Tag: Pringles

I imagine putting together a Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme is like brain surgery when compared with the effort it takes to make a cheesy quesadilla. Making one is easier than typing qasadia quasadila quesadila quesadea quesadilla for a first time speller of the word. It involves these simple steps: warm up a soft tortilla in a skillet, sprinkle on a lot of cheese, wait for cheese to melt, fold tortilla in half, and eat.

But Pringles, the Master of Potato Flake Compression, has given us a much simpler way to experience the simple dish — Cheesy Quesadilla Pringles.

It’s not a new flavor, it originally came out years ago, but it hasn’t been on shelves for a while and is currently exclusive to Walgreens. So you can pick up a can while you’re picking up your prescription for something that only you and your doctor know about. Oh, and don’t forget to take your Walgreens Balance Rewards Card. This paragraph was not brought to you by Walgreens at the corner happy & healthy.

The flavor of these crisps is not what I would consider bold or cheese quesadilla-like. There’s a light cheesiness with an equally light pepperiness. I know what these are supposed to taste like, but it doesn’t fire my neurons in a way that makes me think cheesy quesadilla. Instead, all I can think about is watered down chile con queso.

Maybe the flavors are mild because Pringles wanted to recreate the flavor dampening abilities of soft tortillas. Or maybe the seasoning robot in the Pringles factory was set to level 4 by accident.

Overall, Cheesy Quesadilla Pringles are adequate. I don’t think it’s one of those “accidentally eat more than half a can in one sitting” flavors, like sour cream and onion or original. I guess what I’m trying to say is if you see it while picking up your medication at Walgreens, it’s probably not worth a try.

Disclosure: I received a free sample from Pringles in return for an honest review. Receiving the sample did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 5.96 oz can
Purchased at: Available at Walgreens
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 ounce) 150 calories, 80 calories from fat, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, less than 1 gram of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

Hot Diggity Dog is the all-time greatest Pringles…

…name.

It’s the only Pringles flavor that I would want as my catchphrase if I was a Hanna-Barbara cartoon character. There’s a lonely picnic basket under that tree? Hot Diggity Dog! You came up with a new sprocket for Spacely Space Sprockets? Hot Diggity Dog! Time to punch out at the quarry? Hot Diggity Dog! Scooby Snacks? Hot Diggity Dog!

I love hot dogs. If I could eat them every single day without medical concern, I would. Of course, I’d get sick of them at some point and then switch to hamburgers, but I’d probably come back to hot dogs once I got sick of hamburgers. So having hot dog-flavored Pringles does excite me.

Now if you expect these potato crisps to taste like a hot dog with all the fixings — ketchup, mustard, and relish — please lower your expectations. If you have expectations that it’s going to taste like what’s on the packaging — a hot dog with mustard — then you will be pleased.

Opening the can releases a yellow mustard scent that, if you inhale too much of it, will tickle your nose. There’s also a porky aroma **sniffles** mixed in with the mustard. **sniffles** It’s really nice.

**Sniffles**

Give me a second. Still tickling.

**Sniffles**

Okay, I’m good.

As for their flavor…Oh. My. Dog. The yellow mustard flavor dominates, but they also have a salty and meaty flavor that’s similar to those hot dogs that have ingredients labels I avoid reading. I swear there’s even a slight bun flavor that pops up every so often. Eating through a can of Hot Diggity Dog Pringles is like having having $21 at Costco and eating their $1.50 hot dogs until the money runs out…or until you throw up.

The food scientists behind this flavor did a wonderful job. Even the aftertaste that lingers tastes like a hot dog with mustard. My taste buds are so confused right now. They’re probably thinking, “Something crunchy that taste like a hot dog? What is going on? Are we in the future?”

With that said, I can understand if there are some of you out there who think this processed meat-flavored crunchy snack is absolutely gross. And I guess writing “processed meat-flavored crunchy snack” does make it sound unappealing, but I really love these.

The hot dog with mustard flavor is so spot on that I’ve had thoughts of having a hot dog-flavored Pringles eating competition, pretending I’m either Joey Chestnut, Takeru Kobayashi, or Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas, and then swallowing as many Hot Diggity Dog Pringles I can in 10 minutes.

Hot Diggity Dog is the all-time greatest Pringles name. And it’s also one of my all-time greatest Pringles.

Disclosure: I received these from the PR firm that represents Pringles. Receiving a free sample did not affect my review in any way. A glowing review probably looks like I’m in the pocket of Julius Pringles, but I assure you I’m not. So let me say something bad about Julius Pringles. He looks like a murderer in a Sherlock Holmes mystery.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 oz. – 150 calories, 80 calories from fat, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 190 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, less than 1 gram of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.)

Item: Hot Diggity Dog Pringles
Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 5.96 oz. can
Purchased at: Received from PR firm (available at Walgreens)
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Spot on hot dog and mustard flavor. Makes me want to pretend to be a competitive eater. Best Pringles name of all-time.
Cons: I imagine there are many people who won’t like the processed meat flavor. Comes in smaller can than regular Pringles. As of this posting, exclusive to Walgreens.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

It’s time for a man with furry facial hair who’s wearing red to deliver something that will make your holidays brighter. I’m not talking about Santa. Nor am I talking about the Target pharmacy cashier who started growing his “playoff beard” early and is handing you the cold medication that makes you loopy.

I’m talking about the red bowtie-wearing Pringles guy, Julius Pringles. Or as I like to call him, J.P. Yup, we as tight as a Pringles can around my hand as I try to grab the crisps at the bottom.

It’s that time of year when J.P. brings out the sweet Pringles flavors. There’s been Pumpkin Pie Spice, White Chocolate Peppermint, Milk Chocolate, White Chocolate, Cinnamon & Sugar, and Pecan Pie. I’ve tried a number of them and my thoughts range from yum to “my holidays are slightly less brighter now.”

J.P.’s latest is Salted Caramel Pringles. It’s a flavor that was bound to happen since salted caramel, sea salt caramel, salt caramel, sea salted caramel, and all their ilk have made their way onto every snack known to human*.

*probably not accurate

After pulling back the lid, I smelled a odd, sweet aroma. It was also familiar. The sea salt caramel seasoning is either transparent or potato crisp colored because these potato crisps look like plain old Pringles.

Remember when I said they smelled familiar? Well, there’s a reason for that. These Salted Caramel Pringles taste somewhat similar to Pecan Pie Pringles.

They taste similar because they have the same butteriness, which is the dominant flavor in both. The two flavors have a pancakes and maple syrup vibe to them, although less so with the Salted Caramel Pringles, which also have a light burst of salt. I guess sweet butteriness with some salt equates to salted caramel. These crisps also did leave my fingers smelling like eau de pancakes et syrup.

Yes, I’m smelling my fingers right now.

I liked the Pecan Pie Pringles, and since they taste like them, I also enjoyed Salted Caramel Pringles. But I’m disappointed they taste so similar. It’s as if J.P. regifted Pecan Pie Pringles.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 ounce/15 crisps – 150 calories, 80 calories from fat, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 110 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.)

Item: Limited Time Only Salted Caramel Pringles
Purchased Price: $7.98*
Size: 5.96 oz
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Tastes like Pecan Pie Pringles. Being tight with J.P. It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
Cons: Tastes like Pecan Pie Pringles. I keep smelling my fingers. If you think other sweet Pringles flavors are odd, this one won’t change your mind.

*Had to buy them from eBay because I wasn’t able to find them here. So I had to pay three times what they really cost to try them.

It’s been some time since I hung with Julius Pringles. I missed him. That mustachioed egg man may have gone through image makeovers throughout the years, but his tennis ball can-packed product has remained the same – kinda boring, kinda cardboardy, but undoubtedly addictive.

Pringles has had an Oreo-like run of flavors, but none really jumped out at me until I saw they had turned my favorite free mall food court sample into a chip — Bourbon Barbecue Chicken.

I’ve never walked though my mall’s food court without a friendly peddler offering me a free bite of bourbon chicken. Sometimes the sample even convinces me to buy a plate, so why not try the chip version?

So, did Pringles nail the flavor?

No, they basically re-purposed their BBQ flavor.

Once you pop, you get the familiar BBQ Pringles smell. Once you bite in, you get an instant vinegary/soy sauce-like tang which turns into a smoky BBQ flavor. It’s a pretty intense initial flavor, but it fades quickly. It’s actually weird; they’re like Gobstopper chips – multiple flavors in layers. Once the chip’s coating dissipates, it’s just a BBQ Pringle.

Pringles claims that once I pop I won’t be able to stop. But I stopped. I had to; in fear I wouldn’t have any water left in my body. These have a little spicy kick to them. That coupled with the fact they are really salty leaves you with almost immediate dry mouth. One can say I only ate about 2 fingers worth of these Bourbon baked beauties, Sinatra-style.

I initially thought the word “chicken” seemed completely unnecessary. You’d never know these were chicken flavored as you’re eating them, but about three minutes after I ate that handful of “crisps,” my mouth tasted like I had eaten BBQ chicken. It brought back memories of hanging by my friend’s pool and eating a chicken leg from the grill. So that aftertaste was spot on as far as the “chicken” goes.

As far as “bourbon” flavor? I mean, I’ve had BBQ sauces that were made from whiskey, and it’s never really been pronounced. I tried to convince myself that I did get a very quick taste of bourbon when I was eating these, but if I did it was just for a split second.

They don’t taste like the aforementioned bourbon chicken from the mall food court, which was disappointing. To be fair though, I haven’t had it in a while. I even bypassed the free sample the last time I was there. That’s what we call self control, ladies and gentlemen.

I guess I’d say these are slightly better than regular BBQ Pringles if only for that brief difference on first taste, and the chicken-y aftertaste. If I’m being honest, BBQ is not the Pringles I’d usually go for. I’ve always preferred their sour cream and onion. Is that a controversial opinion? I have to live up to my “badboy” image.

So, if you’re in the mood for a BBQ Pringle, but aren’t near a Target, you can make do with the old standard. If you’re feeling extra rowdy, pair them with a nice glass of bourbon because… well, you don’t need an excuse for that. You work hard.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 ounce – 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 210 milligrams of sodium, 0 milligrams of potassium, 16 grams of carbohydrates,1 gram of dietary fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.)

Item: Pringles Exclusive Flavor Bourbon Barbecue Chicken
Purchased Price: $1.33
Size: 6 oz. can
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Intense initial flavor, good Pringle crisp, Chicken aftertaste, Julius Pringles’ modern makeover, Summer BBQ déjà-vu, Free samples, My badboy image.
Cons: Not much difference from plain BBQ, People who say “Tar-jhey,” Dehydrating, Not really knowing the difference between Bourbon and Whiskey… because Sinatra drank Whiskey.

Unless you were living on the planet Uranus and happened to miss the Super Bowl and all of its commercials, you no doubt know that a truck can change the way people feel about a guy. But can a truck also change the way people feel about a chicken taco-flavored crisp which is approximately only 42 percent potato?

Such is the question posed by the latest Pringles innovation, Food Truck Flavors Kickin’ Chicken Taco.

To give you some perspective, I guess I should start out by saying I like, but do not love, Pringles. I’ve always found them a serviceable crisp, but let’s be honest, anything you can buy in a can for under two bucks probably isn’t going to conjure up adjectives like “artisan” and “game-changing.” The plainer flavors tend to have an off and fake potato aftertaste, while inconsistent spice coverage always seems to leave the more inventive seasoned crisps falling short.

Yes, a chicken taco from a food truck sounds great, but could chicken taco be any more ambiguous? I mean, chicken taco encompasses quite a spectrum of possibilities; anything ranging from Taco Bell’s “grilled” chicken in a hard shell with iceberg and cheap cheddar cheese to fried and crispy breast tenderloins doused in a bulgogi-style sauce from an up-and-coming fusion chef. The vagueness of it all is enough to make a guy wonder if it’s just another variation of sour cream and onion with a dash of back heat.

Julius K. Pringle clearly had other ideas in designing these crisps because they more than lived up to the unique mashup of flavors that make food trucks such a hit. The first flavor to hit my tongue is the unmistakable taste of braised and specifically dark meat chicken. Intrepid and worldly snackers have seen chicken-flavored crisps before, but unlike Lay’s somewhat recent rendition of Chicken & Waffles, the deep, unmistakably meaty taste isn’t offensive or fowl, at least not as foul as the egregious poultry-themed pun I seamlessly worked into this review.

After the initial blast of braised chicken, a veritable Williams-Sonoma catalog of spices hits me. At first there’s a strong taste of cumin and coriander, with a peppery, cayenne-like back heat which slowly builds. The heat reaches a crescendo, however, and gives way to a slightly floral and acidic note. I hesitate to proclaim it cilantro (or is it parsley?), but there’s definitely an element of relief from the earthy heat of the spices in the seasoning powder. That seasoning gets good coverage overall, appearing on both sides of the crisps.

They end on a distinctly citrusy and curiously sour note, in this case the unmistakable association of a squirt of fresh lime or lemon juice. Maybe the best part is that overly fake potato flake taste is completely absent.

Needless to say, my taste buds have been blown away. There are multiple influences of street food at play on each crisp, ranging from the aggressive spices and slow roasting of the Middle East’s shawarma, to the classic back heat and citrusy relief of your more traditional shredded chicken tacos from Latin America. If combining those two influences in a fusion-style taco was their goal (and seriously, I can pull up a Google search of dozens of food trucks around the country doing this) then Pringles has nailed the flavor with uncanny accuracy.

In 26 years of Pringles eating, this is, unequivocally, the most complex Pringle I have ever tasted, and probably the most realistic mashup of the fusion-inspired food truck flavors a snack food could ever hope to capture. It’s definitely changed the way I feel about Pringles, but is it for the better?

Truth be told my taste buds are confused, caught off guard by flavors I probably wouldn’t seek out had I known they’d be so authentic. Whether or not you find them satisfyingly addictive or unnervingly too accurate probably will depend on your attraction to the combination of assertive Latin and Middle Eastern spices, but one thing’s for sure. This ain’t a trip through the drive-thru and it will definitely leave you with a new perspective on Pringles.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 oz./about 15 crisps – 150 calories, 80 calories from fat, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 170 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, less than 1 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein..)

Item: Pringles Food Truck Flavors Kickin’ Chicken Taco
Purchased Price: $1.50
Size: 5.96 oz. can
Purchased at: Harris Teeter
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Multilayer seasoning shows evolution in flavors from meaty to earthy to piquant to cooling. Strong poultry taste reminds me of pulled adobo marinated chicken thighs. Uncanny resemblance to Middle Eastern and Latin fusion flavors in taco form. Everything’s better with a truck.
Cons: Not the most craveable flavor. Lacks broad appeal of “simpler” seasoning. Could probably be better as a Pringles Tortilla flavor. Tastes about 0.5 percent potato.