BIJOU-REVIEW: Fresh Thyme Farmers Market – Jalapeño Kettle Cooked Potato Chips

Rating: ©©-1/4 chips  (tolerable)

Do not let it deceive you, Fresh Thyme Farmers Market is not in fact a farmers market that specializes in fresh thyme….  It’s really just another grocery store hopping onto the farmer, fresh, healthy, etc., etc., grocery store bandwagon.

And, like any good grocery store worth a damn, Fresh Thyme of course has an aisle, or maybe it was only a portion of an aisle, dedicated to the greatest snacking food in the world – chips!

Within that aisle were these jalapeño flavored kettle cooked potato chips, branded with the Fresh Thyme Farmers Market name.

Unfortunately, Fresh Thyme’s chips are really not that good.

The kettle cooked chips themselves may in fact have been THE THINNEST, kettle cooked, potato chips that we have ever encountered.  Very thin.

This thinness resulted in an extremely light crunch, and an invariably greasy chip, with no distinguishable potato flavor.

The jalapeño seasoning was potent enough to cover up any grease flavor, but it was also more of a spicy seasoned salt blend, than it was jalapeño in any way.

In the end, just really salty, salty, salty.  Dash of onion here, a splash of garlic there, and maybe a sprinkle of jalapeño at the end.

These are our thoughts, agree or disagree, make sure to let us know!

Chips discovered at Fresh Thyme Farmers Market; Downers Grove, Illinois

Fresh Thyme Farmers Market Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

BIJOU-REVIEW: G.H. Cretors – Chile Jalapeño White Cheddar Organic Popped Corn

Rating: ©©©-3/4 chips  (notable)

We certainly would not consider ourselves pessimists here at Chip Review, but upon opening G.H.’s bag of popcorn to the left, we would also certainly call this bag more than half empty with popcorn, or should we say not nearly half full.

In G.H. Cretors’ defense , we’re sure that there is some sort of logistical transport reasoning behind their bag-to-popcorn-to-air ratio, but quite frankly we found this bag’s fill level pretty disappointing.

Luckily the bag was filled with some pretty tasty popcorn!

Large white fluffy popcorn kernels, coated in a savory, slightly funky, white cheddar cheese powder.

Despite the mention of two types of spicy ingredients – both generic “chile pepper”, in addition to jalapeño – we really didn’t get very much chile flavor, or heat from the popcorn.

The white cheddar cheese seasoning did a fairly good job of making up for the lack of heat.  A rich, and creamy, and tangy white cheese powder that sufficiently coated the popcorn.

Is this the greatest popcorn?  No.  Is it more than adequately eatable?  Yes.

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

Popcorn discovered at Whole Foods; Elmhurst, Illinois

G.H. Cretors Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

BIJOU-REVIEW: Good Health – Jalapeño Kettle Style Avocado Oil Potato Chips

Rating: ©©-3/4 chips  (tolerable)

Good Health Natural Foods chips may be good for our health, but not necessarily for our taste buds.

We have tasted other Avocado Oil Kettle Chips from Good Health Natural Foods, and for the most part we have been impressed….

But, these ones just don’t do it for us.

Same great medium cut, avocado oil kettle cooked, extra crispy, potato chips.

Where the chips went completely wrong for us was with their “jalapeño” seasoning.  Or, we actually say, lack there of!

Seriously, we have eaten plain potato chips that tasted more like the green, spicy chile pepper.

Maybe something was wrong with the bag we got, or maybe jalapeños aren’t good for one’s health (so they were left out of the bag)?  Either way, these chips do not deserve to be called jalapeño seasoning.

These are our thoughts, agree or disagree, make sure to let us know!

Chips discovered at Pete’s Fresh Market; Oak Brook Terrace, Illinois

Good Health Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

BIJOU-REVIEW: Mr. Krisps Rings – Jalapeño Flavor Potato Crunches

Rating: ©-1/2 chips  (return to sender)

We were pretty excited for these jalapeño flavored rings; well, that is at least until we actually tasted them and realized that the rings were potato based, and not the usual corn based puffed products that we are used to here in the U.S.

Mr. Krisps Rings are another unusual snack brought back from our good friends S&A’s trip to the United Emirates.  In other words, you’re not going to find these on your local grocery store shelves.

We don’t really have much to say about these.

They are obviously puffed rings.  They are light as air.  No body or chew to them at all.  They give you one crispy crunch and then POOF, they are gone.

Where we didn’t really care for them at all was in their seasoning, or should we say, lack there of??  Seriously, these were completely devoid of said jalapeño flavor.  To top it off, they needed a visit from the salt fairy as well.

Not impressed with these at all.

Anyone out there ever tried these?  If so, please let us know.

Chips provided to Chip Review by S&A, acquired in Dubai, United Emirates

Mr. Krisps / NFI Dubai Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

REVIEW: Alaska Chip Company – Katmai Volcano Jalapeño Potato Chips

Rating: ©©©©© chips  (“A” list)

Just as we were beginning to believe that the Alaska Chip Company made much better popcorn than it did actual chips, along comes these amazing Katmai Volcano Jalapeño flavored gourmet kettle cooked potato chips!

So, what exactly is Katmai Volcano?  According to the world wide web’s technical gobbledygook, Mount Katmai is one of five vents encircling the Novarupta volcano, source of the VEI 6 eruption and associated voluminous pyroclastic flows in 1912…..  Um, yeah, we’re just going to go ahead and say that the Mount Katmai Volcano is the namesake to easily the most deliciously spicy jalapeño flavored potato chips that have ever erupted our taste buds from the great state of Alaska!

What Alaska Chip Company delivers for jalapeño flavor is most certainly a deliciously unique rendition.  An ingredient combination that had us saying HUH? WHOA. WOW! from the very get go!  Sour, and tangy, and pickle-y, and of course the usual spicy, and vegetal.  This creative jalapeño flavor variation is the result of garlic, onion, vinegar, citric acid and yes, lemon juice – Boom!  Heck, A.C. Co. even throws in some parsley just to class the chips up a little bit!

The kettle cooked potato chips themselves are on the thinner end of the spectrum, with a decently solid crispy crunch.  A little bit oily, but in delicious mouth pleasing sort of way, and at the same time, delivering a good amount of real Alaskan potato flavor.  All in all, extremely impressive gourmet kettle cooked potato chips!

Alaska Chip Company’s Katmai Volcano Jalapeño Potato Chips are so tasty that we had to update our Top 5 (actually Top 9) Jalapeño Flavored “Chips” of all-time.  So, if you happen to find yourself in Alaska, and you have that craving for some deliciously spicy kettle chips, these are your no brainer choice.  And while you are there, if you could pick us up a bag or two, we would really appreciate it!

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

Chip provided to Chip Review from Alaska Chip Company for review

Alaska Chip Company Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

REVIEW: Art’s & Mary’s – Hot ‘N Zesty Jalapeño Home Style Potato Chips

Rating: ©©©©© chips  (“A” list)

It has probably been over a decade ago now since we first, and last, crossed crunchy paths with the legendary – (that’s right legendary, in our books at least, if you’ve tried them, then probably yours as well) – Art’s & Mary’s Hot ‘N Zesty Jalapeño Home Style Potato Chips.  Honestly, we were sort of anxiously worried to taste these chips again.  Maybe our memory from ten years ago isn’t all it is cracked up to be, and A&M’s chips aren’t really that great…  Or, maybe our personal tastes have simply changed so much that chips that we once loved, no longer register as great any longer…

Well, by the good grace of J&V, we here at Chip Review are beyond ecstatic to report that A&M’s Jalapeño chips are not only just as amazingly fantastic as we remember them being a decade ago, but they may in fact be even better!!  It only took the crunch of one chip for us to confirm and re-solidify Art’s & Mary’s position on Chip Review’s Top 5 Jalapeño Flavored Chip of all-time.

Art’s & Mary’s Homestyle, aka Kettle Cooked, Tater Chips are probably the perfect example of what we want in kettle cooked potato chips.  Medium-thickness, really rigid, perfectly crunchy, a tad toothsome, and altogether fantastic.  But, as perfect as the chips themselves are, our most favorite aspect of these chips is the jalapeño seasoning.  And we are not just talking about the chili heat that these deliver, although that they most certainly do!  No, we are also talking about the depth, and complexity, and cohesiveness that this seasoning recipe resonates using a combination of jalapeño, garlic, onion, and citric acid!

We could go on and on about what makes these chips great, but, let’s just say that we looooove them!  They are easily some of our all-time favorites.  If you ever find yourself driving through Doo-Dah, Kansas, we suggest you make a bit stop at the local grocery store and pick yourself up a bag or two of these fantastic chips.  In fact, while you are there grab us a few bags as well please!!

Chips provided to Chip Review by J & V for review

Art’s & Mary’s Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

REVIEW: Meijer – Grilled Pineapple and Jalapeño Potato Chips

Rating: ©©©©-1/2 chips  (lip-smacking)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know.  We just keep on reviewing those “generic” brands that we continually tell you we don’t review.  Heck, it was only mere days ago that we reviewed Meijer’s Honey Butter flavored potato chips.  But, when these “generic” brands like 365, and in this case, Meijer, continue creating such deliciously unique flavors as Grilled Pineapple and Jalapeño, we cannot help ourselves, and nor should we, or you for that matter!  These flavors are just too outrageous to pass up.

First things first, these chips are certainly not for everyone.  If the sound of this flavor combination doesn’t automatically wet those taste buds, you should probably just leave them be.  However, if you are like us, and you can’t wait to try the next weird and wacky flavor (Kung Pao Chicken anyone?), then these may just be right up your alley, because they are quite tasty!

Who knew that grilled pineapple and jalapeño worked well together??  Well, apparently anyone who has enjoyed one of these pizzas.  Or, anyone who loves some good al pastor tacos with some spicy jalapeños in there, that’s who.  OOOooooh, and speaking of which, doesn’t that sound like a great chip flavor – Al Pastor??  That would probably work better with corn tortilla chips right?  Seeing as how tacos are made using corn tortillas……

Okay, focus, getting back on track.  This flavor combination plain old works, and it works well with crunchy kettle cooked potato chips .  Right off the bat we get those sweet, tropical, sort of sour, grilled (maybe?) pineapple flavors.  In a blind taste test we may not have actually been able to pinpoint that it was pineapple we were supposed to be tasting, but once our palettes were already primed, we got it right away.  On the tail end of the flavor came those spicy, vegetal-ly, jalapeño chili pepper notes that helped to cut some of the sweet, while still keeping the party rockin’!

You know what chips these remind us a lot of??  Hawaiian Chip Company’s Mango Habanero Kettle Chips.  Not quite that deliciously spicy, complex, or intriguing, but definitely similar in that they combined a great chili flavor, and some heat with a sweet, tropical fruit not typically paired with fried potato slices.

Meijer’s kettle cooked potato chips are everything we could hope they would be.  Medium-thick, a bit greasy and extra crunchy.  A perfectly sturdy medium for the bold seasoning.

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

Chips discovered at….where else – Meijer; Bolingbrook, Illinois

Meijer Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list