be reached at cam.kauffman@stthomas.edu.
Jos Morss can be reached at josie.morss@stthomas.edu.