Pringles Thanksgiving?

As I actually haven't been able to find this in any store in my area, I will just leave these two images for y'all to ponder. More details can be found here. If anyone is able to taste test this potato crisp cornucopia, please let me know your thoughts. And Happy Thanksgiving!

Random Tater Pic of the Day #257

There simply are no words, other than... Merry Pringles...

French Fry Diary 711: Good Thins

I saw these while fighting with the pharmacy automatic refill system at Walgreens (don't do it, it rarely worked, at least for me). This new potato/wheat snack from Nabisco is called Good Thins (or stylistically GOOD THiNS).

They're baked, and have no artificial flavors or colors, no cholesterol, no partially hydrogenated oils, and no high fructose corn syrup. I didn't even know that last one was a thing with potato snacks.

I got the original flavor, because as regular readers know, I'm so darned adventurous. These Good Thins, which have 60% less fat than regular potato chips by the way, also come in sweet potato, spinach & garlic, rice, chickpea, with more to come.

Sealed in a foil bag inside a box, these silver dollar sized discs have a Cheez-It texture but a Pringles taste. More cracker than chip, they do have a bit of that you-can't-just-have-one addictive potato chip quality. Quite better than I expected, these are really quite good.

Potato Emojis

McCain announced last week that they would be expanding the trademark smiley face potato bites into emoji form. They will initially be available in Outback restaurants in Brazil before launching worldwide.

French Fry Diary 703: Whole Cuts

This potato snack, Whole Cuts, comes from Calbee, the same notorious company that makes shrimp chips, seaweed chips, and yes, the infamous French fries in a can. At once I was wary, but as with many things on this blog - I try it so you won't have to.

"Cut like a fry, crisp like a chip." is what the hype says, and these gluten free snacks claim natural simplicity with no preservatives and no artificial flavors. The ingredients are just potatoes, oil, and salt.

After I got into the nearly unopenable package (so tough to open these could have been sold at Trader Joe's), the Whole Cuts had the look of natural cut shoestrings but felt dry and firm and more solid. These were very crunchy and have a thorough potato flavor with just the right amount of salt.

Not bad and quite the crunchy little snack, these were much better than I at first thought they would be. Granted, Whole Cuts wouldn't be my first choice as a snack, but these were quite good.

French Fry Diary 665: Pringles Rewind

The Bride recently picked up a can of Pringles Potato Crisps at the store and I noticed the can was a bit smaller than usual. On closer inspection I found the words 'rewind edition' on the can, and that it was a smaller can than usual, 4.41 oz. vs. the usual 5.96 oz. After a bit of internet research I'd found that the 'rewind edition' referred to both a return to the original logo but also the original size can.

Taking a closer look at the can and mentally putting three tennis balls in it, I thought, yeah, that's about right. I guess since I was a kid, Pringles cans had gotten bigger. Back in the mid-1970s, amongst Marathon Bars, Evel Knievel Stunt Sets, and Wacky Packs, potato chips in tennis cans showed up. Pringles called themselves the 'newfangled potato chip,' but that's what we all thought of them as, because the packaging was identical to the cans tennis balls came in.

The charm wore off rather quickly once we all figured out how bland Pringles tasted. I came back to them when they started adding flavors, mostly the BBQ, as you can see from my reviews here.

On closer examination of the rewind can, a thought occurred to me. They should go back to this size. One, the price would be lower, and two, you can reach the bottom of the can easier with these smaller cans. There's a comfort issue with the cans that Pringles should pounce on. This is a good thing.

French Fry Diary 656: Passover Potato Chips

A strange thing happens around this time every year. Shop-Rite starts carrying lots of off-brand potato chips (and potato sticks), one that even I, regarded as a chip expert by some, have never heard of. It's because of Passover, and like the sweeter tasting yellow cap Coca-Cola, there is extra need for kosher potato chips.

Herr's and other major brands offer kosher or parve potato chips, but as I said, Shop-Rite brings in more specialty items during this time of year. They are usually placed in one special section of the store, the Shop-Rite I visited in Cherry Hill had a larger than usual area. I plucked a couple samples from the display to try, and review of appropriate.

First up is Kettle Chips BBQ from Manischewitz, the king of kosher products, best known for their wine, matzo, and even potato latkes. These chips are pretty good on the healthy scale, with no transfats, no cholesterol, no preservatives, and no artificial flavors. The chips are thin with a nice crunch, heavy seasoned but with a mild smoke flavor.

Bloom's is a company that specializes in kosher products. They "search the globe to bring you the best," including cakes, candies, chocolate syrup, potato stix, potato chips, and potato snack fries. I chose one of the last bunch, Bloom's Bar-B-Q Fries.

After tasting these flat French fry shaped potato strips, I'm glad I opted for the barbecue flavor, because otherwise these flat (in more ways than one) things would have been flavorless. I did not like these. At all.

Next up are the Diddles, no seriously, that's what they're called. These potato snacks made from potato flakes are imported from Israel and distributed by the Paskesz Candy Co. I picked up the Diddles B-B-Q Potato Snacks. Yes, they're called Diddles. These are hollow cylinders similar in texture to flavorless cheese puffs and not in a good way. They did not smell good when I opened the bag and did not taste much better. Ick. Seriously if you told me these were made of styrofoam, I'd be inclined to believe you.

Lastly I tried the Lieber's offering. After Diddles, I was hopeful that this last bag would be more, oh I don't know, conventional. Referred to as simply Lieber's Ripple Potato Chips and being made from only potatoes, cottonseed oil, and salt, these looked like exactly what I needed.

These chips were quite nicely thick with good ridges, perfect dipping chips. There were a bit salty however, and while I like salt, especially on potato chips, this was a bit much. Also, there were a lot of black spots and burnt edges, things you don't usually see anymore in the big brand names. All in all, a decent chip, except for the salt.

So we have a weak two out of four for this selection of Passover potato snacks. Perhaps I selected badly. Any recommendations for next time?

French Fry Diary 590: Eatrageous

Promoted as 'the new spin on chips,' Eatrageous potato snacks are indeed something different. They're not fried, they're not baked, as a matter of fact, they're not even technically potatoes. Made from potato flour, yellow pea flour, rice, sunflower oil, and sea salt... Eatrageous is at best a potato-ish snack.

Created through 'clean cooking technology' (a 'thermal flash process') and shaped as tubes, they certainly are different. They are all natural, vegan, kosher, with no cholesterol, no saturated fats, no transfats, no GMO, gluten free, and less than 100 calories per serving - so one would think they're relatively healthy for a snack.

The space age silver bag opened easily, which was something quite unexpected. The percentage of healthier snacks that are easy to open (especially those from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's) is extremely low. Now these snacks are much smaller than one might think from the image on the bag, and the aroma from the Original Sea Salt flavor at least was similar to that you get from a bag of Bugles.

The 'chip' itself is a solid piece with points at the end supposedly to optimize dipping, but personally I think they're just a bit too small for that. Maybe if they were 25% bigger it might be a different story. They have a shiny shellac like surface that gives a hearty snap of a crunch, but quite honestly, very little flavor.

This is of course could be alleviated by the aforementioned dipping into something flavorful, or you could try one of the other available (and unique) Eatrageous styles like Wasabi Ranch, Crunchy Mac 'N Cheese, or the one I should have looked for and gotten, Sweet & Smokey BBQ. I'll withhold a full opinion until I try that last one, but until then, Eatrageous are definitely worth trying. Make your own decision on this 'new spin.'

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.

Random Tater Pic of the Day #131

A treat for a rainy (or snowy, depending on where you are) day.

Behold, the Island of Ruffles Crispy Fries.

French Fry Diary 503: Ruffles Crispy Fries

I had only just heard about Ruffles entering the fry-shaped snack market when The Bride snagged me a sample at a 7-Eleven near her office. Usually these things are made from corn rather than potato and unless you get them flavored, they are relatively flavorless. I was hoping for more from Ruffles.

Other than being ridiculously hard to open, the first thing I noticed is that they are made from potatoes, not corn, just potatoes, salt, and vegetable oil. That's it. Notably, I got the Original, but they also have Cheese. They look like natural cut French fries, and according to the packaging, are sliced from real potatoes.

They feel like old burnt French fries, and as I said, they look like natural cuts, but they smell and taste like giant potato sticks. And for a special treat, do like they say on the bag and heat them up in the microwave (just not in the bag). Warm, they are terrific, a great fry or chip substitute for a sandwich lunch or snack.

I like them, they're good, and quite honestly, more than a little addictive. I'm glad The Bride only got a sample bag. If you can find them, pick them up, because I'm not sure how long they'll be around. These are really good, thumbs up.

French Fry Diary 491: T.G.I. Fridays Onion Rings Snacks

I am always leery of onion flavored snacks. They are usually pretty bad and unflavorful. The good ones, like the ones from 7-Eleven, are few and far beyond.

These T.G.I. Fridays Onion Rings Snacks are pretty average, and had a few things going against them from the start. I found them at Dollar Tree. No offense to Dollar Tree, but let's face it, food from dollar stores is, by reputation, shady and suspect. Yes, I checked the expiration date. They were very hard to open, as if they were from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's - maybe that's why they were at Dollar Tree, faulty packaging.

The snacks themselves thick half-dollar sized crunchy facsimiles of onion rings. If you squint your eyes you can imagine they're little donuts. They don't taste like them though. They are pretty good with just a hint of onion flavoring. Compared to most onion snacks, these actually do have onion in them.

And surprisingly, as a Fridays product, these actually aren't too bad for you. The serving size to calories ratio is pretty good, and there's no sugar, cholesterol, or transfats. I liked these, not bad for a dollar store find.

Random Tater Pic of the Day #93

Nathan's new Crunchy Crinkle Fries snacks, captured on display at Shop-Rite.

French Fry Diary 474: Honey BBQ Smart Fries

I've had these Smart Fries before, and while an actually fairly healthy snack, they were pretty bland. That was the Classic Sea Salt variety I tried, and I theorized that the Honey BBQ or the Vinegar Splash might be better because they'd actually have flavor.

Now granted, there's not much discernible flavor to the Honey BBQ, but they do have a bit of a kick, and enough taste to make this truly a potato chip-like you-can't-eat-just-one situation. These are great snacks, and recently started being carried by Wawa. They also come in Vintage Cheddar, Honey Mustard & Onion, and Jalapeño Trio.

French Fry Diary 417: Gedilla Fries

I picked these up shortly after I got the Sensible Portions snacks. I was kinda expecting them to be similar but such was not the case.

First off, these "Fries" manufactured by Gedilla are made from actual potatoes, not corn or dehydrated potatoes. That's kinda a first for me when it comes to potato snacks that are not chips. They're also kosher year round.

Unlike the aforementioned Sensible Portions product, these are not straws or even fry shaped. These are flat, two-dimensional versions if anything. They could be used for dipping, but for the most part, they are too short for that.

I'm glad I got the barbeque flavor so they had some taste to them. Without it they would be bland as cardboard. The barbeque flavoring is barely hot but does leave a not pleasant aftertaste. I won't be getting these again.

French Fry Diary 373: Sensible Portions Sweet Barbecue Potato Straws

As one might imagine I stroll up and down the snack aisle in the supermarket a lot. When I see something that catches my eye and might be good for the blog, I'll grab it. Such was the case at ShopRite the other day with these Sensible Portions Potato Straws, and of course I went for the Sweet Barbecue flavor.

Forewarning, I found them in the healthier section of the snack aisle, and probing truth in advertising, these are all natural, with no preservatives, no cholesterol and no transfats. They're even kosher. But like most potato snacks, they are barely potato. They're made from potato flour, that's potato flakes and potato starch. Sound appetizing? Yeah, exactly. That's why I got one of the flavored kinds, because usually the plain version of these types of snacks taste like cardboard.

Fortunately that is not the case here, or maybe it is, but the not unpleasant sweet barbecue flavor covers it up. They are quite tasty and addictive, and luckily the portion size is noted on the bag in a few places to make sure you know. It's thirty-eight straws in the seven ounce bag I bought. And as someone who watches portion sizes, let me assure you, that's a very big serving.

The Potato Straws themselves are two inches long each, and the size of shoestring French fries otherwise. It is interesting to note they are really straws, in that they are hollow. Like a Twizzler, or a real straw, you can even drink through them. They are also terrific for dipping.

All in all, this is an excellent find, and a tasty snack. I will be picking these Sensible Portions Potato Straws up again for sure.

Rachel Ray, Snack of the Day, PopChips

I've talked about PopChips here on French Fry Diary before.

Here's Rachel Ray talking about them for her Snack of the Day sequence:



Enjoy!

French Fry Diary 357: Gourmet Basics Smart Fries

I am always intrigued by potato snacks that try to be healthy. I've been seeing Smart Fries from Gourmet Basics on shelves for a while and I finally picked up a bag, the flavor I picked was 'classic sea salt.'

There are lots of healthy bonuses with these so-called Smart Fries. They are cholesterol free, sugar free and transfat free. The problem is they are also kinda flavor free as well. They claim they have potato in them but I didn't taste it, heck, I certainly didn't taste any salt either, sea or otherwise. It's not that they're tasteless, but they are very bland. Perhaps I should try some of the other kinds like honey BBQ or vinegar splash.

They are kinda a skinny round tube in the shape of shoestring French fries, and are good for dipping. They are air popped and very low in calories. Not my first pick, but a good healthy snack, thumbs up.

French Fry Diary 283: Kim's Magic Pop

I'm not really sure exactly what you would call these other than big flat rice cake things, but Kim's Magic Pop snack cake things are interesting.

Here's the good news: they are all natural, fat free, low calorie, and low sodium. These snack cakes come from South Korea and this "natural potato flavor" is made from whole wheat, potato and rice.

The serving and eating suggestions say they can go with soups, salads, with cheese or right out of the bag as a fun snack. I tried one with ice cream, which was messy but good, and one with peanut butter that brought out a Ritz cracker vibe.

Kim's Magic Pop comes in twelve unique flavors, and is an interesting, tasty and healthy snack - check it out.

French Fry Diary 222: Andy Capp's BBQ Fries

I have disliked these things for a long time. First of all, they're not even really fries, but a corn and potato snack similar to a cheese pug with neither the cheese nor the puff.

Originally created by Reg Smythe, Andy Capp was a bit of a misogynist, if still amusing, comic set in the north of London, and it ran for decades. In the early seventies the character became the spokestoon for Andy Capp's Fries. They came in many varieties, including the newly returned BBQ flavor.

The 'fries,' and I use the term loosely, are covered in a strong smokey barbecue dusting, but other than that they are very unflavorful. The cornmeal and processed potato score high on the bland meter. They truly lack even the you-can't-eat-just-one concept that even the worst potato chips have. These are really bad.