Which is your favorite kind of Cheetos: Crunchy or Puffs?

by Jason Henninger

The internet is full of opinions. This website wouldn’t exist otherwise. We tackle the hard-hitting and divisive topics of the day, gaining insight on crucial topics. Case in point: Cheetos. You’ve got two classic forms to choose from—substantial orange cudgels or whimsical cheese clouds. Do you like crunchy Cheetos or puffs?

Please note that none of this is sponsored content. We just really like Cheetos here.

A bit of history to start us off. The crunchy form of the Cheeto was invented (well, appropriated) in the 1940s by Charles Elmer Doolin, a candy shop owner in San Antonio, Texas, who wanted to sell savory snacks. Doolin saw a Mexican vendor frying extruded corn meal, and the attempts to copy this lead Doolin to come up with both Fritos and Cheetos.

In a sort of cosmic justice, Mexican-American culinary visionary Richard Montañez, child of migrant laborers, invented and pitched Flamin’ Hot Cheetos when he was a nearly illiterate janitor at a Frito-Lay factory. He also designed the packaging. He’s now an exec at PepsiCo, a motivational speaker, and the subject of an upcoming biopic. One hopes he’s the descendant of the hardworking guy that Doolin stole from, but that’s rather unlikely.

Cheese puffs were not made by Frito-Lay (AKA Pepsi) at first. In the 1930s, a manufacturer of animal feed came up with the puffed version after seeing the corn meal squishing out of an extruder. Yum. Around the same time, in New Orleans, a candy maker developed a similar technique.

Cheese powder came from the US military’s experimentation with dehydrating food. That’s right, cheese dust is patriotic.

The texture of crunchy Cheetos has been shown, scientifically, to make your brain think of freshness, fooling it into believing it is more nutritious than it is. Munchable Jedi mind tricks aside, crunchy Cheetos are a delicious treat that is more flavorful and texturally interesting than potato chips or other savory snacks. And they come in a bazillion flavors world-wide.

Cheetos Puffs have a lightness, and dare I say, elegance to their form. A gentle, familiar bend contrasts to the chaotic shapes of its crunchy sibling. It’s all about flavor; puffs allow you to eat more of the delightful dairy dust, which is really what you’re after when you grab a bag.
