French Fry Diary 682: New York Reuben Potato Chips

Do Us A Flavor 2015 Taste Test #4 - New York Reuben flavored potato chips, submitted by Jeff Solensky:

I have to admit up front, that much like the Gyro, this catastrophically picky eater doesn't actually know what a Reuben is either. I know, I know, but that's what Google is for. According to the internet, a Reuben is a hot sandwich composed of corned beef, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese on rye bread. It can also include mustard or Russian dressing.

Uh huh. None of that sounds good to this catastrophically picky eater, but The Bride was very excited to try this one, a New York Reuben being right up her alley. And again, the ingredients offer no help whatsoever - Reuben Seasoning tells me nothing. Aren't there laws that say they have to tell us exactly what's in stuff?

I was intrigued by this one myself, as this was the only flavor submitted by a restauranteur, and notably one whose place was a deli. When I opened the bag, my eyes almost watered, the smell was so strong and overwhelming. I was not going to enjoy this and I hadn't even taken a bite yet.

The Bride immediately smelled the sauerkraut and tasted the caraway seeds they put on rye bread. She liked them and said they definitely reminded her of a Reuben. She had more than a few before I even tried them.

All I can say is this was not my thing at all, and did not like this chips one bit. The Bride is solid evidence that some folks might like them, but I did not.

If I put these in last place, Gyro in third, and Biscuits in second, that leaves Truffle Fries solidly with my vote. Which ones would you vote for?

French Fry Diary 681: Southern Biscuits and Gravy Potato Chips

Just days after I found the first two Do Us A Flavor potato chips from Lay's, The Bride found the other two, also at a Walgreen's. So I guess there'll be no great chase after the final flavor this year, and also, if you're hunting them down - Walgreen's should be your first stop.

Do Us A Flavor 2015 Taste Test #3 - Southern Biscuits and Gravy flavored potato chips, submitted by Hailie Green:

As silly as this might sound coming from someone who likes potato products so much, I'm not a gravy guy. So no gravy on my mashed potatoes, no gravy on my fries, and certainly no gravy on my biscuits. This is why poutine scares me so much, gravy. It's also why I was annoyed at a friend for a while back in the nineties when he put gravy on my fries. Hey, fries are serious business to me.

Biscuits and gravy however, like a Do Us A Flavor finalist from the past, Chicken & Waffles, is a Southern favorite. Although I actually like both chicken, and waffles, I was willing to give these a chance. Then I saw the bag, with that weird white stuff on the biscuits. That's gravy? I thought gravy was brown. Wow, this year's Do Us A Flavor contest is a learning experience...

Once again, the ingredients reveal very little, as the vague and mysterious "Biscuits and Gravy Seasoning" tells us nothing really. The quote from Hailey Green does imply this is her Grandma's recipe however. The aroma when the bag was opened was not bad, but I was stymied by The Bride's reaction after a bite. She wanted to see the bag, "So what are these supposed to taste like?"

I'm not sure if that's a good sign or not. The Bride concluded that they didn't taste like they were supposed to, or maybe she'd never had Southern biscuits and gravy done right. I tried one and got the biscuits taste right away, that flavor was flawless, and then a bit of sour cream. This was a very heavy flavor for a chip.

I would definitely put the Southern Biscuits and Gravy potato chips solidly in second place so far. They are definitely better than the Greektown Gyro, but nowhere near as good as the West Coast Truffle Fries.

Tomorrow - New York Reuben!

Mythbusters Vs. McDonald's

Recently Grant Imahara of "Mythbusters" visited the McDonald's 'French fry factory' and was able to 'reverse engineer' what was really in their French fries.

You can read (and see) the whole story here.

Props to buddy and GAR! Podcast partner Ray for hipping me to this.

French Fry Diary 595: V Cut Spicy Barbecue Potato Chips

These V Cut Spicy Barbecue Flavor Potato Chips from Jack 'n Jill are another of the chips from the wonderful Christmas package I got from friends Dom and Cindy.

I was a little afraid of these chips because while they're from Jack 'n Jill, they're manufactured in the Philippines, and I had a couple friends from there warn me off of the V Cuts. And then there was also the peel off ingredients sticker, and it's not the first time it's happened. I know it's most likely because of a misprint or typo, but still it makes me think maybe they forgot something or are trying to hide something.

The chips themselves aren't that bad, but then again they aren't that good either. They gave very tight ripples like Ruffles but are on a thin chip. They also have the same grainy taste as other Jack 'n Jill chips. The barbecue flavoring is most definitely spicy, and there's a burning aftertaste for a while, and not in a good way.

I appreciate the gift, and usually I love barbecue potato chips, but I wouldn't try these again.

French Fry Diary 563: Roller Coaster Potato Rings

Another selection from the Christmas gift of chips I got from friends and frequent FFD contributors Dom and Cindy, these Jack 'n Jill Roller Coaster Potato Rings are a 'cheddar cheese flavored potato snack.' I've had Jack 'n Jill chips before, not bad, but never like this.

Looking at the bag, the first thing that struck me was more than a little disturbing. There was a sticky label over the ingredients. One has to wonder. Was there a typo? Did they try to slip something by and got caught? I guess I'll never know.

The rings themselves are flat half-inch bands in complete circles, a little smaller than a dime in diameter. The potato part comes in the Munchos and Pringles realm as they're made from potato starch and dehydrated potatoes. I have to be honest, when I opened the bag, the smell was not pleasant.

I made The Bride try one first, not because I dislike her, but because she's big on cheese, especially cheddar. She put one in her mouth, made a decidedly unhappy face, and said simply, "No." Uh oh. I tried one. They have a taste like a thick potato chip that's gone stale, and then with a weak cheddar aftertaste.

These are not good. At least they didn't taste as bad as they smelled, but still they didn't smell good either. Thanks, Dom and Cindy, but not recommended.

French Fry Diary 460: Two Amish Farm Markets

My friend Marni is always on the lookout for interesting subjects for the French Fry Diary. Recently she procured two items, from two different Amish Farmers Markets in South Jersey. First, from Bridgeton, she got homemade BBQ potato chips, then from Vineland, onion ring snacks.

The BBQ potato chips, which looked to be more crushed pieces than actual chips, were from Esh's Bulk Food & Candy at The Greater Bridgeton Amish Farm Market, and cost roughly $3.50 a pound. That's much less expensive than regular chips, but of course, in smaller pieces.

Before even trying these chips, I have to admit, one of the ingredients kinda turned me off a bit. The label listed "Selected potatoes, shortening (lard) and salt." Oookay. Lard is never appetizing, but I had to wonder - where was the BBQ seasoning? Or was it just salt?

There is some sort of seasoning, but it was definitely a weak sister to most BBQ seasonings, and not listed on the ingredients. That of course, sadly, wasn't the taste that bugged me about these rather bland chips. I couldn't seem to place it but I didn't really want to eat many if these. They made me a little queasy. If I'm being completely honest, I didn't like these at all. Sorry, Marni.

The onion rings were more accurately onion flavored snacks and came from CK Nut & Candy LLC at the Landis Marketplace in Vineland. Their ingredient list seemed a bit more familiar and straight forward. That was a relief.

For onion snacks they were a bit more orange than most I've seen. That color was misleading as they weren't as spicy as I suspected. But it should be mentioned they also weren't as oniony either. They were quite good, if a bit bland. I liked these, complete opposite of the chips, clear keepers.

Thanks again, Marni!