GrubGrade

What makes our favorite foods our favorites?

It’s a question any foodie inevitably ponders, and one which I’ve given some thought to recently. Taste obviously has something to do with it, as does texture and even setting. But did you know there is another element that helps define overall  flavor for us?

There's Only One...

In The Flavor Bible, authors Karen Page and Andrew Dorenburg discuss the “x factors” of flavor, and more specifically, the role of memory in defining flavor and taste. I couldn’t agree more with their assessment that there is almost a metaphysical connection people have when it comes to experiencing food, which can move us and affect our emotions as much as our taste buds. (more…)

Ah, the 4th of July. Without a doubt the quintessential American holiday, with backyard cookouts springing up across households all over the country. Hot dogs. Hamburgers. Watermelon. And, of course, plenty of chips for your guests!

We here at GrubGrade know a little something about chips. While we’re partial to anything of the potato origin that gets a hot bath in the good stuff (ie. fat, preferably of the canola/peanut/sunflower variety), we particularly like Kettle Cooked chips, including those from brands like Cape Cod and Route 11. But did it ever occur to you that the humble potato chip has only been around for some 150 years?

Well it never occurred to me. That is at least not until I got a veritable history lesson on the origins of my favorite snack from a bag of Herr’s new 1853 Kettle Cooked chips. (more…)

I like shrimp. I like chips. Do I like shrimp chips?

Few questions are as paramount as this one to a college student on his first day of summer break, as the paradox of whether sea food and snack food could “go together” hit me with all the force of Bubba Gump’s fishing boat. (more…)

So I’m walking through the Utah State University student center the other day and I spot a crowd of people gathered by the bookstore. Thinking it was one of those fight circles that you only ever see in movies, I immediately rushed over, anxiously awaiting the prospect of some dude getting jacked up. Alas, I should have known better. After all, what can draw a crowd of college students into a frenzy more than free food? (Hmmmm, come to think of it, don’t answer that question) The particular culprit in this case?  A strange and never-before-seen snack called Spud Crunch.

Seneca Farms is probably better known for their Apple Chips, but the Spud Crunch Line is among several other “healthier” and alternative style snacks the Marion, New York company produces. (more…)

Good Health Natural Products was kind enough to send me a package of their snacks to sample.  Lucky for me, this company really knows how to create some healthy snacks that do not skimp on taste whatsoever.  Established in 1992 by a French entrepreneur, the Good Health Natural Products company has been a great example of a smaller company that can definitely make an impact on the snacking world.  They are currently headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina.  Let’s take a peak of some of the products they have to offer.

(more…)

Loyal GrubGrade readers are by now familiar with Herr’s Potato Chip company. Based out of Nottingham, Pennsylvania, Herr’s has been dishing out all kinds of awesome potato chips since the company’s founding in 1946. We here at GrubGrade are big fans on their regular potato chips, but the folks at Herr’s recently asked our help in identifying consumer trends for Tortilla Chips.

So we want to know. What kind of Tortilla chips do you prefer? Baked? Extra-salty? Organic? Blue Corn, Yellow Corn, or Multigrain? Or maybe your a ‘Doritos’ type person? No problem, we want to know!

To help us helps Herrs design a better chip, please vote in our poll. But don’t feel limited to the constraints of an online poll, as we want to here your thoughts on what makes the perfect chip. So feel free to comment away, and let us know what you look for when it comes to buying Tortilla Chips.

If last month’s throwdown told us anything, it is that I remain very much a potato chip addict. And while we here at GrubGrade already have another potato chip throwdown in the works for the coming weeks, I thought I’d spend today highlighting a chip from a company that wasn’t featured in last month’s taste test.

Ok, so a lighthouse in the Northeast does not exactly scream BBQ, but...

That’s right Sox fans, I’m heading up to Massachusetts and checking in with the seaside chip makers at Cape Cod in an effort to broaden my potato chip horizons past the usual (but always awesome) suspects of Herr’s and Utz. Actually, the chip makers at Cape Code are coming down to me, as the company graciously agreed to let me sample some of their products, including the brand spankin’ new Sweet Mesquite Barbeque flavor.

Let’s start with the basis; texture and taste. These are kettle cooked chips, and I found the texture of the chips to be simply outstanding. There is definitely a solid crunch in each bite, but not to the point where it seems like you’re biting down on something old and stale. Likewise, they seem more moist than oily, a definite plus when in stage two of “finger lickage” goodness. Meanwhile – over in the flavor department – let’s just say I was completely blown away. The first flavor I get when I bite in is the sweetness. I guess they weren’t lying when they labeled it as a “sweet mesquite” chip, and I do in fact catch a hint of mesquite in the seasoning. It’s definitely a “traditional” barbeque seasoning blend, but at the same time it comes across as deeper and bolder than most barbeque chips. There’s also an element of sweet tomato flavor that most chips don’t include in their seasoning. There is a great balance in the ratio of sweet to salty, and unlike many barbeque flavored chips the salt doesn’t overwhelm the sweetness here. Rather, it’s complimentary, and adds to the overall tasting experience. The thing I really like about these chips (outside of the complex barbeque flavor) is the “back flavor,” which unlike a lot of chips still manages to retain the flavor of the actual potato used in the cooking process. There is, in fact, a progression of taste with these chips, and it’s by far one of the best I’ve ever experienced in my entire life as a snacker!

The distribution of sweet spice is just right.  At only 140 calories and 6 grams of fat (0.5g saturated) per 18 chip serving, these are actually some of the healthiest potato chips you can find on the market.  Cooked in “100% Canola Oil,” the chips not only retain the delicious flavor of the actual potato, but they apparently provide a good source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids (at least, you know, according to the package label).  My only regret is that I’ve been unable to find a local grocer that carries these chips, although their website does show that Cape Cod chips are available in numerous states across the country. Unfortunately for our good friend Bear, they aren’t available in California, once again confirming that the West Coast is painfully out of touch when it comes to the world of snackage.  Oh well, more for me I guess.

• Pros: I think I already said it all. These were outstanding, and by far the best kettle-cooked barbeque potato chips I’ve ever had in my life.
• Cons: Admitting I like love something that was made in the state of Massachusetts, and the sad realization that I may be dangerously close to selling out on my beloved Mid-Atlantic roots.Great texture.

GrubGrade: 9.25/10 (Exceptional)

Price: $3.49 per 8 oz bag

CapeCodChips.com

Nutrition Facts: Cape Cod Sweet Mesquite Barbeque Chips

Serving Size:  1oz (Approximately 18 Chips)

Calories:  140

Calories from Fat:  60

Total Fat: 6 g

Saturated Fat: 0.5g

Trans Fat: 0 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 150 mg

Total Carbohydrate: 18 g

Dietary Fiber: 2 g

Sugars: 1 g

Protein: 2 g

Growing up the son of a Nurse Practioner, I can firmly remember my mother’s insistence that our family eat dinner each night with the three major nutritional components of most American meals; meat, vegetable, and starch.  While I never had much trouble with the meat (or vegetables for that matter) I always struggled with whatever starchy object was usually on the table that night.  No, it’s not because I was some 13 year old on Atkins, but rather because as the culinary prodigy I was and was bound to become, the prospect of plain white rice or boiled potatoes just didn’t tickle my fancy.  And no, not even when I would lather them up in Old Bay and BBQ sauce. The one exception was sweet potatoes.  So sweet, so delicious, so simple; the humble tubor was a starchy food that even a kid with HFCS raging through his veins could love.  And love them to this day I still do, so you can only imagine how stoked I was to recently receive a sample of Route 11′s Sweet Potato Chips.

Unfortunatly not served nightly for dinner...

I have to admit that I had never had a pre-packaged sweet potato chip before.  While I vaguely remember having a great sweet potato fry a time or two, I literally went into this snacking experience having no idea of what to expect.  That being said, my first bite into the chip was kind of like The Office season finale.  It was like ‘Wait, that’s it?’  Frankly it was kind of tasteless.  Don’t get me wrong; it had amazing texture with its firm, restaurant-style-cut thickness and strong crunchy appeal, but I have taste buds for a reason you know, and they weren’t getting much from that first crunch.  As is often the case however, a few seconds in the old chompers revealed a decidedly different story, as the subtle but full bodied natural sugars of the chips began to come out.  A writer of my caliber should really be able to come up with more for a product this good, but the most exact way to put this was that it just tasted like a sweet potato.  A really good and good for you, honest to God, no other flavor necessary sweet potato.  Somehow this chip was even able to silence the additive and seasoning fiend in me, so much so that I didn’t even bother trying to throw some cinnamon, cloves, and brown sugar onto a chip for the sake of experimentation.

What, you were expecting something green?

Route 11 chips can be tough to find, especially if you don’t live in the Mid-Atlantic and doubly especially if you don’t usually hit up those emasculating au natural food market type places (darn you, societal pressures!)  You can however check a list of local distributors on the Route 11 website, as well purchase the chips directly from the company.  If by chance you ever do run across these chips in the store I IMPLORE you to buy them.  They seriously outrank any “specialty” chip I’ve ever had, and at 210 calories per 1.5 oz bag they are more than reasonable in the nutrition department.  Frankly these are so good that if I wasn’t such an upstanding, law-abiding citizen I would probably tell you to just steal ‘em, but then again that would probably make it tougher for sweet potato addicts like myself to hoard them.

• Pros: Natural sweet potato taste is classic, full bodied, and not overly sweet. Has a great “back sweetness” and earthy quality that comes from chewing. Outstanding texture with solid, “thick” crunch. Reminds you of dining in some upscale southern “Grill.” Comparatively healthy to other fried chips with only 7g fat and 120% of DV of Vitamin A per serving. The most natural thing I probably ate all week.
• Cons: May be a little too under-salted. While the natural flavor of the potato chip works well, one wonders how awesome these could be if enhanced by classic “fall” spices or brown sugar. The realization that I may have just exposed the greatest sweet potato product ever known to man is causing me to consider just telling you that these suck and to never waste your time buying them, in the process sending Route 11′s stock plummeting and giving me the opportunity to blow my college fund in a leveraged buyout of the company.

Great texture: Not too oily and very crunchy.

GrubGrade:  9.00/10  (Exceptional)

Price:  1.5oz bag retails for $0.99 cents

Rt11.com

Nutrition Facts – Route 11 Sweet Potato Chips

Serving Size: 1 oz (10-12 chips)

Calories: 140

Calories from Fat: 60

Saturated Fat: 1g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Sodium: 55mg

Total Carbohydrates: 19g

Dietary Fiber: 2g

Sugars: 4g

Protein: 2g

 For more Route 11 flavored chips, please visit their “Chip Gallery.”

April is Secret Password Month at California Tortilla.  Today is “Read Your Email Day“, but just in case you have no idea what I’m talking about, I’ll give you the information you need to receive FREE FOOD.  Visit your local California Tortilla today and tell the cashier the secret password and receive your FREE Chips and Queso or Salsa.

Chips and Queso from California Tortilla

There are no strings attached, just say to the cashier “Talk Talk”.  Go to California Tortilla to find a restaurant near you.  In the mean time, vote for California Tortilla for Best Burrito, Best Salad and Best Guacamole in the online Washingtonian survey.

Every week I peruse the snack aisle of my local grocery store looking for something new and potentially interesting to satisfy my taste buds.  It seems like every week I end up settling for something, well, unique.  Baked soy crisps.  Sweet and Salty granola bars.  Multigrain rice crisps.  Not exactly your tried and true, blue collar American snack choices…

Fortunately, this trend of snacking ended the other day, as I picked up a $1 bag of Utz Carolina Style Bar-B-Q Potato Chips.  Maybe my cheapness got the best of me, or maybe it’s this whole “load up on polyunsaturated fats” health craze going around right now.  Frankly, the worn-out looking bag of chips just screamed “buy me.”  So I did.  While I don’t eat fried potato chips on a regular basis, I do consider myself something of a BBQ connoisseur, with the vinegar-based Eastern Carolina style among my favorite choices.  The fact that I know of no other brand on the market that carries this particular style of BBQ flavor is an instant positive in my mind.  Surely a definite reason to compare these to the more traditional, BBQ style, flavored chips that every company and their mother makes.  These chips do fairly well to match the flavor of Eastern North Carolina style BBQ, which as I mentioned tends to revolve around thin vinegar sauces that contain strong hints of pepper.  Vinegar is definitely the overwhelming flavor I get on first taste, but the red pepper flavor gives the chip a good kick which breaks the otherwise initial blandness.  Like all Utz chips they have a great crunch, and after the initial vinegar burst wears off you get a subtle, Worcestershire-type sweetness followed by real strong potato flavor.  Overall it’s a great transition of flavors that ends with Utz’s signature potato chip taste, and leaves you wanting more.

I liked the fact that these chips are heterogenous in size and degree of ‘doneness’.  Some are crispier than others and some thicker and better seasoned, but I think that kind of composition works well.  I also liked that while oily, these chips were not too greasy, meaning that I did not have to feel guilty about constantly licking my fingers.  One of my only complaints about the chip is that it failed to produce the “mustard” flavor the bag laid claim to, and did not have the smoke flavor that I was expecting based on the ingredient list.  While it’s not exactly a complaint, I also question the relevancy of the flavor choice altogether, as this style of seasoning was developed in the first place to work with chopped pork, not potatoes.

Honestly, you can’t go wrong with Utz.  The company’s regular line of chips may not be as sexy as whatever Pringles or Lays has cooking, but they’ve been solid standbys for years and it just takes an open mind for even a froo-froo snacker like myself to discover them. While I did not enjoy the Carolina Bar-B-Q chips as much as the company’s regular potato chip flavor, the idea of a regional style of BBQ chips is enough to warrant an occasional buy, which at a dollar per 4oz. bag isn’t gonna cost me the farm.

• Pros- Ridiculously cheap.  Not overly greasy.  Strong vinegar taste does a decent job of replicating Eastern North Carolina style, while hints of pepper flakes give chips a “kick.”  Typically awesome taste of cottonseed oil fried potato rounds it all out.
• Cons- No smoke flavor whatsoever.  Saltier than regular Utz potato chips.  Not getting much “mustard” flavor.  9 grams of fat per serving.  Spelling barbeque as “Bar-B-Q.”  Bag looks like it’s from the early 1960s.

GrubGrade:  7.75/10 (Good)

Price:  $1.59 3.75oz bag  ($1.00 on sale at Giant Food) 

Utzsnacks.com

Nutrition- Utz Carolina Bar-B-Que Chips

Serving Size: 1 oz (about 20 chips)

Calories: 150

Calories from Fat: 80

Total Fat: 9 grams

Saturated Fat: 2 grams

Polyunsaturated Fat: 5 grams

Monounsaturated Fat: 2 grams

Cholesterol: 0 milligrams

Sodium: 270 milligrams

Total Carbs: 14 grams

Fiber: 1 gram

Sugar: 1 gram

Protein: 2 grams