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REVIEW: Snyder’s of Hanover – Nacho Grande Korn Krunchers

/ duthow / Leave a comment

Rating: ©©©-3/4 chips  (notable)

Snyder's of Hanover - Nacho Cheese Korn KrunchersAfter devouring and loving Snyder’s lip-smacking Hot Chili Lime flavored Korn Krunchers we thought that the nacho cheese variation was a shoe in to knock our socks off!  As we all know, nacho cheese flavor and corn based chips are a match made in heaven!  And yet, for one reason or another, the Nacho Grande flavor simply did not jive with the Korn Krunchers as harmoniously as the Hot Chili Lime flavor did!

By now, you have certainly read our words at one point or another proclaiming Snyder’s of Hanover (SOH) as the “timeless masters of hard sour dough pretzel snacks” (and just so we are clear here, that is us, quoting ourselves).  SOH’s Pretzel Pieces technique is a thing of delicious genius and beauty, and rather than remain content, and simply ride the crunchy coat tails of their popular pretzel products, Snyder’s has decided to go  against all forms of rational thinking, and release some “boldly flavored corn snacks” aptly called Korn Krunchers!  So, without further ado, we ask you: what the heck are these things?!?

At first glance, based on the snapshot from the front of the packaging, we would have to say that these Korn Krunchers look exactly like Snyder’s deliciously broken Pretzel Pieces.  For any of you out there who are somehow unfamiliar with Snyder’s of Hanover’s Pretzel Pieces let us explain to you our perfect scenario beliefs regarding the crunchy pretzel pieces.  In an ideal world, SOH would resourcefully use their leftover, broken during the manufacturing process, pretzel pieces to creatively provide us with these tasty bites (unlikely scenario, we know)!  The most impressive aspect of the “broken” pieces, is how their exposed porous, bread-y structure willfully absorb an ample amount of whatever flavoring SOH is applying.

Well, one glance into this bag and our initial thoughts are reaffirmed, these Korn Krunchers do look identical to the Pretzel Pieces.  Practically no visual difference at all!  In fact, one more glance at the ingredient’s list on the back of the bag shows that, low and behold, the first ingredient for these Krunchers is not actually corn, but flour!  That’s right F-L-O-U-R, that magical grain that bread-y creations, like say P-R-E-T-Z-E-L-S are made of.  Yet, despite all of similarities, we are thrilled to report that the self declared ‘crunchy nuggets’ are truly a unique creation all their own!

The Korn Krunchers initial mouth texture produced a hard, sturdy crunch just like the Pretzel Pieces do, but after a few more chews, their more rustic texture appeared.  Combine that with an impressively strong corn presence, reminiscent of delicious, fresh corn tortillas, and we’ve got a new snack unlike any other.  After a few (OK, a bunch) more handfuls, and chews, and swallows, it became apparent that the corn-pretzel hybrids actually have quite a grainy texture to them, reminiscent of a good corn bread.

The Nacho Grande seasoning was very flavorful.  The blend balanced a combination of zesty and spicy vegetal jalapeno notes, with plenty of salty nacho cheese powder, and sufficient amounts of supporting flavor from tomato, garlic and onion as well.  SOH’s nacho variation was really delicious, but for some reason (one we can’t pinpoint), the Nacho Grande seasoning just didn’t work as well with the Korn Krunchers as the Hot Chili Lime flavor did.

All and all, we love the aspect of these tasty new corn creations, and can’t wait to taste, and review, the barbeque flavor as well.

For some other thoughts, check out Junk Food Guy’s review.

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

Discovered at Jewel Osco; Westchester, Illinois

Snyder’s of Hanover Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

REVIEW: Food Should Taste Good – Guacamole Tortilla Chips

/ duthow / Leave a comment

Rating: ©©©-3/4 chips  (notable)

Food Should Taste Good - GuacamoleIs there anything better than enjoying freshly made guacamole & tortilla chips outside on the patio in the warm summer sun?  Those bright green, perfectly ripened, and flavorful avocados all mashed together with a handful of complimentary ingredients, creating a perfectly harmonious chunky dip.

Let’s take a moment to evaluate why it is so difficult for a chip company to capture what we really love about guacamole.  First of all, the texture.  Predominantly consisting of chunky avocado pieces that exude a rich and unctuous mouth feel, that is offset with bright pops of onion, garlic, tomato and cilantro.  Secondly, fat on fat.  Sure, in both cases we enjoy the deliciously fried corn tortilla chips, but with real, fresh guacamole, we that fat level is heightened to a whole new level.  Lastly, with real guacamole it is mandatory be have cold margaritas or beer within an arm’s reach at all times (we’re fairly certain that this is a law…).  And, we can’t say the same about whether or not this same “law” is mandatory with guacamole flavored chips?

Food Should Taste Good’s Guacamole Tortilla Chips do a fairly good job of hitting the flavor notes of real guacamole.  First, right off the bat is a waft of some vegetal presence.  Next, came a powerful lime note, followed closely by a bit of heat.  Actually, that bit of heat continued to build as we consumed more chips.  The chips were rounded out with a muddled melange of other flavors that seemed to include cilantro, chili, tomato, garlic, onion, and even cumin.  The chips were flavorful, and pretty tasty, but something about them seemed sort of weird.

It took us a few minutes of pondering to really pinpoint what it was that perplexed us about these chips.  First of all, the chips are not reallly seasoned in the typical sense of the description.  Normally, we can taste the “flavor” of the chip by licking them, because they have been coated with a dusting of seasoning.  These chips were not coated with seasoning, instead the flavorful ingredients were ground, or mixed, directly into the tortilla chip’s dough.  While this is not the first time we have seen this technique, we can’t say that we really enjoyed this technique with these chips very much.  On another note, we also did not enjoy the use of the ultra aromatic lime oil; especially without the use of some type of acid, or sour notes to accurately represent the citrus.  These chips really could have used that burst of citric acid, or some vinegar, to cut through all of the powerful, slightly monotone, flavor components.

All that being said, we found the fresh, and crispy tortilla chips very easy to eat.  Their dirty green color made us feel like we were getting our veggie servings in while still enjoying some crunchy goodness. While they may not be satisfying our urges for real guacamole and chips, we would gladly crunch on these in a pinch. Once again, we should definitely recognize Food Should Taste Good’s decision to push the industry’s flavor limits, and continually add unique flavors to their impressive line-up.

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 Food Should Taste Good Brand for review

Food Should Taste Good Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list