WineLovers Discussion Group

Who knew?
Not me, never tried their potato chips. I like the classic, plain chip and usually buy Lay's which seem great to me. Next time I visit TJ's I will give this one a taste. What are your favorites?
I've never heard of the other brands.
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/everydaycooking/tastetests/potato-chip-taste-test

Preferably kettle style with salt and pepper and a touch of vinegar. I am not a big fan of heavily seasoned BBQ style chips although members in my family seem not to mind it too much.

Haven't eaten a potato chip in probably 20 years.

Karen/NoCA wrote:Who knew?
Not me, never tried their potato chips. I like the classic, plain chip and usually buy Lay's which seem great to me. Next time I visit TJ's I will give this one a taste. What are your favorites?
I've never heard of the other brands.
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/everydaycooking/tastetests/potato-chip-taste-test

A friend the other day mentioned that in her opinion, Walmart's kettle style chips have no equal. I'm not a Walmart shopper so I'll probably never find out by my own design, but I'll just throw that out there.

For me, doesn't get any better than regular Ruffles.

Redwinger wrote:Haven't eaten a potato chip in probably 20 years.

Winger do yourself a favor or a disservice, whichever you think it might be. Go get yourself a bag of chips and a container of French Onion Dip and have at it.

Betcha can't eat just one!

Seems like a useless review to me. Firstly, and most importantly, TJ does not make their own food; they pay the makers to re-brand their own products. So, somebody won this competition but it wasn't TJ.

Secondly, a lot of those brands are local/regional brands. Certainly that's true for Herr's and Utz. If you live outside the region then this comparison has no traction for your marketplace.

My favorite brand is Cape Cod, reduced sodium.

A friend the other day mentioned that in her opinion, Walmart's kettle style chips have no equal. I'm not a Walmart shopper so I'll probably never find out by my own design, but I'll just throw that out there.

Jenise, not a Wallmart shopper either, for many reasons. Gene does go there to pick up thistle food for our yellow finches and he hates the chore.
Like Jeff said TJ's chips come for somewhere else, probably the same with Walmart. My guess, there are a lot of chips carrying different names but made by the same company.
Here is another taste test where TJ's comes out the looser.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/05/taste-test-potato-chips.html

and another discovery:
http://www.takadesigns.com/blog/2011/12/18/are-trader-joes-popped-potato-chips-re-branded-popchips/

Fred Sipe wrote:

Redwinger wrote:Haven't eaten a potato chip in probably 20 years.

Winger do yourself a favor or a disservice, whichever you think it might be. Go get yourself a bag of chips and a container of French Onion Dip and have at it.

Betcha can't eat just one!

Yea, but make it home made, better yet, how about some clam dip....sigh

Fred Sipe wrote:Betcha can't eat just one!

That was the reason I quit eating them.

Redwinger wrote:

Fred Sipe wrote:Betcha can't eat just one!

That was the reason I quit eating them.

I hate somebody who has that kind of will power. Actually we never keep them in our house for the same reason.

Have I mentioned that it isn't hard to make your own potato chips at home? You don't even need a deep fryer. Just slice the potatoes thinly (use a mandoline), brush them very lightly with oil, spread them out on a plate, and zap them in the microwave for about a minute. You do have to watch them because they will burn fast.

I usually make 3 or 4 platefuls before I let anybody know that I started.

After starting on the kettle style chips, I have not gone back. Mary's Salt and Vinegar and their Barbecue chips are my favorite.

The only thing that gives them a run for their money is homemade. I've not tried the microwave option, and it sounds good. I'm a little scared to try them out, though....

Grandma Utz's Kettle Chips - made in PA and available locally are my favorite. Ingredients: potatoes, lard, salt.

Howie Hart wrote:Grandma Utz's Kettle Chips - made in PA and available locally are my favorite. Ingredients: potatoes, lard, salt.

I've had those. They're a little weird, or I am too unaccustomed to lardy potatoes. (Cheesey potatoes is a whole 'nother thing!)

Jeff Grossman/NYC wrote:Have I mentioned that it isn't hard to make your own potato chips at home? You don't even need a deep fryer. Just slice the potatoes thinly (use a mandoline), brush them very lightly with oil, spread them out on a plate, and zap them in the microwave for about a minute. You do have to watch them because they will burn fast.

I usually make 3 or 4 platefuls before I let anybody know that I started.

Nice. Sounds good, easy, and well worth trying (especially because you can get better control over ingredients than with commercial chips).

Howie Hart wrote:Grandma Utz's Kettle Chips - made in PA and available locally are my favorite. Ingredients: potatoes, lard, salt.

That's what we use too. Will give the TJ's a shot on next visit.

I mis-posted. "Miss Vicky's" is the brand of chips I meant to refer to, not "Mary's".

The kettle style chips sold at Jimmy John's are my favorites (can't remember the brand), but haven't met a kettle cooked chip I didn't like. Lays kettle cooked are quite good too - their roasted garlic and parmesan chips are just awesome.

Lou Kessler wrote:I hate somebody who has that kind of will power. Actually we never keep them in our house for the same reason.

Ditto. It's the one food I can't leave alone.

I keep them out of site, but Gene is always underweight and the Doc wants to see a weight gain, and that is one thing I know he goes for at lunch. Sometimes I have to remind him they are there. On the first day of each new year, I allow us to have a dip, either onion or clam. He grabs a nibble now and then, maybe three or four bites. I eat the rest! I make it early in the day so it, put in refer and count the hours until I can have it. It is a sickness, I tell you!

This is my absolute, favorite dip - bacon & horseradish: http://www.heluvagood.com/products/proddetail.aspx?id=368

Howie Hart wrote:This is my absolute, favorite dip - bacon & horseradish: http://www.heluvagood.com/products/proddetail.aspx?id=368

Bacon AND horseradish??!! That's like putting crack cocaine and crystal meth together! I don't think I'd ever stop eating such a thing.

I've been eating it since I was a kid in the '60s. My Mom would buy it. Bison used to make it, but now, I think Heluva Good are the only ones making it.

I do like TJ's chips but my favorites are Shearer's.