Chip Review’s Top 5 Plain/Salted/Traditional/Regular Potato Chips:
Chip Review’s Top 5 Plain/Salted/Traditional/Regular Potato Chips:
1. Rusty’s Island Chips
2. Old Dutch – Rip-L
tie 3. Better Made – Rainbow Old Fashioned Dark
tie 3. Herr’s Kettle Cooked – Dark Russet Potato Chips
4. The Original Saratoga Chips
5. Kettle Brand – Sea Salt
runner-up: Terra – Yukon Gold Potato Chips
Make sure to tell us your favorite Regular Potato Chips!!
Rating: ©©©© chips (lip-smacking)
Be honest with us here, how many of you out there actually love sweet potato chips?? Not, we’ll take them if that’s all you’ve got, but LOVE them?! Love – as in… you actually select and purchase sweet potato chips over more traditional white potato chip varieties! In fact, love – as in… you actually go to the grocery store with the words sweet potato chips written on your grocery list?! Or perhaps, love – as in… your nickname, or youngest child’s middle name is SWEET POTATO!
Here at Chip Review, one may say that the majority of us share an appreciation, or respect for the sweet potato variety of potato chips, but we do not really love them. It has taken many, many bags of chips, but we have discovered, and determined that we sort of have a love-hate relationship with the reddish hued tubers. We very much enjoy the potato’s natural sweetness, especially when combined with oil and Himalayan Sea Salt; but we can’t seem to forgive their all too dense and crunchy texture.
For any of you out there who have never tried sweet potato chips of any type (where have you been…?), let’s just start off by saying that they are of the more toothsome variety. There is really no better way of describing them than toothsome…tough…dense…almost leathery, but still in a crunchy sort of way. Obviously the thinner that the chip company decides to cut them, the less apt we are to run into the overly chewy chip texture; and in this case, The Original Saratoga Chips did a pretty darn good job. These chips are just thin enough to deliver a little crispy crunch, but refrain from too much of that pesky dense texture.
Flavor wise, the sweet potato chips plain and simple, emit pure, unadulterated sweet potato essence. Naturally sweet (of course), with an edge of earthiness, and all balanced with a kiss of salt. The Himalayan Sea Salt delivers this almost tangy salty flavor. The finely ground sea salt gradually coats the lips during the chip eating process and tingles them, enticing your tongue to eventually take a pass, and taste that powerful salty goodness! Plus, come’on let’s admit it, using Himalayan Salt is trendy and sounds really cool!
The more we think about sweet potato chips, the more we realize that very, very few chip companies seem to want to try and actually cut, or subdue, any of the natural sweetness using a dash of seasoning blend (other than salt of course). Most chip companies seem perfectly fine with either letting the sweet potato chips’ natural sweetness speak for itself, only complimenting it with a touch of salt, or embracing that natural sweetness, and even trying to enhance and compound that natural sweetness, by adding further brown sugar with aromatics like cinnamon or nutmeg, to the mix. Sorry chip companies, we are not fans of those types of chips. We need, we want salt!
So, there you have it. Are Saratoga Chips’ new Sweet Potatoes better than their Original Potato Chips, not in our books. But for those of you out there who may be big fans of the sweet potato chip variety, then these are certainly at the top of that chip chain.
Before you leave, just in case you are unfamiliar with Saratoga Chips’ tasty back story, let us indulge you. In the year 1853:
“A patron at Moon’s Lake House ordered fried potatoes with his meal. The diner complained that the potatoes were too thick and sent them back to the cook.
The cook at the restaurant was George Crum, who is described as Native American in some accounts and an African American in others. There is agreement, however, on Crum’s disposition—he was generally ornery. Upset that someone would criticize his cooking, Crum sliced a new batch of potatoes paper-thin, fried them in boiling oil to a crisp, and then salted them.
But what was intended as a stunt turned into an instant hit – the fussy patron and his friends loved the “crunch potato slices.” Soon the chips became known as Saratoga Chips. At first they were served in restaurants throughout the region. When George Crum left Moon’s Lake Inn to start his own restaurant called “Crumbs House,” he placed large baskets of the chips on every table. It was not long before Saratoga Chips could be found in restaurants up and down the East Coast. Soon they became known as potato chips.” (www.originalsaratogachips.com)
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 Saratoga Specialties Company for review
The Original Saratoga Chips Official Website
Chip Ratings Scale:
(1/4 increments)
© – return to sender
©© – tolerable
©©© – notable
©©©© – lip-smacking
©©©©© – “A” list
#17
The Original Saratoga Chips – Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper Potato Chips
Oh Mr. Crum, we are just happy that you were crabby, and that you decided to slice those potatoes paper thin, and fry’em up into crunch potato slices!! Well, we’re glad that only the product caught on, and the old description didn’t stick, otherwise we would have had to call ourselves – Crunch Potato Slices Review!!
Rating: ©©©©-1/2 chips (lip-smacking)
Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper – as classic a combination as there ever was. Sort of like Saratoga, N.Y. and horse racing, or Chip Review and…..well, chips of course!! Similar to the last bag of Saratoga Chips we reviewed, we have been meaning to get to these for quite some time now! Well, that time has come, and let’s get this race started!
We’ve reviewed a handful of Saratoga Chips in the past year or two, and we’ve really liked them all. If you’ve read any of those other reviews then you may want to skip over the the re-cap directly below; but for those of you who aren’t caught up on your Saratoga Chips history, you should appreciate the following. And so the story goes:
A patron at Moon’s Lake House ordered fried potatoes with his meal. The diner complained that the potatoes were too thick and sent them back to the cook.
The cook at the restaurant was George Crum, who is described as Native American in some accounts and an African American in others. There is agreement, however, on Crum’s disposition—he was generally ornery. Upset that someone would criticize his cooking, Crum sliced a new batch of potatoes paper-thin, fried them in boiling oil to a crisp, and then salted them.
But what was intended as a stunt turned into an instant hit – the fussy patron and his friends loved the “crunch potato slices.” Soon the chips became known as Saratoga Chips. At first they were served in restaurants throughout the region. When George Crum left Moon’s Lake Inn to start his own restaurant called “Crumbs House,” he placed large baskets of the chips on every table. It was not long before Saratoga Chips could be found in restaurants up and down the East Coast. Soon they became known as potato chips. (www.originalsaratogachips.com)
While it seems like some chip companies are perfectly content with simply sitting back and providing the masses with their edible salty snacks, other chip companies continually strive to deliver their fans with even better versions of their amazing products. Not only did Saratoga Chips invent America’s First Kettle Chip in 1853, but in the summer of 2014 (some 150 years later!!) the company has decided to only use Himalayan Pink Salt on all six of their chip flavors. As far as we know this is an industry first!
When it comes to salt & pepper flavored chips on the market today, there are really two different styles, or recipes. First, there are your purists, or minimalists. They like to keep it straight, and to the point – typically only four simple ingredients: potatoes, oil, salt and pepper. The recipe is a classic, but requires flawless execution and the highest quality of ingredients for them to actually taste very good. But, for one reason or another, this is not the style we find more often than not. Instead, the majority of salt and pepper flavored chips are much more complex. You can call it cheating, or you can call it brilliant, but brands such as Saratoga Chips prefer to up the flavor ante, by adding plenty of complimentary background flavors like onion and garlic to enrich the classic salt and pepper combo. Should we penalize these brands for veering off the classic S&P recipe path? We say, bring on the additional flavor depth, because we feel like the extra ingredients add dimension and character, and definitely flavor!
We have tried and reviewed a lot of salt and pepper flavored chips over the years, and we must say that this version from Saratoga Chips is a very fine addition to the flavor family. While they may not necessarily make our all-time Top 5 salt and pepper chips, we are pretty sure that if we extended this list to 10, they would definitely be in the running!
This salt and pepper recipe starts off with potent flavor notes of onion, and the finely cracked peppercorns. Throw in a dash of garlic, and a good level of salt, and you have a delicious seasoning blend that perfectly compliments Saratoga’s potato chips. Visually, the chips exhibit a very even distribution of finely cracked pepper, with a few larger peppercorn shell pieces scattered throughout. We really appreciated how each chip delivered a subtle yet spicy black pepper warmth in the back of our throats.
As great as this salt and pepper seasoning is, the real star is Saratoga’s kettle cooked potato chips. We really like how the chips appear as though they are going to be very crunchy, as the majority of kettle cooked chips are, but instead they are much more crispy than crunchy. A light and crispy crunch that is full flavored without hurting our teeth! And despite all of the seasoning covering these chips we could still taste the real potato flavor. Plain and simple, these are fantastic chips that we could devour every 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 Saratoga Specialties Company for review
The Original Saratoga Chips Official Website
Chip Ratings Scale:
(1/4 increments)
© – return to sender
©© – tolerable
©©© – notable
©©©© – lip-smacking
©©©©© – “A” list
Rating: ©©©©-1/4 chips (lip-smacking)
And we’re off to the chip eating races!!
We have been meaning to get to this review for quite some time now, but as so often happens our chip tasting notes were no where to be found. Well, luckily for you, and for us, those notes have have reappeared and we can finally discuss Saratoga Chips newest venture – Dark Russets with Himalayan Salt.
While it seems like some chip companies are perfectly content with simply sitting back and providing the masses with their edible salty snacks, other chip companies continually strive to deliver their fans with even better versions of their amazing products. Not only did Saratoga Chips invent the America’s First Kettle Chip in 1853, but in the summer of 2014 the company has decided to only use Himalayan Pink Salt on all six of their chip flavors. As far as we know this is an industry first, and really reflects Saratoga Chip’s strong efforts to meet the demands of picky consumers these days.
For those of you who may not be aware, Himalayan Salt::
* Provides 84 beneficial minerals including calcium, magnesium, and potassium
* Delivers purity because the salt is protected in veins of the Himalayans – untouched by pollutants and impurities for more than 250 million years
Plus, come’on let’s admit it, using Himalayan Salt is trendy and sounds really cool!!
We have decided that there are really two types of russet potato people in the this world. Those who love them for their uniquely dark, nutty, pure potato essence, and those who think that they are actually burnt, and obviously just don’t get it. Burnt Chips? Recycled chips?? Dark Russet potato chips have been called many things, but we’re fairly certain that the chips are more the result of the use of Russets, than actually being overcooked.
Either way you crunch it, these are tasty potato chips. The kettle chips are on the thinner side, very light with an extra crispy crunch. Like we’ve mentioned before, the dark Russet chips deliver a very rustic, smoky, nutty, golden brown, pure potato flavor! The chips are not greasy, and the sunflower oil provided a very neutral fry that simply let the potatoes shine. Honestly, we do not get very much from the Himalayan salt. As so often the case with the use of sea salt, it simply does not hit our palettes the same way that traditional salt does. Instead of tasting the salt simultaneously with the chips, the sea salt delivers a delayed subtle salt flavor. We would have liked a bit stronger, more forefront salt punch, but can certainly recognize how the Himalayan salt compliments, or enhances the potato flavor, and provides a healthier product.
So, there you have it. Are Saratoga Chips’ new Dark Russets better than their Original Potato Chips, we think that’s a toss up. We would be happy snacking on either of them. In case you are unfamiliar with Saratoga Chips tasty back story, according to their website, in the year 1853:
“A patron at Moon’s Lake House ordered fried potatoes with his meal. The diner complained that the potatoes were too thick and sent them back to the cook.
The cook at the restaurant was George Crum, who is described as Native American in some accounts and an African American in others. There is agreement, however, on Crum’s disposition—he was generally ornery. Upset that someone would criticize his cooking, Crum sliced a new batch of potatoes paper-thin, fried them in boiling oil to a crisp, and then salted them.
But what was intended as a stunt turned into an instant hit – the fussy patron and his friends loved the “crunch potato slices.” Soon the chips became known as Saratoga Chips. At first they were served in restaurants throughout the region. When George Crum left Moon’s Lake Inn to start his own restaurant called “Crumbs House,” he placed large baskets of the chips on every table. It was not long before Saratoga Chips could be found in restaurants up and down the East Coast. Soon they became known as potato chips.” (www.originalsaratogachips.com)
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 Saratoga Specialties Company for review
The Original Saratoga Chips Official Website
Chip Ratings Scale:
(1/4 increments)
© – return to sender
©© – tolerable
©©© – notable
©©©© – lip-smacking
©©©©© – “A” list
Well Chip Review readers, that wraps things up for another great year of chip reviewing!
We would like to say that it has been a true pleasure sharing our thoughts with all of you as we chomped our way through hundreds of bags, and countless calories this past year 🙂 Thanks to all of you who follow us each and every day. We appreciate it, and we wouldn’t be here without each and everyone of you!! Also, a very special thanks to those snack companies who graciously provided their products for us to review. It’s a tough job (especially for our waistlines), but someone has got to do it.
Below is our list of the Top 25 Chips we reviewed this year. Agree or disagree, we’d love to hear it!!
#1 Lay’s – Do Us a Flavor Finalist – Chicken & Waffle Potato Chips
#2 Yamayoshi – Spicy Chili Sour Plum Potato Chips
#3 Ziggy’s Kettle Corn – Sweet & Salty and Happenin’ Jalapeno with Himalayan Pink Sea Salt
#4 Paqui Tortilla Chips – Grilled Habanero and Limited Edition Haunted Ghost Pepper
#5 Simply 7 – Jalapeno Lentil Chips
#6 Tyrrell’s – Sweet Chili & Red Pepper Hand Cooked Potato Crisps
#7 Palo Popcorn – White Cheddar Cheese
#8 Gibble’s – Red Hot Home Style Potato Chips
#9 The Original Saratoga Chips – Rosemary Garlic Potato Chips
#10 Angie’s – Sweetly White Cheddar Kettle Corn
#11 Herr’s – Sweet Onion Potato Chips
#12 Lundberg Multigrain Chips – Mojave Jalapeno
#13 Deep River Snacks – Aged Cheddar & Horseradish Kettle Cooked Potato Chips
#14 Mackie’s of Scotland – Scotch Bonnet Chili Pepper Flavor Potato Crisps
#15 Chio Flips – Classic Peanut
#16 Lay’s Wavy – Roasted Garlic & Sea Salt Potato Chips
#17 Monster Munch – Flamin’ Hot
#18 Herr’s Kettle Cooked – Russet Potatoes Dark Potato Chips
#19 Yamayoshi – Wasabeef Potato Chips
#20 De-lish-us – Sour Cream and Onion Potato Chips
#21 Simply 7 – Creamy Dill Lentil Chips
#22 Barrel O’ Fun – Gardy’s Signature Flavors – Cheddar & Horseradish Potato Chips
#23 Pepperidge Farm Goldfish – Buffalo Wing Puffs
#25 Lay’s – Do Us a Flavor Finalist – Cheesy Garlic Bread Potato Chips
**Chip Review’s Top 25 list of the Year consists of chips that we tasted and reviewed during the 2013 calendar year for the first time. The chips are not necessarily new to the industry, but they were new to Chip Review in 2013!
#9
The Original Saratoga Chips – Rosemary Garlic Potato Chips
“And they’re off!! All natural potato chips takes an early lead. But wait, what’s this, rosemary garlic is making a big move and passing everyone on in the inside….” Who are we kidding? Everyone is a winner with these delicious potato chips!!
Chip Review 