Tater Tots were invented to use up the scraps from making french fries. In 1953 the brothers who started Ore-Ida were cutting fries in Ontario, Oregon, and the leftover slivers of potato were going to cattle feed. They chopped the slivers, mixed them with flour and seasoning, pushed the mix through holes in a board and sliced off small pieces to fry. The potatoes had already been bought, stored, peeled and trimmed, so it didn't cost them much to turn the scraps into something they could sell. Tater Tots were in grocery stores by the mid 1950s. Heinz bought Ore-Ida in 1965, and Tater Tots is still an Ore-Ida trademark. Every Sunday in my newsletter I take one grocery product apart like this, from the label to how the plant makes it and what it costs to make. The first Sunday issue goes out this weekend at 8am, and it's Nutella. The first part of every issue is free. tipofthebanana.com