Rating: ©©©©-1/4 chips (lip-smacking)
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Cheddar
REVIEW: Ruffles Deep Ridged – Bacon & Cheddar Loaded Potato Skins Potato Chips
Rating: ©©©-1/2 chips (notable)
Ruffles, will your quest for the ultimate ridged potato chips ever be complete?! How deep must your ridges dive to satisfy your wavy urges? This ridge-sanity must end!! However, in the meantime, we will gladly crunch away at your Deep Ridged potato chips!!
Correct us if we are wrong, but has Ruffles simply re-branded their line of Ultimate potato chips, under the new moniker Deep Ridged? And, are “ridges 2X as deep” even more deep than “now with deeper ridges?!?” Who’s in charge around here?! “Ruffles have Ridges”, but now those ridges have become 2X’s deeper, and consequently, the most wavy-ridged chips that we have ever laid our lips on. Wow! So deep in fact, that our tongues could barely reach the bottoms of their potato chip canyons!
Hold on here! Stop the Chip Review-ing presses!! Now we are positive that we already reviewed these chips, but under the ‘Ultimate’ brand?!! At least with Ruffles Deep Ridged Buffalo Wild Wings Classic Hot Wings flavor, Ruffles was bringing us a new flavor. Well, since Ruffles can do it, why can’t we. See below for our description of both Ruffles Ultimate, and Deep Ridged, Bacon & Cheddar Loaded Potato Skins:
Like all of the flavors before them, these chips do not go lightly on the seasoning, however, the flavor recipe is only satisfactory at best. All of the necessary flavor components are present, but together, the combination, underwhelms. We taste a lot of smooth sour cream, some bland cheddar cheese, some onion, representing the chives, and then of course, the fake, sweet, smoky and salty bacon aspect (that always reminds us of Baco Bits).
One small detail, or issue, that a handful of us at Chip Review had with these chips, was something we like to call “false advertising”. Maybe more accurately, “slightly misleading advertising”. You see, there has to be some reason that Ruffles would deliberately enlarge and highlight the two ingredients BACON & CHEDDAR apart from the Loaded Potato Skins flavor name. Why? Because those two ingredients are the best! And, Ruffles had us believe that were to be accentuated and emboldened, but alas, the chips are simply fake smoky, sour cream and cheddar potato chip. Eatable yes, but not very reminiscent of the warm, fatty, cohesive, and ultra comforting loaded potato skins!
In the end, regardless of whether Ruffles calls them Deep Ridged or Ultimate, these potato chips are super wavy & rippled, and our mouths appreciate the textural playground!
As always, these are our thoughts, we would love to hear what you think. Agree or disagree, let us know.
Discovered at Target; Hillside, Illinois
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RATING: Palo Popcorn – Premium Cheddar Cheese
Rating: ©©©© chips (lip-smacking)
Popcorn provided to Chip Review from Palo Popcorn for review
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RATING: Quaker – Baked Cheddar Snack Mix
Rating: ©©©©-1/4 chips (lip-smacking)
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RATING: Cheetos – Wild White Cheddar
Rating: ©©©© chips (lip-smacking)
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REVIEW: Chex Chips – Cheddar Jalapeno
Rating: ©©-1/2 chips (tolerable)
Comments:
Most of us here at Chip Review are from the generation raised on homemade Chex Mix! Not the Chex Mix that kids these days are growing up with, but the kind that was so deliciously saturated with unctuous amounts of butter and Worcestershire sauce, that it took the mix pieces forever to crisp back up again in the oven. The O.M. – Original Mix! Absolutely delicious! Granted, many of us referred to this “classical” delicious mix as Doo Dads, rather than Chex Mix, however, that’s another story.
So, what exactly are Chex Chips? Well, lets imagine that someone took all of the Chex pieces out of the Chex Mix, and this same someone then took each of those pieces and placed them under that laser from ‘Honey I Shrunk The Kids. Not knowing how to accurately use the machine, rather than shrink the pieces they used the laser to enlarge the Chex pieces into giant-jumbo Chex pieces! So large in fact, that they could be classified as Chex Chips!!
According to the Chex folks, if “unique is what you seek. You’re about to experience a multigrain chip like no other. A bigger, puffier version of the Chex square. You’ll love that unique pattern in a light and crunchy chip.” In our opinion, the Chex Chips are not much different than most other puffed, or popped, multigrain chips currently on the market today. They are airy, crisp, light, with a slightly melt-able texture, reminiscent of a good corn puff. However, we think that Jack over at The Impulsive Buy said it best in his review of the chips that “the texture of Chex Chips is a wonderfully effective hybrid somewhere between the puffiness of Bugles and the crispiness of the late (and well missed) Doritos 3D. Much less flimsy than their breakfast cereal brethren.”
Unfortunately, these particular criss-crossed Chex Chips are not nearly as tasty as the Caramelized Onion flavor we tasted before them. It just seemed like from the very get to that the seasoning blend had some unusual flavor quality to it. The cheddar jalapeno flavor definitely had a more peppery ratio than it did cheddar cheese. In fact, the cheddar cheese aspect almost seemed muted, or at the very least, a timid afterthought when compared to the extra peppery jalapeno chile flavor. We can’t even seem to pinpoint exactly what it is, but this flavor combo just do not work as well with the Chex Chips as the other two flavors that we have tried.
We don’t have anything else to say about that. We are still more than happy to welcome Chex to the chip game, but we just plan on sticking with the Caramelized Onion flavor!
As always, these are our thoughts, we would love to hear what you think. Agree or disagree, let us know.
Discovered at 7-Eleven; Burr Ridge, Illinois
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REVIEW: Wise Cheez Doodles – Jalapeno Cheddar Poppers
Rating: ©©©-1/2 chips (notable)
Comments:
We’re confused, are these doodles or poppers? In our opinion, small, crunchy, balls of cheese would be better classified as poppers than doodles. A doodle, actually makes us think of a noodle, which more closely resembles a curl – you catch our drift? All kidding aside, Cheez Doodles are Wise’s line of cheese-centric snacks – ie. curls, puffs, crunchies, balls, etc.
Not very much can be said about these Jalapeno Cheddar Poppers. They are a drastically straight forward, unoriginal, unnatural and predictable snack, that’s easy to eat. First, comes the wave of aromatic jalapeno chili pepper scent. Next, a slight burn kisses the tongue and brushes the throat. Then comes another wave from the fragrant vegetal, chili pepper presence. Finally, the salty cheddar cheese flavor envelops all taste buds, and reminds you that these Doodles are a Cheez snack first and foremost.
The Cheez Doodles’ texture is slightly more dense, and crunchy than the traditionally delicate, tongue meltable, cheese puff. Their small spherical shape maximizes ease of pop-ability. Overall, the snack is crunch worthy and snack-able, but simply nowhere near as delicious as say Herr’s Jalapeno Popper Cheese Curls.
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
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