Tag: Chips

REVIEW: Mexican Street Corn Pringles

Alex 3 Comments

Mexican Street Corn Pringles

What are Mexican Street Corn Pringles?

Pringles has once again said, “You want a new potato crisp that tastes like a potato crisp? Too bad!” and dropped the can with crujientes de papa that taste like Mexican street corn, a food cart treat consisting of a grilled ear of corn slathered in mayonnaise, crema, cotija cheese, chile powder, cilantro, and lime.

How are they?

Mexican Street Corn Pringles Top

Okay, that was harsh. I admit I’ve been having some “food that tastes like other food” fatigue. But my fond memories of the Reuben-flavored Pringles allowed me to give the brand a pass and look forward to this variety. In the can, they smelled like a standard, albeit mild, barbecue chip.

Mexican Street Corn Pringles 2

Since the label all but asks me to compare: elote, it’s not-eh. But what it is is a tremendously flavorful and eatable snack with powerful bright lime, subtle creaminess, a hint of spice, and a gently persistent smokey tang throughout. There is a specific sweetness that evokes corn niblets, but it was inconsistent bite to bite, and the strong potato taste of the crisp stood in the way.

There was also a bit of cheesiness that reminded me of the classic cheddar cheese Pringles (which, to age myself, I always mistakenly call Cheez Ums… RIP Cheez Ums). I do wish there was more of a mayonnaise-like fattiness to stand up to the tart and sweet notes; that balance has always been my favorite part of street corn and esquites.

Mexican Street Corn Pringles Plate

Some may find these Pringles to be underdressed, but I prefer a lighter dusting when the flavors are so bold, so I was very happy with the distribution on each crisp.

Anything else you need to know?

If you eat a whole crisp at a time, the acidic lime in the seasoning may irritate the edges of your mouth. It didn’t slow me down but probably should have.

Conclusion:

Unlike the Reuben Pringles, which were so spot on I was able to give a Violet Beauregarde-style description of each sandwich ingredient I was tasting as I ate them, the Mexican Street Corn Pringles would be better described as street corn inspired, not flavored. I reckon anyone who likes the ingredients of Mexican street corn would like these crisps, but don’t expect them to satisfy any cravings you may have for the real thing. This fatigued snacker is going to just ignore the name on the can and enjoy the crisps for what they are: delicious.

Purchased Price: $1.79
Size: 5.5 oz (158g)
Purchased at: Big Y (while in MA; still trying to track these down in L.A.)
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz/28g, about 14 crisps) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 210 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of total sugars, <1 grams of fiber, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: H-E-B Limited Edition Vanilla Milkshake Wavy Potato Chips

Sean 3 Comments

H E B Limited Edition Vanilla Milkshake Wavy Potato Chips Bag

What are H-E-B Limited Edition Vanilla Milkshake Wavy Potato Chips?

I often see new interesting items in the SPOTTED section of this site that I never see in person. Sometimes that’s just bad luck, sometimes it’s a product I would never buy, and sometimes it’s region-specific. A couple of weeks ago, a chip caught my eye so strikingly that I had to seek it out.

Exclusive to Texas-based grocery store H-E-B, this gorgeous teal bag is part of the Late Night Flavors collection, promising the flavor of a vanilla milkshake on wavy chips.

I put out a request to my Instagram followers, and someone in San Antonio was down for the hunt! Shout out to Lauren T for not only going to H-E-B and finding the chips but shipping them more perfectly than any other junk food oddity I’ve bought online (like that one time I purchased Cola Pringles from South Korea).

How are they?

H E B Limited Edition Vanilla Milkshake Wavy Potato Chips Pour

Much like a trip to the diner for a creamy shake and hot fresh, salty fries after a night of revelry, these chips are awesome. It’s an undisputed fact that wavy chips bring more flavor and crunch than their flatter counterparts, and these are excellent crunchy chips. Not as crunchy as a harder-cooked kettle style chip and not as greasy as the iconic Ruffles, these have a firm but gentle crunch akin to the Lays Wavy line.

The flavor strikes an even 50/50 split of sweet and salty with a strong undercurrent of pure potato. They aren’t too aggressively sweet or salty, which allows them to stay in balance as a crave-able chip that doesn’t steer too far into weird “is this dessert?” territory. These chips would have been a confusing train wreck if they were chocolate-based, but the nice neutral blanket of mild vanilla keeps them smooth and just sweet enough to keep me endlessly snacking in glee.

Anything else you need to know?

H E B Limited Edition Vanilla Milkshake Wavy Potato Chips Closeup

Have you ever dunked your fries into a fast food vanilla shake? That’s exactly what these taste like. I prefer to eat my fries and shake separately but for them to be combined into one flavor and bagged is fully a-okay by me. Fried potatoes and sweetened milk are a helluva tasty combo and one that should be explored more.

Conclusion:

Would I pay $20 to have these shipped to me again out of pure curiosity? No. But if I lived in Texas, near one of H-E-B’s 340 stores in Texas and Mexico, I would absolutely grab another bag the second these are gone because they’re enjoyable to eat.

Purchased Price: $2.55 (minus my crazy shipping scheme)
Size: 7 oz bag
Purchased at: H-E-B
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (11 chips/28 grams) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Doritos Roulette Cool Ranch

Brandon 4 Comments

Doritos Roulette Cool Ranch Bag

I’m not much of a gambler. I’ve been to Las Vegas once, a couple of years ago on a work trip, and I played (and lost) $5 in the hotel casino slot machine just so I could say I did it. It’s not that I don’t like risk; I will skydive or play basketball with brittle 40-year-old man knees or scream obscenities at a bull in Pamplona any day of the week. What I don’t like about gambling is the part where I am forced to part with money (mostly) due to things outside of my control.

But what about gambling with food? I do plenty of that, actually. I’ll eat pizza that was accidentally left out on the counter all night and slather my sandwiches with mayonnaise well north of its expiration date. As a young man brimming with virulent stupidity, I once ate a chicken tender from a trashcan on Bourbon Street. So is an extremely hot Cool Ranch Doritos any worse? (Well, okay— it’s undoubtedly safer than Trashcan Chicken, that’s for sure.) Let’s discuss.

The original Doritos Roulette chip — of the nacho cheese ilk — debuted in the US in 2015. (It’d been available abroad the year prior.) To the delight of spicy snack fans, they resurfaced last year in their original nacho incantation. But with the recent advent of Flamin’ Hot Cool Ranch Doritos, it seemed fated that Frito-Lay would eventually try its hand at Cool Ranch Roulette. So is it worth the gamble?

If you like Cool Ranch Doritos and don’t mind hot, you’ll like these chips. But how hot do they get, you’re wondering? Pretty hot. Like, really pretty hot, but not, “My nose and eyes are leaking, and I’m rethinking some of my life’s decisions, and why did I put off meeting with that guy about the living will. He said that the consultation was free unless they actually drafted paperwork” hot. Fresh jalapeño hot, but not 7 Pot Douglah hot. (It’s a pepper, look it up.) The heat is intense and lingering, and it is almost immediate.

Doritos Roulette Cool Ranch Closeup

The first chip I had was a regular Cool Ranch, and as I reached for a second, I wondered, how many hot chips are there in this bag? Is it like, 1 out of 10? 1 out of — and then as soon as I bit the second chip, my lips were burning, followed almost immediately by my tongue. Alarming as this was, it didn’t hold up statistically. I ate five or six chips before I got another hot one. (You know, just enough time for your mouth to begin feeling sort of okay again.) And really, that seemed to be about the ratio -— one out of every six or seven chips was burny.

It’s also worth noting that just because you liked the Flamin’ Hot Cool Ranch Doritos, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll like these. The FHCRD are a bit tangier and have more of a hot sauce burn, if you will, while this is much more of a pepper-based heat. Another reason that I enjoyed these more? If you have a kid who can’t yet read, it makes for a cheap laugh. (And it may also deter them from stealing your precious snacks.)

Purchased Price: $3.00
Size: 9.75 oz bag
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (12 chips) 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of dietary fiber, less than 1 gram of sugar, 0 grams of added sugars, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Ruffles Flamin’ Hot Cheddar & Sour Cream Potato Chips

Alex 8 Comments

Ruffles Flamin Hot Cheddar Sour Cream Potato Chips Bag

I feel comfortable sharing something rather controversial with you all: I can’t stand Cheetos, crunchy or puffed. (Feel free to express your outrage in the comments.)

As the tastebuds of my peers developed to handle Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, I was envious that there wasn’t a Flamin’ Hot food for me to call my own. Luckily Frito-Lay began to add the seasoning to other munchies, and I could finally join my friends in doling out some bright red high fives. The newest snack to stain my fingers is the Ruffles Flamin’ Hot Cheddar & Sour Cream Potato Chips.

Ruffles Flamin Hot Cheddar Sour Cream Potato Chips Lebron

The bag says the flavor is by LeBron James and it features a large photo of him and some inspirational words that tie into Ruffles’ “Own Your Ridges” campaign. I’m not sure if the flavor was LeBron’s idea or if he just supports Ruffles Flamin’ Hotting its cheddar and sour cream potato chip, but with the popularity of Flamin’ Hot snack foods in Los Angeles, a partnership with the Lakers star makes perfect sense.

Ruffles Flamin Hot Cheddar Sour Cream Potato Chips Inside Bag

In the bag, the chips smelled very similar to the regular Cheddar & Sour Cream but with an added vinegary tang. They had that same richly colored Flamin’ Hot powder that coats other chips and puffs, and it was a generous covering that made the not hot version seem under-dusted by comparison.

Ruffles Flamin Hot Cheddar Sour Cream Potato Chips Red Not Red

True to the name, these tasted like a Flamin’ Hot version of the Cheddar & Sour Cream Ruffles. Cheese and sour cream have long been standard accompaniments for spicy foods, and the pairing made just as much sense on these chips. The Flamin’ Hot powder felt comfortably at home with the cheddar and sour cream dust, but also switched things up a bit. Unlike the regular Cheddar & Sour Cream, which is very cheese flavor-forward, the acidic coating on the Flamin’ Hot version really brought out the sour cream, which was a welcome change for this fan of sour ‘n’ spicy foods. Additionally, Ruffles are robust chips and really hold their own when given the Flamin’ Hot treatment. I loved the substantial crunch and full potato taste of the chip underneath all that zesty seasoning.

Ruffles Flamin Hot Cheddar Sour Cream Potato Chips Red

Like other Flamin’ Hot snacks I’ve tried, the spice level disarmed me by being minimal at first but then building after a serving or two. Even then, these chips never noticeably burned my mouth or stomach, and I only realized they were getting to me once my nose started to run. Others may wish these Ruffles were more picante, but I feel like they had the right amount of heat to allow one to eat them by the handful without a night of heartburn.

On that note, it seems I almost finished the entire bag as I wrote this review. Bright red high five to whoever can tell me the best way to get Flamin’ Hot Cheetle out of a laptop keyboard.

Purchased Price: $3.49 (on sale, originally $4.79)
Size: 8 oz bag
Purchased at: Ralphs
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (28 grams/about 13 chips) 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Lay’s Layers (Sour Cream & Onion and Three Cheese)

Marvo 24 Comments

Lay s Layers Bags

As a part of the TIB community, I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I enjoy, or well, would TRY any flavor release that the whackos in the Frito-Lay flavor labs concoct. That commitment hits nary a roadblock when I see they’ve come up with a new chip format! No, crisp! No, “crispy layered potato bites.” Alright, fine, that. Gimme it!

Lay’s Layers come in two crowd-pleasing and fairly standard flavors — Sour Cream & Onion and Three Cheese. I’m on board with the flavors since the “New” aspect of this snack is absolutely its extruded physical format. And yes, Frito-Lay does make Doritos 3D, which initially launched in the ’90s and made a nostalgic comeback last year. Does anyone remember the mini 3D Doritos snack tube? That thing blew my middle-school brain. However, those are corn-based and only contain a single plebian layer! Lay’s Layers are potato-based and have a whole second floor of crunch — an ENTIRELY new snack.

Lay s Layers Sour Cream Onion Inside Bag

I decided to start with the Sour Cream & Onion flavor and was immediately unimpressed at the level of air in the bag but assumed this must be the case as they don’t want all those painstakingly created layers to get crushed. The next thing I noticed was how incredibly crunchy the layers are. When you munch on these, everyone within earshot will know. The texture reminded me of Bugles (not affiliated with Frito-Lay) but much lighter and broke down faster in the mouth, presumably because they are made from potato, not cornmeal. The Sour Cream & Onion flavor was light, but something was off about the aftertaste. I think it’s tough to deliver such an iconic flavor profile in a new format, but while I enjoyed eating these, the lingering flavor in my mouth was like onion-flavored potato powder. Not the best.

Lay s Layers Smooshed

I should also mention that I don’t believe I encountered a single one that maintained the perfectly circular shape as advertised on the front of the bag. It didn’t detract from the crunch delivery, but that little Pepsi logo shape is definitely not what these look like IRL.

Lay s Layers Three Cheese Inside Bag

Moving on to the Three Cheese, I was encouraged by the vibrant color and hoped this would indicate its cheese flavor level. I mean, if you’re going to claim you used three, it better taste cheesy. Much to my delight, the Three Cheese Layers were spot on, and the lingering potato taste wasn’t nearly as prevalent. They were crunchy, salty, cheesy, and reminded me very much of Cheddar & Sour Cream Ruffles but without so much oily residue. There was no mention of sour cream in the ingredient line, but I did catch buttermilk and onion powder, so maybe that’s where that profile came from? Either way, a winner in my book.

Lay s Layers Side by Side

Overall I’d say Frito Lay is on to something with this format. The added crunch layer delivers a new texture experience, but they have a bit of an aftertaste curveball to manage with the lingering dehydrated potato flavor. I’ll be eagerly awaiting the next flavor iterations.

Purchased Price: $3.99 each
Size: 4.75oz Bag
Purchased at: Mariano’s (a Kroger store)
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Sour Cream & Onion), 9 out of 10 (Three Cheese)
Nutrition Facts: (22 pieces) Sour Cream & Onion – 150 calories, 10 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 200 milligrams of sodium, 14 grams of carbohydrates, and less than 1 gram of protein. Three Cheese – 150 calories, 10 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 200 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of carbohydrates, and less than 1 gram of protein.