Short of kerosene, there are few things that get a fire started better than a bag of Doritos or Fritos. If you’re like most people, pine needles, and not corn chips, are what you turn to when you need a little kindling. However, pine needles aren’t the only game in town when it comes to finding an effective fire starter. In fact, once you learn why Doritos and other corn chips ignite so quickly, you may change your kindling habits for good.
Corn chips have a few things going for them that other types of kindling don’t. First, fat is part of average snack chip recipe. In your standard bag of Doritos, you’ll find sunflower, corn, and canola oils listed as ingredients, all of which make the chips extremely flammable. The oils tend to burn a long time, too, which gives the other burnables in the fire a chance to ignite.
Aside from that, ground corn burns extremely well thanks to the amount of carbohydrates it contains. Basically, corn is fuel for the body and fuel for the fire. Finally, the seasonings — salt being the most important — keep the chips dry, and dry means flammable. And because they’re sealed in a water-proof bag, you always have dry fire starters even in the wettest conditions.
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Read the original article on Chowhound.