French Fry Diary 390: Herr's 1853 Barbecue Potato Chips

I told you all about the mystery box. Well, this is what I got inside. All Natural 1853 Kettle Cooked Barbecue Potato Chips. Also on the bag it says "sliced extra thick" and "sweet and smoky." All true.

Now I can't find these in any store, or on the Herr's website for that matter, so this is a real treat. Thank you, Herr's. Now of course, I have a lifetime supply. I talked about these 1853 babies, and briefly the barbecue type, when they first came out two years ago but here's a more proper review of that flavor.

These are chips with a proper thickness and a kettle cooked crunch that's not too much, it's just right. The seasoning is also just right, and has a smoky flavor that Herr's other barbecue styles don't. Their thickness and the curvy shapes and bubbles made by the kettle cooking make them terrific for dipping. Bonus - no transfats, no cholesterol, low sodium.

I really like these, and their regular variety as well. However I wonder if I've got the last bags of these. They have a November 2012 expiration date. The clock is ticking. Thank you again, Herr's.

French Fry Diary 389: The Mystery Box from Herr's

The Bride got the mail the other day and brought with her a huge cardboard box for me. It took me a few moments to figure out what it was, but once I saw the return address was Herr's in Nottingham PA - I knew exactly what it was.

I take online surveys all the time, but the ones I enjoy most are surveys about my favorite things, among them would be potato chips. I've done Herr's surveys before, always fun, and as an incentive to do the survey, you could win a case of snacks. Guess who won this time?

I'm surprised that I still won. When they asked me what I wanted a case of, I suppose I may have been a pain in the ass. I first asked for the 1853 chips and then the barbecue variety neither of which I have been able to find since 2010. I also mentioned the Lattice chips, the Honey BBQ, and two or three others. I thought maybe I'd get a variety.

This was good though, surprising, and large eight ounce bags, twelve of them - the mythical, and thought lost to the crumbs of time - All Natural 1853 Kettle Cooked Barbecue Potato Chips. Truly a lifetime supply. Thank you, Herr's!

French Fry Diary 356: Herr's Lattice Cut Potato Chips

My lovely Bride bought these for me, a new Herr's variety, Lattice Cut Potato Chips. They are also kettle cooked with sea salt, as well as 'all natural, as the front of the bag hype contends. From the picture, speaking of the bag, they looked like waffle cut fries, only flatter and more chippified.

When I opened the bag, I was quite surprised, and that was a good thing. The chips were much thicker and much less frail than I thought they would be. These chips are very thick, more so than a lot of Herr's chip products. These are the absolute most perfect chips for dipping. Not only that they taste great, almost to the point of being addicting. I love these!

My only problem with these is that they're from Herr's, and the last time I liked a Herr's product this much (1853), they disappeared off the face of the earth and became almost impossible to find except by mail order. I sure hope these Lattice chips last.

French Fry Diary 224: The Original Saratoga Chips

On a recent trip to the Cracker Barrel, I picked up a box of The Original Saratoga Chips. Reputedly these are the original potato chips. The real thing, baby.

The story goes that George Crum was a cook at Moon's Lake House, a resort in Saratoga Springs NY. One August day in 1853 a rather annoying customer complained that Crum's French fries were too thick and kept ending them back.

Crum, angered by this customer finally cut his potatoes paper-thin, over-fried them and over-salted them - then sent them out to the man. Much to Crum's surprise, the customer loved them and so did others. These Saratoga chips became so popular that Crum was able to open his own restaurant. They remained local until a man named Lay discovered them, but that's another story.

At least that's what the legend says. I was surprised to find this cardboard box at the Cracker Barrel general store. It was almost like finding the chip Holy Grail. These even had the "Moon Brand" trademark on the box, and were from Saratoga Springs NY.

The box also has wonderful sayings printed on it like "A delicious delicacy," "an excellent lunch food," "may be served with any beverage if desired." the back of the box also recounts the tale of George Crum and the Saratoga chips.

This treat is brought to us by the Saratoga Specialties Co. in Saratoga Springs and contains just potatoes, vegetable oil and sea salt. No transfats, baby.

Inside the box there was a more traditional potato chip bag, but sealed and unmarked. I carefully opened it and poured some of these babies out. I have to say I was more than a bit disappointed. The chips were pretty standard kettle chips, not bad, but not great either. The Bride liked them a lot more than me it should be noted.

What disappointed me the most was the $5.99 I paid for this little bag in a box. Well, I guess the anticipation and entertaining box were both worth the price of admission.