Onion / Chive / Shallot

REVIEW: Funyuns – Steakhouse Onion

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Rating: ©©©-1/4 chips  (notable)

Funyuns - Steakhouse OnionRip open this bag and let the crunchy goodness of Funyuns Steakhouse Onion Flavored Rings make all your onion blossom dreams come true. Your taste buds will have no choice but to say, “THANK YOU!” Crunchy Rings of AWESOMENESS (these words are from the back of the Steakhouse Onion Funyuns bag)

Do we share this in this enthusiasm?

Maybe a little bit…

We’ll just get it out of the way and say that these are pretty good, and certainly not lacking in the flavor department.  The corn meal puffed onion rings are as crunchy as they ever are, BUT to be completely honest our “onion blossom dreams” have not come true (especially since our onion blossom dreams always include rainbows, pots of gold, and the occasional unicorn!!).

We just don’t really see the purpose of this flavor?!?  They taste very similar to original Funyuns with a sprinkling of muddled, generic seasoning on them.  Again, they are not bad, but they are unnecessary.  We simply feel like the only real reason for making a new version of a classic should be if you could enhance it in some way, or at the very least make such a difference that you can barely recognize the original  – neither of those two are apparent here!  The Steakhouse Onion seasoning basically just adds further onion flavor, a dash of garlic, traces of tomato, and a tiny smooch of heat on the finish.

If we had a choice, we would pick the Original Funyuns over these every time.  And, if we had another choice, we would pick both the Flamin’ Hot and Chile Limon versions over the Originals, probably because we really like both of them, but also because they provide an enhanced version of the Original!!  With the Funyuns Flamin’ version they were bright red, tangy & spicy, and with the Chile Limon, Funyuns took our taste buds on an exciting roller coaster of flavor that we had never ridden (eaten) before!

FUNYUNS – we are all for you giving us new flavors to try, but we want them to be just that – NEW!!  Not onion flavored onion rings!

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

Discovered at Walmart; Darien, Illinois

Funyuns Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

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BIJOU-REVIEW: Skinnygirl – Caramelized Onion Baked Pretzel Thins

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Rating: ©©©© chips  (lip-smacking)

Skinnygirl - Caramelized Onion Pretzel ThinsSkinnygirl’s Baked Pretzel Thins take an obvious cue from the big boys of the pretzel market – Pretzel Crisps.

Thinn-ish, with a sturdy crunch, pretzel sort of “chips”.  They sort of look like bagel chips.

The baked thins encompass a good level of pure pretzel flavor, with a bit of a bread-y texture, that can distract a little bit, but luckily Skinnygirl’s delicious seasoning prevails.

The caramelized onion seasoning has a deliciously robust flavor profile.  We could definitely taste the sweet toasted onion notes, but there was also a decent level of garlic thrown in there.  So, just in case you were having any thoughts about doing any smooching after eating these, we would tell you to refrain!

Plain and simple this seasoning was lip-smackingly delicious, and worked very well with the pretzel thins.  We could crunch these all day!!

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 Barrel O’ Fun Snacks for review

Barrel O’ Fun Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

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REVIEW: International Popcorn – Everything Bagel Popcorn

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

International Popcorn - Everything BagelIs popcorn the new universally adored crunchy go-to?!  Has it replaced chips or crisps as the language of snacks?!  If so, then International Popcorn makes total sense, and if not, well…at least we get to eat some more popcorn!

See, we told you that it was going to be popcorn crazy around here for a while, and we weren’t kiddin’!!!  We have so many different bags of popcorn to try and review!  It ridicu-POP-olis!!  Not that we are complaining in any way, shape or form, because we do love popcorn, and someone’s got to do it!

What is your favorite bagel flavor or type?  If you are like us, and you answer that question with Everything of course, then we like your style, and we’re fairly certain that you would really like this popcorn!  First and foremost, the seasoning is SPOT ON!!  If we had approached this popcorn with a blind eye, we still could have identified the flavor without a doubt, in not time at all.  Poppy seeds?  Check.  Sesame seeds?  Check.  Onion, garlic and salt??  Check – check – check!  To say that the flavor combination works would be silly as this traditional bagel flavor has been pleasing bagel lovers like us for many a year!  But, the real question is does this seasoning mix mingle well with popcorn?  We are very pleased to report that for the most part, YES IT DOES!!

International Popcorn has created a new salty snack combo that we have never tasted before.  Their popcorn is light and crispy, and yet full-bodied and toothsome.  The popcorn provides a perfect canvas to support and highlight the bold seasoning combination.  The one complaint that some of our tasters made mention of was that they felt like the popcorn was missing some aspect of richness, or creaminess, and that it came off a touch dry.  Other tasters felt like the coconut oil utilized by International Popcorn more than satisfied their fatty mouth feel craving.  Either way you crunch it, all tasters agreed that the seasoning was accurate, and worked with well with the popcorn.  So, if you happen to be looking for a healthier alternative to your calorie loaded everything bagel then help yourself to some International Popcorn!

As always, these are our thoughts. Agree or disagree, make sure to let us know.

Popcorn provided to Chip Review by International Popcorn for review

International Popcorn Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

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©© – tolerable

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RATING: Roundy’s – All Dressed Up Potato Chips

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

Roundys - All Dress Up

We don’t typically review or rate generic grocery store brands but this flavor was so unique and so delicious (apparently, a very popular Canadian flavor), that we just had to rate them.  Plain and simple, we would describe these as ultra-vinegary, sweet and salty, ketchup chips!

Chips discovered at Mariano’s; Westchester, IL

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REVIEW: Cobs – Sour Cream & Chives Popcorn

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

Cobs - Sour Cream & ChivesOkay, we are nearly certain that 2015 is in fact, the year of the kernel!  The Big Popowski!  We wouldn’t be at all surprised if we looked back through all of our reviews and ratings from this year so far, and ended up finding that we had tasted more new popcorn than chips!  Wait, let’s just do that…

Cob’s Sour Cream & Chives Popcorn is our 26th new popcorn of 2015!  And while that may not be quite as many as new chips we have tried this year, it is still a more than worthy number!  Like we’ve joked many times before, maybe we should just change our name to Popcorn Review?!  Or, at the very least dedicate another site to strictly reviewing the amazing popped kernels….(maybe we’re onto something here)!

We’ve mentioned this before, but we should probably point it out again.  After discovering Cobs Cheddar Cheese Popcorn last year at….where else, World Market….we were so impressed with the delicious Down Under delicacy that we did a little research and found that Cobs, similar to Angie’s Popcorn, was started by a husband and wife team years back, and eventually grew into the great popcorn company that it is today!  Luckily for us, Cobs awesome Aussie popcorn company thought that it would be a good idea for Chip Review to taste and critique some other flavors of their popcorn, and we couldn’t agree more!!

Sour cream and onion is what we like to consider the most classic of potato chip flavors.  For many of us here at Chip Review it was the first flavored chip that we ever tried, and will forever hold a special little spot in our hearts.  That being said, we can’t really say that we have ever tried this timeless flavor combo on popcorn before.  Well, there is a first time for everything!!  And low and behold, the combination works.  Really well!!

Cobs unique sour cream and chive recipe hits all of the necessary flavor notes – creamy, tangy, salty!  The onion presence is sweet and pungent, without being too pronounced.  The cool, sour cream is really enhanced with a good touch of tangy cheese.  All of the flavors work harmoniously, and surprisingly enough, do not overwhelm Cobs delicious popcorn one little bit!  Because like we’ve told you before the true star of this show – are the delectably tasty, all-natural popcorn kernels!!

Cobs all natural popcorn is on the smaller end of the spectrum, with a deliciously simple, sort of burnt-nutty essence to it.  It actually reminds us of the popcorn that dad used to make at the hunting shack on top of the stove, the old school way!

We can only hope that one day we find Cobs readily available on our U.S. shelves!

As always, these are our thoughts. Agree or disagree, make sure to let us know.

Popcorn provided to Chip Review by Cobs for review

Cobs Popcorn Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

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