Crunch Time

Amazing they even bother playing
football with all that hoopla going on. With festivities like these, a
feast full of proper junk food is the correct protocol. While
oftentimes much thought is put into picking the perfect wings, pizza
and beer, sometimes chip selection goes by the wayside, which is a
shame because even though they may only be a side dish to your Super
Bowl supper, without a strong supporting cast, the meal isn’t complete. 

But with such a variety of chips like
low-fat, lite, baked, kettle cooked, organic, all-natural,
taco-inspired, herb-infused, cheese-blasted and multi-flavored
collisions, deciphering what should go on your spread and what should
stay on the shelf can bring about an aneurysm. So, to avoid unnecessary
medical emergencies, here’s a brief rundown on the wide world of chips.

Tasty Buds

Doritos has long been an old faithful
and recently has been going hog wild in the flavor department, which
has produced both disappointments and new favorites. One of the failing
flavors is Zesty Taco Doritos, which sound good in theory, but taste
like a packet of taco seasoning was just dumped over the chip. In the
end, the flavoring was overwhelming.

Chipotle Ranch Doritos also left a lot
to be desired; the chipotle flavoring was weak and the ranch flavoring
tasted sour. Doritos stepped up their game with their Blazin’ Buffalo
& Ranch, as it has a nice tangy kick and ranch taste. However,
there wasn’t enough of a buffalo sauce flavor to really distinguish the
Blazin’ Buffalo & Ranch from another Doritos classic, Cool Ranch.
The biggest surprise, though, came from the Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos,
which delivers exactly what it promises—a pleasant, sweet taste melting
into the perfect kick of spicy chili powder.

Another brand of chips concocting all
kinds of flavors is Cape Cod, known for using old-fashioned kettle
cooking to give their chips a hearty crunch. Like the Doritos, some of
Cape Cod’s flavors worked, while others needed to head back to the
kitchen. The Cheddar Jack & Sour Cream wanted to be a cheesy
sensation, but instead there were too many dairy products in the ring
to declare this one a winner. Ultimately, the chip took on a stale,
buttermilk flavor that ruined anything this chip could have had going
for it. 

Cape Cod’s Jalapeno & Aged Cheddar
chip fares a bit better, and those who love a spicy-hot jolt will
appreciate that part of the taste experience, but the underlying cheese
flavor doesn’t quite mix well with the jalapeno blast. One of the
interesting-yet-safe flavors was Cape Cod’s Honey Dijon. It has a nice
blend of sweet and spicy, yet it’s subtle enough not to overwhelm with
the mustard flavor. The crowning glory of Cape Cod’s chip line, though,
has to be its Sea Salt and Vinegar. A tangy and tart little spud, this
chip packs a good bite that won’t blow out your taste buds 

Spud Lite 

For those of you looking to cut back on
the grease or the calories during your Super Bowl extravaganza,
chipmakers have come up with substantial, and in some cases preferred,
alternatives to the everyday chip. One of the best examples of this is
the Lay’s Baked! Potato Crisps line (Original, Sour Cream and Onion,
Barbeque, Cheddar and Sour Cream). Like the name states, instead of
getting a big greasy crunch, you get a crisp, refreshing bite. These
thin chips bear a slightly stronger potato taste than regular Lay’s
Potato Chips, which isn’t a bad thing, and the flavors are spot-on to
their regular Lay’s counterparts, also a plus.

Another shining example of baked
goodness is Lay’s Cracker Crisps, Flavor Baked, Smooth Cheddar. While
still a potato-based snack, these bite-size treats are more reminiscent
of Cheese Nips than chips, only they’re less greasy and heavy. The only
complaints are that they aren’t cheesy enough and the cheese flavor
tastes too manufactured.

Although baked chips are a shining
example of how to do reduced-fat chips right, Ruffles Lite, Fat-Free
Original chips shows how calorie cutting can go oh-so-wrong. Even
though these chips have half the fat of regular Ruffles, they’re still
just as greasy, but only now they taste like cardboard. So if you have
to have Ruffles at your Super Bowl shindig, forget the diet and spring
for the regular kind (although wouldn’t the phrase “make sure you pick
up the fat-free chips for the football game” be a bit of an oxymoron
anyway?).

Chips Ahoy

Stacy’s Pita Chips is an all-natural
brand that makes baked chips out of homemade pita bread. Uniqueness,
unfortunately, doesn’t always translate to deliciousness. These chips
taste like dried bread with no flavor at all. While eating the chips
with a strong dip may salvage the experience, you’re better off buying
decent crackers instead.

Another all-natural chip that
disappoints is Kettle brand. They make their chips from potatoes
(already one step ahead of Stacy’s chips), but there’s not enough
crunch to the chip, almost to the point of being stale. If you’re
eating these chips in the name of health, you might as well munch on a
carrot—at least then you’ll get some flavor after the bite.

However, all is not lost for the natural
chip brood. Garden of Eatin’ is pumping out a commendable line of
tortilla chips, particularly their blue corn chips. With a rich, gritty
flavor, this hardy chip goes great with refried beans and guacamole,
and its not-too-salty taste won’t fade into the background like other
corn chips.

Finally comes Terra Gold Chips, possibly
the most decadent brand of chip around. Made from all-natural
ingredients, Terra Golds are thickly sliced to enhance the robust
potato taste, and are heavily seasoned with enticing flavors such as
smoked mozzarella, sun-dried tomato and balsamic vinegar, and olive oil
and fine herbs. These chips are not made for mindless munching; savor
every bite.               

Mr. Potato Head: Mark Wildrick stocks Frito-Lay products at Wegmans’ DeWitt store.

Dippity-Do

Let’s face it: No matter how great the
chip on your platter, it’s the dip that makes or breaks the success of
the snack. For cheese dips, you can’t go wrong with Velveeta, either
plain or with onions, peppers, tomatoes or anything else that goes with
melted cheese. When you think about it, though, what doesn’t go with
melted cheese? 

Tostitos also has a great cheese and
salsa dip, Salsa Con Queso, and a cheese and refried bean dip, Zesty
Bean and Cheese Dip, if you’re feeling like an anti-chief at the moment. 

When it comes to dips such as dills,
ranch and French onion, for the most cost-effective dip that’s flavored
just to your liking, pick up a pack of Hidden Valley Dip Mix and some
sour cream and just mix it together. Start by adding only half of the
pack first, to make sure the seasoning’s not too strong. Then throw in
some fresh veggies and your dip will be the hit of the party.

—Jennifer Brown