Strážnícké brambůrky jemně solené - Petr Hobža

Back in 1988, the Hobža couple had an idea: Place a pile of sliced potatoes on a pan for the visitors to an outdoor cinema to have something tasty to eat together with their pint. None of them knew, though, that just a few years later they would be selling tons of crisps in Czechia and Slovakia.

Selected Czech potatoes of small size are washed, thin flat sliced, washed again in clean water, centrifuged and fried in abundant rapeseed oil (36% of final product). Only then a pinch of salt is added, resulting in light yellow translucent crisps with a reasonable crunch and unique aroma.

Nicely decorated package for the Strážnícké brambůrky jemně solené  (Crisps slightly salted from the Strážnícé town) with flower motives over a transparent background lets us see what we are going to taste: authentic Czech crisps.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	5.0 cm long
and has a thickness of	0.99 mm
Crunchiness:	83 dB
Other features:	Very thinly sliced potato chips.
Origin:
Country, region	Czech Republic, Strážnícé
We got them from	a shopping mall in Brno during the Moto GP 2017
Price / gram	17.90 Kč / 60 g
On-line:	http://www.hobza.cz

Inside a bag of Strážnícké brambůrky jemně solené by Petr Hobža

Sabores de nuestra tierra - Vicente Vidal

Iberian selected potatoes from the sour variety (Agria), directly bought to the farmers, making sure their business is profitable and sustainable. The whole process is closely monitored: From the selection of the potato chips, through the plantage, growth and harvesting. Once stored, the potatoes are washed, peeled and fried in sunflower oil (33%), adding a pinch of salt following a traditional recipe from 1931.

The result are big thin and light chips with some bubbles that taste very good and crunch solidly.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	8.1 cm long
and has a thickness of	? mm
Crunchiness:	94 dB
Other features:	Many bubbles, thin chips.
Origin:
Country, region	Spain, León
We got them from	a shop near Sa Caleta, in Menorca
Price / gram	1.41 € / 160 g
On-line:	www.papasvidal.es

Hand cooked crisps - Salty Dog

Dave Willis was a crisps delivery van driver with a dog as a copilot. One day he thought that he could do better crisps than the ones he was delivering and decided to found Salty Dog.

Pedigree potatoes are carefully selected, cut flat leaving their jacket on and then hand-cooked in sunflower oil. The whole process results in thick consistent potato chips, neither greasy nor dry, very reasonably salt seasoned and leaving an authentic potato taste.

When opening the matt metal chips bag we felt a nature scent with tinges of fresh wood. As if you were entering a recently built wooden hut lost in snowy mountains... Definitely one of the tastiest crisps you could shake a tail at.

And Salty Dog has a webpage with plenty of man's best friend jargon.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	7.1 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.62 mm
Crunchiness:	92 dB
Other features:	Thick, unpeeled chips.
Origin:
Country, region	England, Chesham
We got them from	a blog follower sent them to us.
Price / gram	3.00 € / 150 g
On-line:	saltydog-grrr.com

Inside a bag of Salty Dog "sea salt"

Patatas fritas estilo Churrería - Frit Ravich

Estilo churrería -“frying stall” style - is the name the Frit Ravich's marketing department has chosen for these potato chips. At Crisps&Critics we have tried crisps whose flavour matched better such labeling.

Still, these chips are cut thin and translucent, with some interesting curls and many bubbles. They crunch very nicely in our mouth, feeling light and good. Really. Fried with enough sunflower oil and a bit over salted, we can only guess a well selected potato flavour.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	8,5 cm long
and has a thickness of	0,94 mm
Crunchiness:	103 dB
Other features:	Golden yellow colour, thin cut, bubbles...
Origin:
Country, region	Spain, Catalonia
We got them from	a Carrefour supermarket
Price / gram	1.10 € / 150 g
On-line	http://www.fritravich.com

Inside a Churreria Frit Ravich bag

Patatas Fritas Artesanas Papá Daniel - La Santamaría

Made with Spanish potatoes, these crisps are fried with sunflower oil on a pan. This frying method is probably the reason for such a crisps’ varieties of tonalities and shapes. Each chip is unique and all taste authentic. The brown paper bag gives a rustical impression to the product. Inside the paper bag we find two transparent plastic bags of 150g each. Once the bag is open the flavour transports us to a typical Spanish frying stall (“churrería”). Perfectly oiled and salted, these potatoes are a successful pick for any occasion.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	9.2 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.27 mm
Crunchiness:	103 dB
Other features:	Flat cut. Yellow colour with a huge gradient: from brown to pale yellow. Very diverse shapes and curls.
Origin:
Country, region	Spain, Pinto (Madrid)
We got them from	Käfer shop at Schrannenhalle, Munich (Germany)
Price / gram	3,40 € / 300 g (2x150g)
On-line:	http://www.productoslasantamaria.es/productos

Inside a bag of Papá Daniel chips

Papas fritas onduladas - Docian

These wavy old-style potato chips come from the Canaries, an archipelago in the southernmost region of Spain, closer to Africa than to continental Europe. 

Back in the XV century, the Canary Islands became a stopping platform for European conquerors and traders on their way to the New World. The privileged location of the Canaries brought prosperity to some social sectors of the islands and was the introductory point of potatoes in Europe.  The Canarians are probably then the European citizens with more experience handling with potatoes... but how does all this translate into chips?

The Docian ondulated chips are big, peeled and baked in sunflower oil, resulting in a very structured taste, with a first precise crunch and a soft oil scent at the end. Although not specified, it would make sense that these chips, originating from an island, are seasoned with marine salt.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	9.4 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.65* mm
Crunchiness:	92 dB
Other features:	Wavy cut, peeled, lemony colour.
Origin:
Country, region	Spain, Canary Islands
We got them from	a HiperDino supermarket in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Price / gram	1.02 € / 165 g
On-line:	http://www.emicela.es/

* Due to the wavy cut, with very small and close ondulations, the thickness has been measured between the top wave peak and the lowest part of the wave valley.

Inside a bag of Papas fritas onduladas Docian

Natural Crinkle Cut Crisps - Euroshopper

Crisps&Critics is back from a culinary trip in Iceland. Regarding salted potato chips we could only find imported brands, like today's review: Natural Crinkle Cut Crisps produced in Belgium for the generic brand Euroshopper.

Each of these Euroshopper crisps feel big, thick and, in our opinion, a bit too salty to guess its authentic potato flavour. Partly unpeeled, these crisps have been well baked in vegetable oil. Longer cooking time gives a certain toasted flavour to the crisps.  

The chips have a crinkle cut, with small waves close one to the other, what probably gives the impression of eating thicker chips than they really are.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	8.5 cm long
and has a thickness* of	2.20* mm
Crunchiness:	87 dB
Other features:	Narrow wavy cut, quite salty
Origin:
Country, region	Belgium, Hainaut
We got them from	a Bonus supermarket in Reykjavik
Price / gram	219 Íkr (Icelandic króna) / 200 g
On-line:

* Due to the wavy cut, with very small and close ondulations, the thickness has been measured between the top wave peak and the lowest part of the wave valley.

Inside a Natural Crinkle Cut Crisps bag.

Le Contadine Sapore Fatte a Mano - Ica Crik Crok

"Le Contadine" packaging looks very authentic. Crisps&Critics wanted to test these chips because they are allegedly hand-cooked with extravirgine olive oil. 

Soon after tasting the first crisps we realize the labeling indicates something else: these chips are not hand cooked, are just "hand cooked flavour". Are we facing another deceptive marketing technique?

The potato chips in our bag are unfortunately so salty that it is hardly impossible to distinguish any potato flavour, let alone the olive oil aroma. The impression left after eating a bunch of these chips is like when an ocean wave sends you rolling and you swallow sea water. Way too salty.

Other than that, "Le Contadine" chips offers thick flat cut potatoes with partly unpeeled borders and a normal crunch. These chips are probably a good match to bland meals.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	6.8 cm long
and has a thickness of	0.97 mm
Crunchiness:	92 dB
Other features:	Flat cut, partially unpeeled potatoes, very salty.
Origin:
Country, region	Italy, Lazio
We got them from	Bennet supermarket in Lecco.
Price / gram	1.85 € / 130 g
On-line:	http://www.icafoods.it/prodotti/le-contadine-sapore-fatte-a-mano/

Inside a bag of "Le Contadine Sapore Fatte a Mano"

С Солью - Lay's

These chips were purchased during a trip to Belarus. The "С Солью - Lay's" (Lay's with salt) have a soft and pleasant aroma. Once in the mouth, you can enjoy a subtle and light flavour. They are smooth and fragile at the same time: one bite suffizes to break each chip into many pieces. Eat 2 or 3 chips in a row to get your palate used to its delicate potato scent. 

The "С Солью - Lay's" chips do not have any potato skin trace. Either the skin of these potatoes is very thin, it is of a transparent colour or the potatoes are very well peeled.

And they are very correctly salted: Not surprising from a culture welcoming important, respected or admired guests with a loaf of bread and salt. It is very likely that Leo Messi would also feel very welcome in Belarus. So we felt.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	6.3 cm long
and has a thickness of	0.99 mm
Crunchiness:	84 dB
Other features:	Pale yellow colour, thin chips, unspecified vegetable oil.
Origin:
Country, region	Russia
We got them from	shop near ZUM stores, Minsk (Belarus)
Price / gram	20500 BYR / 80 g
On-line:	http://lays.ru/product/salt/ or http://lays.by

Inside a Lay's С Солью bag 

Patates Fregides Cruixents Artesanes - Casa Ametller

The Ametller family cultivates vegetables since the mid XIX century. In 2001 and seven generations later, the business model changes: two Ametller brothers decide to start commercializing their products directly, without intermediaries. Nowadays, their products are sold in their own brand shops and are a sign of fresh, close and quality product.

The potatoes in this review come from Casa Ametller’s own fields and are traditionally fried with high oleic sunflower oil. In principle such oil keeps the food stable, preserves the flavour, is low in saturated fat and has no transfat. The proportions between crunchiness and thickness of its potato chips is excellent, together with the amount of salt. Once in the mouth, the potato breaks into pieces that feel light and taste good.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	6 cm long
and has a thickness of	1,10 mm
Crunchiness:	105 dB
Other features:	Different shapes, sizes and colours: brown, orange, yellow.
Origin:
Country, region	Spain, Catalonia
We got them from	a Crisps&Critics reader bought them at a “Casa Ametller” shop in Barcelona
Price / gram	1,45 € / 170 g
On-line:	http://www.casaametller.net

Inside a bag of "Patates Fregides Casa Ametller"