Pringles Bacon

Did someone say "bacon"?

The Attraction:

As part of my recent trip to Walmart, I saw this "exclusive flavor" just for Walmart. Even though it's new to me, it's not that unusual as Walmart also had a similar to deal with ice cream makers Ben and Jerry. Perhaps I'll write about that in another review, but for now, I got bacon on the brain.

The Review:
What is it about the word "bacon" that catches my eye? This year I've tried a Maple Bacon flavored product, a Bacon Mac and Cheese potato chip and lastly a Bacon Cheddar popcorn. Why not just try a straight up bacon flavor? Thank goodness Pringles saved me from having to search near and far for such a snack.

I "pop the top" off the can and peel back the seal. A smoky, innocuous scent comes drifting out. Not too aggressive; that's a good sign.

I pick up a chip and contemplate if I should shove the whole chip in my mouth or try to act semi-human and take a bite. My mother would be proud as to the route I took on this one.

As I crunch into the chip, the saltiness is the first thing to strike me. There's a reason it doesn't say "low in sodium" on the outside of this can. Whoa momma!

After that shot of salt subsides, the smoke and subtle cured flavor come in to talk me off the ledge.

"Hey, buddy. You are going to be just fine.", they console me.

"We are going to make it all better".

And you know what? They do.

Pringles stack: A person with OCDs dream come true

The Sweet:

Great smoky flavor without feeling like you licked an ash tray.

The Bitter:
Not exactly shy with the salt on this one. I'm not sure bacon was the flavor that came to mind.

I was considering  Photoshopping that chip back in...

Conclusion:
I wouldn't say these particularly taste like bacon to me, but they certainly do taste good, even with the amount of saltiness that comes screaming through. Pringles is one of those snack brands that I have begun to trust. Other than some of the sweet flavors, I haven't encountered a flavor that I didn't think was at least "OK". In the case of Pringles Bacon, it's more than just OK.

Video of the Week
Recently there has been a bunch of "challenges" making their rounds around the 'net. Many of which involve food like the Bean Boozled challenge. Here's a good example of why I don't take these challenges.

Be warned; this doesn't end well

Kettle Brand Maple Bacon Potato Chips

Here we go again

The Attraction:

When I stepped out of the office the other day to pickup lunch, I was fully expecting to pickup the old standby, a bag of nacho-flavored Doritos, when I spotted this curiosity on the potato chip rack. I've had a few variations of this theme lately, so I was a little reluctant at first, but then I thought, "OK, I guess I can try one more...."

The Review:
I've started to rack up my fair share of snacks that have tried to incorporate "meat" flavor into their products like here, here and here. Although the results have been mixed, I was feeling hopeful when I saw that the Kettle Brand company took Lay's lead with trying some new and interesting flavors. Maple and bacon?! I can see by their illustration on the front of their bag that they are trying to capture that unique flavor combination when your pancake syrup drips off your short stack and onto your strips of crispy bacon. Ahh....I can taste that already....but can a bag of chips possibly capture that magic?

Tear the bag open and the maple syrup smell is first to greet me. I pickup a chip and indulge. There's the maple flavor I smelled....and as the tail end of the bite concludes, the cured taste of bacon comes around to close out the show. It's not bad, and they certainly have captured that maple flavor, but something seems missing.....it doesn't seem to deliver the knockout blow.

When I have potato chips, part of my preset expectation is there will be a savory (salty) component to it....and there is in this product, but it doesn't quite deliver it as strongly as I had hoped. It's like ordering a side of french fries...but they aren't quite salted enough. Yes, they are crispy, yes, they are hot, yes, they smell amazing...but when you pop that fry in your mouth, if it doesn't deliver a hit of savory flavor, either via salt or ketchup, it seems to miss the target. That's how these chips came across to me.

Would it kill them to put more in there?

The Sweet:

Kettle chips crispy crunch with a sweet maple start gets you excited.

The Bitter:
It doesn't quite scratch that savory flavor itch.

Is there bacon in there?

Conclusion:
In theory, this sounded like a plausible flavor combination, but the reality didn't quite live up to the expectation. I've come to give up that any chip will ever be able to come very close to simulating "meat" flavor, but where this snack falters is that unlike having that piece of bacon with pancakes in the morning where the saltiness of the bacon helps neutralize the sweetness of the maple syrup, the savory aspects of the these chips doesn't come through quite strong enough to satisfy that savory craving.

Video of the Week
As we enter post-season play in baseball here in the States, (Go Mets!), here's a clip of a Samurai showing you how to really show a baseball who's the boss.

First try? I can't even hit a ball with a bat going that fast!

Lays Cheddar Bacon Mac and Cheese

What? More bacon snacks?!

The Attraction:

Recently I've been buying into Lay's marketing program of letting the public judge and decide what new flavor should become part of the Lay's potato chip line. I even tried one of their offerings this year. Surprisingly, despite my conspiracy theory about it all, I went to the grocery store the other day and saw this 2014 offering still being offered to the public. Hmm...this guy is still around? There must be something to it if they are still making it...

The Review
Tear into the bag and there is a hint of that cured smell from the cheddar bacon flavor. "This should be good!", I think to myself. I pickup two broken chips and bring it on home. As the smell test confirmed, there is a cured flavor to these chips. The cheddar flavor kicks in quickly once that initial cured taste fades. Check on the cheddar bacon part. What about the mac and cheese? After shoveling a few more chips into the snack-o-rater (my mouth), the product occurs to me more like a loaded baked potato (minus the sour cream and chives). It makes total sense; bacon and cheese flavor + potato chip = loaded baked potato. The distinction of the macaroni in the "Mac and Cheese" part is textural and since Lay's didn't make a chip to emulate that feeling, you have an item whose flavor is more reminiscent of an appetizer you might get at the local bar or pub.

Are those black specks of bacon flavor?

The Sweet:

It delivers a cured meat flavor experience with a hit of cheddar cheese essence that satisfies your savory urges.

The Bitter:
It doesn't come across as mac and cheese, although frankly, I'm not sure if they thought they could ever be able to deliver on that part of the product name. Dang marketing department...

First ones to go down the hatch

Conclusion:
So it doesn't exactly deliver what the description on the bag promises. It wouldn't be the first nor the last product to do that, however the spirit of what these chips tries to capture is there. What they do get right and put into the bag is a enough to keep me coming back for more. You say tomato, I say tomáto. You say mac and cheese, I say potáto. Tomato, tomáto, mac and cheese, potáto, let's just put it all in the shopping cart.

Video of the Week
About a week ago, Burger King proposed a one day "cease fire" with it's largest competitor, McDonald's, in honor of Peace Day (Sept 21). As part of that cease fire, they would combine their signature burgers, the Whopper and the Big Mac. Personally, if I could build my own, I would take a Whopper, leave only the bun, meat and cheese, then incorporate the Big Mac's chopped onions, pickles, special sauce and lettuce. How would you build yours?

This sounds cool, but can't we just build our own

 if we bought one of each burger?

Trader Joe's Baconesque White Cheddar Popcorn

Does everything taste better with bacon?

The Attraction:

With a name like "Baconesque White Cheddar Popcorn" is there really much more to explain? This combination of words is a close second to "Ice Cream Doughnut Holes" to guarantee my pulse to pickup a few beats. (PS don't steal my idea)

The Review
Trader Joe's is a popular grocery chain here in the States that sell their own brand of products. A majority of which is targeted towards the health conscience crowd. That doesn't necessarily mean a "health food" store, but it's geared more towards using wholesome ingredients and less artificial additives. What's great about Trader Joe's is that eating this way doesn't mean a snack death sentence. They have fun with it and this is where a product like this comes in.

Crack open the bag and there is no particularly decipherable smell of bacon that is present. I do get a hint of that cheddar cheese smell, which is quite the pleasant aroma to a cheese lover like me. I grab a few pieces of popcorn and go for it. The 'baconesque" flavor actually leads the charge on this item (it's actually more smoky then bacon flavored) and then it manages to work in the cheddar flavor into your taste buds. I grab a couple of more to pinpoint exactly what I'm tasting.

The flavor isn't quite bacon-ish to me. It's more of a smoked ham note. I know it may sound like I'm splitting hairs here, but that is more accurate, I would say. To be exact, it's quite reminiscence of a smoked gouda cheese I have had occasionally.

Looks like regular popcorn...

The Sweet:

The cheddar and smoky flavor are really good!

The Bitter:
Not quite baconesque.

...but doesn't taste like regular popcorn!

Conclusion:
No, Trader Joe's doesn't quite hit the bulls-eye in the naming of this product, but I can understand why. "Hamesque White Cheddar Popcorn" doesn't sound as appealing. I've already documented how tricky it can be to try to recreate "meat" flavored snacks previously and although this item doesn't capture the bacon-flavor in my opinion, what they do have is one delicious smoky-cheese flavored snack that I will gladly pickup the next time I find myself at a Trader Joe's.

Video of the Week
Niagara Falls, Las Vegas, Florida, Italy, Hawaii, whatever. Want a honeymoon spot that will provide years of memories and conversation? How about acclaimed street artist Banky's Dismaland? Even a map here. Think of all the "happy" memories you'll take with you after your visit.

Happiest place on earth...isn't here