What's your favorite potato chip?

Utz is probably a little less salty than the Wise chips, but they are the tops. Hanover of PA makes a good chip too.

Also a bit less greasy than Wise. I prefer Utz to Wise for both those reasons, but if Utz were not available here, I'd choose Wise. We have access to both.

Hanover of PA pretzels are available here (southern New Hampshire), but not their potato chips.

-Paul W.

The fresh Utz chips I used to buy at Lexington Market in Baltimore. Right out of the vat... oh, my.

Oh yeah! Utz chips. Wise were good too, but Utz I would kill for! Neither is available here in Phoenix. Kettle chips abound, but Lays are everywhere (and they suck!)

[James Roscoe]

Mmmmmm.... I forgot about the fresh Utz out of the vat over at the Lexington Market. They were the best. I wonder if you can still get them? I got them all the time when I was in law school at the U. of MD. School of Law right across the street from the market. They had killer sandwiches over there too.

Yes, I remember Charles Chips.

Oooh! Charles Chips!

My grandmother up in McKean County PA had an empty can she used as a cookie tin. It was always full of applesauce-raisin cookies.

Tim's Cascade - Jalapeno! Tied with Kettle - Sea Salt and Cracked Black Peppercorns.

Tim's Cascade - Jalapeno! Tied with Kettle - Sea Salt and Cracked Black Peppercorns.

Jo Ann, You stole my post. This is precisely what I was going to say. Well, I'd give a nudge to the Jalapeno over the salt and pepper, but just a nudge.

Gibbles. From PA as well.

They are the ones (well, at least one of the possibilities) that are cooked in lard.

Rather difficult to find except in PA mostly... perhaps in MD etc. I believe they were a small-ish family brand so their availability sometimes wanes and ebbs (A search for Gibbles in yahoo gives few hits... but they may have sold out to bigger hands). For me, the taste is magnificent (the one time where I'll agree with Emeril: Pork Fat Rules).

A close second is Middleswarth regular (I'm not a huge fan of their BBQ that Larry already mentioned).

Was never terribly enamored with Wise, even though one of their potato chip plants was about 6-7 miles away from where I lived for a number of years... and on special occasions could get a whiff of their plant when the wind was just right. Nothing terrible about them, just sorta overkill - they were everywhere. I do love their bagged 'onion rings' though (not a potato chip).

One Wise chip style that I more than tolerated was Ridgies (plain); they were great with one of my favorite snacks... small curd cottage cheese and chips. The saltiness and the strength of the Ridgies was a perfect foil to the cottage cheese.

Yum.

Never had access to UTZ (Wise being the local home-town brand), and I think Charles Chips were around, just never remember buying them.

Mike

As Stuart said, UTZ from PA. I love the Salt and Vinegar flavor because it is not just a light coating. And as Howie mentioned, I, too, remember Charles Chip in the big can that we used to get when we lived in Connecticut. If I recall, they were delivered like the mike was. I'll be in Connecticut this weekend for a party and I'll have to ask about them.

[Jenise]

Of all the brands discussed here, the only one I recognize and have had are Kettle Chips, which are all over the world. Nothing's better with an old fashioned onion dip than their Salt & Pepper chips, which I wish were more lightly salted than they are.

But fave? As in, "I gotta jones and nothing else will do?" Ruffles. Plain are best, but I also love the sour cream & cheddar flavor. Otherwise, I don't really care for flavored potato chips.

(Speaking of flavored snack foods, the other day I was at a party and spied some Triscuits. Yum, right? Well, no! They were some kind of garlic flavor--YUCK! Total yuck. Overly salted and vaguely rancid tasting to me. There's nothing like the original.)

[James Roscoe]

Of all the brands discussed here, the only one I recognize and have had are Kettle Chips, which are all over the world. Nothing's better with an old fashioned onion dip than their Salt & Pepper chips, which I wish were more lightly salted than they are.

But fave? As in, "I gotta jones and nothing else will do?" Ruffles. Plain are best, but I also love the sour cream & cheddar flavor. Otherwise, I don't really care for flavored potato chips.

(Speaking of flavored snack foods, the other day I was at a party and spied some Triscuits. Yum, right? Well, no! They were some kind of garlic flavor--YUCK! Total yuck. Overly salted and vaguely rancid tasting to me. There's nothing like the original.)

Ruffles may be the best dipping chip there is. I don't know of a better chip that hold the sour cream and onion better and it's not too salty. There flavored chips are okay too. I suppose they are the best "national" brand. You need to try the brands fresh out of the kettle though. They are awesome.

As Stuart said, UTZ from PA. I love the Salt and Vinegar flavor because it is not just a light coating. And as Howie mentioned, I, too, remember Charles Chip in the big can that we used to get when we lived in Connecticut. If I recall, they were delivered like the mike was. I'll be in Connecticut this weekend for a party and I'll have to ask about them.

Our chapter of the Knights of Columbus on campus had a big can of Charles Chips. I grew rather fond of them. And Connecticut Wachusett, too (I see these days they've dropped the "Connecticut" part of the name).

But Utz remain my hands-down favorite.

-Paul W.

I'm with Ryan on the sea salt and vinegar, especially Cape Cod kettle chips. The best.

Also agree with James, Ruffles are great for dipping, and we have found that we actually like the low fat version even better than the regular.

We also had Charles Chips delivered in a tin can while I was growing up. That was always a day to look forward to.

My grandfather had a potato chip factory in Wisconsin in the 1930s. He supposedly taught Mrs. Howe "how" (to make them)--a woman who supposedly started the first potato chip packaging operation. *Supposedly.

Like Bob Ross, the best ones I've had are ones I made myself using rice bran oil and baked in the oven, no other flavourings or seasonings are necessary. But very time consuming.

There are some interesting and some rather weird flavoured potato chips on the market in NZ now - like Roast Lamb and Mint, Honey Soy Chicken, Smoky BBQ, Salt and Vinegar with a twist of Lime, Mexican, Chilli and Sour Cream, Bacon Grill and a very stange Thai Green Curry chip.
If I am going to buy them for a secret snack, I prefer the plain old Kettles.

BBQ Pringles.

Remind me to tell you about the time I ate two cans of Olestra Pringles in 24 hours.

[James Roscoe]

BBQ Pringles.

Remind me to tell you about the time I ate two cans of Olestra Pringles in 24 hours.

Pringles are NOT potato chips!!!! This is sacrilige Someone call the Spanish Inquisition.

Maybe they are just too much of a potato chip for you? Eh, Sally?[/i]

BBQ Pringles.

Remind me to tell you about the time I ate two cans of Olestra Pringles in 24 hours.

Umm, I think I might rather not hear about that.

is an understatement for what that must have brought about!



Mike

BBQ Pringles.

Remind me to tell you about the time I ate two cans of Olestra Pringles in 24 hours.

Pringles are NOT potato chips!!!! This is sacrilige Someone call the Spanish Inquisition.

NOBODY expects us! Our chief weapons are surprise, and a fanatical devotion to Utz Potato Chips.

And that's "sacrilege", you twit.

Two can of Olestra Pringles in 24 hours? Whatever were you thinking of? I know EXACTLY what you were thinking of for the 24 hours after that, though.

-Paul W.

BBQ Pringles.

Well, they're mashed potato chips....

[James Roscoe]

And that's "sacrilege", you twit.

Well that kind of goes without saying.

Thanks for the spelling correction. I wish this forum had an easy to use spell checker. I knew I was spelling that word incorrectly.

I remember Charles Chips, too, and hadn't seen them in awhile. Last summer we had breakfast at a Cracker Barrel down in Milford, CT where we sail out of. They had big cans of Charles Chips in the country store front part of the place!! Got a few cans and sent one to our relocated friend out in the Seattle area. Was he pleased. I believe they carry them in most, if not all, of the Cracker Barrels and you don't have to eat there to shop the country store.

Also liked State Line Original Potato Chips and was really bummed when they went poof. I hear someone is making them again, but I get conflicting reports as to where they're located and I haven't seen the chips in any stores yet. The closest to State Line we've found are Wachusett Chips. Close, but not the same.

[Robin Garr]

I wish this forum had an easy to use spell checker. I knew I was spelling that word incorrectly.

It does. It's called Firefox. Visit the forum with the Firefox browser, and you'll find taht any suspect word shows up with a discreet red underline, which you're free to check or ignore. I ignored it telling me that something was wrong with 'taht", for instance.

That's a nice feature of Firefox, Robin. Is it possible to add words to your own vresion of Firefox? Sauvignon, Jenise, Merlot, and many correctly spelled words come up underscored here.

I find myself ignoring the warnings because of the false negatives; three out of four of the underscored words are correct, for example.

I haven't found anything in the Firefox Help suggestions -- anything you know about?

Regards, and thanks, Bob

[James Roscoe]

I wish this forum had an easy to use spell checker. I knew I was spelling that word incorrectly.

It does. It's called Firefox. Visit the forum with the Firefox browser, and you'll find taht any suspect word shows up with a discreet red underline, which you're free to check or ignore. I ignored it telling me that something was wrong with 'taht", for instance.

So hear I am yousing Friefox aand I don't sea know stinkin' red sea line. Is Moses going to come fix this for me?