Month: August 2012

REVIEW: Corn Nuts Chips – Hot Sauce & Limon Corn Chips

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Rating: ©-1/4 chips  (return to sender)

Comments:

Corn Nuts have been around for quite a while.  We here at Chip Review grew up eating Corn Nuts.  We really like Corn Nuts – especially the BBQ flavored ones!  Those crunchy corn nuggets always make us think we are going to chip a tooth, but we never do.  In stead we just crunch away at those kernels until the cows come home.

So why would Corn Nuts feel the urge to take their rock solid, time tested product and try to convert it into a corn tortilla chip???  We are not really sure, but what we do know is that they should not have.  There’s nothing really wrong with the flavoring of these chips other than it is the typical spicy lime seasoning found on so many snacks these days, and adds nothing new to the genre.  What is wrong with these chips is that they are the size of nickels.  The odd size is too small to pick the chips out individually and eat them (which we feel is one of the great trademarks of a chip – to be able to pick up a single chip, examine it and devour it….).  These basically need to be eaten by the palm-ful.  The chips are also extremely dense, and lacking in that wonderful Corn Nuts crunch.

Nobody likes change….. (especially when it is for the worse!).  Stick with the original Corn Nuts.

But heck, give them a taste for yourselves, let us know what you think….don’t say we didn’t warn you!

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

REVIEW: Herr’s – All Natural Lattice Cut Classic Kettle Cooked with Sea Salt Potato Chips

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Rating: ©©© chips  (notable)

Comments:

Here’s another  long-winded named chip to add to the list….

Honestly, we think there should be a limit to the number of descriptors a brand can include on the front of a single bag of chips.  We mean, come’on…..Let’s leave something up to the imagination of the eater.  It’s similar to a movie trailer that gives away everything in that three minute span – why tell us so much about the movie?  Are they trying to compensate for something?

Maybe these waffle / lattice cut chips are the next big trend in the chip world?  We’re not quite sure.  Honestly, we don’t think so (or hope so!). Herr’s Lattice Cut Kettle Cooked Potato Chips are very similar to Cape Cod’s newish version of the same style chips, however Herr’s seem a bit more dense, and don’t have Cape Cod’s lovely pepper blend coating them.  And, where as we enjoyed the unique waffle cut crunch of Cape Cod’s chips, with Herr’s our mouths weren’t quite as happy.

Our favorite part of these chips was definitely the usage of finely ground sea salt.  It seems like sea salt must hit a different part of our tongues than just regular salt because at first we thought that we weren’t even tasting any salt, but once we stopped chewing to lick our lips, POW – salt city! Very salty-salt flavor, that we quite enjoyed.

As always, these are our thoughts, we would love to hear what you think.  Agree or disagree, let us know.

Chips provided to Chip Review by Herr’s Foods, Inc. for review

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

REVIEW: Dakota Style – Nice ‘N Spicy Kettle Chips

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Rating: ©©©-1/2 chips  (notable)

Comments:

When Dakota Style creates two flavors with such similar flavor descriptions – Nice ‘N Spicy and Blaze ‘N Hot – Chip Review assumes that we are going to be tasting similar flavors as well…

Well, that’s not the case here.

Dakota Style’s Nice ‘N Spicy Kettle Chips make us think of one word: American-Chinese-Buffet!  OK, that’s three words (you got us), but that doesn’t diminish the fact that these chips instantly triggered thoughts of chowing down on plates full of Chinese buffet food.  The chips have a tiny bit of zip to them, but no so much from a chili heat, more along the lines of a vinegary zing that tweaks the tongue.  The inclusion of soy is apparent in these chips, combined with some garlic and sugar, and we’re thinking Asian cuisine.

Which makes us really wonder about the flavor naming of these chips?  Nice ‘N Spicy?  Spicy – not so much.  Zingy – yes.  Nice?  Well, possibly, but we really didn’t spend that much time getting to know them…..

As always we would love to hear what you think.  Let us know.

Chip provided to Chip Review from Dakota Style Chips for review

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© –tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

REVIEW: Dakota Style – Blaze ‘N Hot Kettle Chips

/ duthow / Leave a comment

Rating: ©©©©-1/4 chips  (lip-smacking)

Comments:

When Dakota Style creates two flavors with such similar flavor descriptions – Nice ‘N Spicy and Blaze ‘N Hot – Chip Review assumes that we are going to be tasting similar flavors as well…

Well, that’s not the case here.

These Blaze ‘N Hot flavored chips are definitely the more spicy of the two flavors.  In fact, quite a bit spicy after only eating a few, and by the end of the bag we were reaching for some milk!  We noticed that habanero is included in the ingredients, and we’re thrilled when we realized that we could actually taste the citrus-y floral chili pepper among all of the heat.  We really liked the flavor combination of these chips, the habanero, garlic and onion, combined with the very crunchy kettle chips, make for some chips with depth.  These are definitely among our favorite Dakota Style potato chips.

As always we would love to hear what you think.  Let us know.

Chip provided to Chip Review from Dakota Style Chips for review

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© –tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list