By Gail Marsh
They are a favorite for campers: Pringles® crisps. You know what they look like and how they taste, but did you ever wonder how Pringles were invented? Read on!
What was the problem with other potato chips? Broken and greasy chips. That’s why, in 1956, Procter & Gamble enlisted the help of Fredric Baur. Baur, a trained chemist, just also happened to be a guy with great mathematical skills. Baur used a geometric formula to create a saddle-shaped chip that would not break when individually stacked inside a cardboard cylinder. Pringles were invented along with their iconic container. Problem solved? Nope! The chips tasted terrible.
Looking for solutions
Procter & Gamble continued to work on better-tasting chips and finally came up with a mixture of dehydrated potatoes, corn, rice, and wheat. Perfectly shaped chips (now called crisps) were stamped out of the mix, and then the crisps were packaged inside Baur’s chip container invention. Problem solved? Yes!
Buried inside his Pringles invention
Fredric Baur was understandably proud of his chips-in-a-can invention. So proud, in fact, that he wanted to take his invention to the grave. Sort of… Baur actually requested that his cremated ashes be placed inside a Pringles can for burial. So when Baur died at the age of 89, his children honored their father’s wish.
According to the family, the Baur children discussed what flavor Pringles can to use for their father’s ashes. (By the time of his death, Pringles crisps were sold all over the world and came in a wide variety of flavors.) Larry, the eldest of the Baur clan suggested, “We need to use the original.” His siblings agreed, and that’s how Fredric Baur, the inventor, came to be buried inside his Pringles can invention.
11 Pringles can hacks for RVing
Inside the RV
• Store other foods inside. Chips aren’t the only food that will travel safely inside a Pringles container. You can also safely pack a sleeve of crackers, some spaghetti or other noodles, dried beans, and more inside this handy can. Flour, sugar, and breadcrumbs are other products that can be transported via the Pringles container. The sturdy cardboard will protect the food, and you won’t have punctured bags or spilled products inside the RV.
• Make a cell phone speaker. Cut a slit near the bottom of the Pringles can. Make the slit large enough for your cell phone to sit inside. Remove the lid. The can will amplify your cell phone’s speaker. Really!
• Store plastic bags. Cut a small (one-inch diameter) hole in the Pringles lid. When you need a plastic bag, simply reach into the hole, and pull one out.
• Office or hobby supplies. A Pringles can will also corral those office supplies like pens, scissors, paper clips, and glue sticks. Hobby supplies like beads, wire, artists’ paintbrushes and more will also fit inside.
• Hair accessories holder. Use a Pringles can to keep hair ties and elastic bands together. Just put them around the outside of the can. Clips, ribbons, and bows can be stored inside the can, as well.
• Makeup organizer. You can cut down Pringles cans so that your makeup brushes, comb/brush, and other tools are easily at hand. Tape a series of cans together so they’ll stay securely upright.
• Necklace holder. Put weights in the bottom of a Pringles can. Then wind a rubber band around the can, near the top. Hang necklaces and bracelets from the rubber band. Simple! And handy, too!
Outside the RV
• Bird feeder. Use a darning needle to poke and thread a string through the top of the Pringles can. Tie the ends of the string together. Then use a spatula or butter knife to smear peanut butter all over the exterior of the Pringles can. Then roll the prepared can in birdseed. Hang the bird feeder from a nearby tree. Or hang the feeder from a garden flag holder outside your RV window.
• See underwater. Kids love doing this. Remove the bottom of the Pringles can. Use a waterproof tape to securely fasten the lid onto the can. Gently place the lid end of the can into the water. Look through the bottom of the can to see what’s underneath the water’s surface.
• Keep paint rollers fresh. When painting, you can slip a Pringles container over the paint roller at the end of the day. The next day, the paint in the roller will be ready to go.
• Store tools. We use a few select tools when traveling in our RV: a channel lock, screwdrivers, pliers, and the like. An easy way to keep these few, but necessary, tools together and within reach is to store the tools inside a Pringles can. The can stays in the RV basement, where the tools are always available.
Decorating the Pringles can
If using a Pringles hack inside your RV, you may want to decorate it. You can cover the exterior of the Pringles can with paint, decoupage, or by wrapping paper around the can and then securely taping the edges. Crafters have also glued shells, stones, sequins, ribbons, and other objects to the Pringles can exterior.
Have you reused Pringles cans in additional ways? Share with us, please, in the comments below.
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RVDT2889
Of all the abominations in our society Pringles ‘crisps’ ranks right up there. Yuck!