Why A Bag Of Doritos Belongs Next To Your Essential Grilling Tools (No, Not To Eat)

A bag of Doritos and a backyard cookout make all the sense in the world. Who wouldn't want a hot dog, some coleslaw, and a handful of Doritos on a paper plate while hanging out on a sunny day? But even if you're not a fan of the cheesy, crunchy tortilla chips, they're still worth keeping around just in case of a barbecue emergency. Doritos are surprisingly effective tool for lighting charcoal.

Anyone who has tried to light a charcoal barbecue has struggled with it once or twice. Even using a charcoal chimney starter can take some time, especially if you're only an occasional griller and not regularly using one. Doritos can be placed under your charcoal chimney or directly in the charcoal and lit with a lighter or matches. The chips will burn for a surprisingly long time, each for about 60 seconds or more depending on the size, thanks to the starch and vegetable oil in them. This sustained flame lasts long enough and burns hot enough to light the surrounding charcoal.

Doritos are not unique in the world of snack foods when it comes to their ability to start a fire. Doritos, Cheetos, Fritos, and even potato chips are all made of carbohydrates and fats. You can use plain ones, too, or almost any popular tortilla chip brand works. The carbohydrates, mainly in the form of starches, burn easily thanks to the fats infused in them when the snacks are produced.

The best way to use Doritos to light a fire is to treat it like a tinder bundle. Loosely stack some chips together right atop the charcoal and ignite them. Vegetable oils have a low flash point, between 600 and 700 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the type. A standard Bic lighter produces a flame around 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, so it should ignite the chips easily. The variation in size and shape allows air to circulate between the chips so it should only take a minute to get the charcoal going once the chips are burning.

Doritos are packaged to keep them dry and crispy, and this dryness makes them ideal tinder. Even in humid environments, which can make charcoal harder to ignite, sealed chips won't be affected. Because the chips are only used to start the charcoal, they shouldn't affect the taste of what you cook. At most, you may notice the smell of burning corn chips. In case you were wondering, it doesn't seem to make a difference which flavor of Doritos you choose.

Not only are Doritos remarkably effective fire starters, but they're also economical. You only need a handful to get your charcoal lit. Compare that to natural wood fire starters that cost about $6 for a box at Walmart. A bag of Doritos is about $4 and not only has enough chips to start multiple fires, you can also eat the leftovers. Win win.