La chips d'Allauch - La Blue Chips

These chips are made from a generous "blue" elongated tuber of the Vitelotte type. The potatoes are delicately cut into pretty thin slices, and then cooked in a simmering oil bath (mix of peanut oil and sunflower oil). They are then drained and sprinkled with a pinch of natural Camargue sea salt. The salt is scattered in such a way that one feels it finely concentrated in only some spots, intensifying the taste.

Ideal for an autumn snack, calmly watching falling leaves during a windy afternoon at home. Try them heated (20-30 seconds at 800Watts) as recommended in the package! The experience is enhanced with a light fruity scent.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	11.0 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.07 mm
Crunchiness:	74 dB
Other features:	Thin and long lila potato slices.
Origin:
Country, region	France, Provence
We got them from	a French colleague brought them from Catalogne (France), merci!
Price / gram	1.80 € / 125 g
On-line:	www.provence-chips.com

Patatas Artesanas Al estilo tradicional - Snack Day

Snack Day's Patatas Artesanas were tested while travelling in a high speed AVE train between Barcelona and Madrid. Our palate cannot distinguish some flavours when we are flying on a plane. Since our train was figuratively "flying" through tunnels, hitting speeds of 300km/h, our ears were feeling pressure differences. Are our palates and smell altered by the pressure changes, low humidity and surrounding noise? See here.

We felt these chips can play in the top league: We perceived a very good flavour with sweet scents and a real taste to hand made potato chips as the label indicates ("Artesanas al estilo tradicional"). Without jacket, these chips are cut flat, fried in 100% olive oil and modestly seasoned with salt. A balanced combination.

If you try them in "normal conditions" and think otherwise, please share!

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	7.4 cm long
and has a thickness of	? mm
Crunchiness:	99 dB
Other features:	Golden yellow chips, oily, no jacket.
Origin:
Country, region	Spain, Catalonia
We got them from	a Lidl supermarket in Spain.
Price / gram	0.89 € / 150 g
On-line:	www.lidl.es

Inside a bag of Patatas Artesanas Snack Day

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"

Marinas Sal de Formentera - Vicente Vidal

The chips, from the potato type Agria, are of average size and cut flat. Then, they are fried in abundant olive oil (38%) and very correctly salted (0.8%). 

When opening the bag we felt a slight rancid smell that immediately disappeared leaving a deep authentic flavour and aroma. 

The chips have many bents, like the hilly roads to Cadaqués where we tested these chips. Loud crunches prevent us listening the swaying sound of waves at the Roses gulf, by the Mediterranean sea. 

The salt used is extracted in a traditional way from the natural parc Ses Salines in Formentera. It is hard to know if the salt origin makes some difference to the final product but we dare to guess a nuance in the right direction, be it the precise salt quantity and/or quality.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	7.0 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.08 mm
Crunchiness:	92 dB
Other features:	Good crunch and taste.
Origin:
Country, region	Spain, Navarra
We got them from	a seaside beach bar in Roses, Costa Brava.
Price / gram	1.59 € / 150 g
On-line:	www.patatasmarinas.com

Inside a bag of Marinas Sal de Formentera by Vicente Vidal

Gourmet - Lay's

Who was first? The Lay's Gourmet potato chips packaging you see in this post looks very similar to Hacendado's Extracrujientes (to compare click on this link). And its taste does not differ that much. 

The Lay's Gourmet uses potatoes that once peeled are cut flat and thick. Then they have been unbelievably bent and slowly baked with sunflower oil.

The flavour is great, gentle and authentic, never too strong. Once in our mouth, crunching the impossible bents of each Lay's Gourmet chips gives and indescribable feel to our palate.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	7.1 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.12 mm
Crunchiness:	104 dB
Other features:	Flat cut, many bent chips.
Origin:
Country, region	Spain, Barcelona
We got them from	El Corte Inglés supermarket
Price / gram	1,99 € /180 g
On-line:	http://www.lays.es/productos/lays-gourmet

Inside a bag of Lay's Gourmet

Patatas fritas Extra Crujientes - Hacendado

We would have never thought an own brand generalist supermarket crisps could taste that good. These potatoes have been fried on sunflower oil (28%) after being cut flat and thick. Such a thickness together to the huge proportion of bent, double and curled chips not only result in a quite high crunchiness score (106dB): the crunchiness perception at every bite multiplies in our mouth. 

The price/quality ratio is more than acceptable. The only thing we miss is a bit of a "frying stall" flavour to make these potatoes perfect. All in all, these crisps do really make honours to its label: "extra crujientes" (extra crunchy) and place clearly above average.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	7 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.10 mm
Crunchiness:	106 dB
Other features:	Flat cut, many bent chips.
Origin:
Country, region	Spain, Castilla y León
We got them from	Mercadona supermarket
Price / gram	1,55 € /180 g
On-line:	http://www.informacionmercadona.es/patatas-fritas-hacendado/

Inside a bag of "Patatas fritas extra crujientes Hacendado"

Pipers Crisp Cº - Made by farmers

We are back after the new year with loads of reviews ready for you!

This time we taste Pipers, from the UK, following a suggestion from one of our readers. 

Pipers' potato chips are deliciously salted with sea salt flakes from Anglesey (Halen Mon Sea Salt) and fried with sunflower oil. They taste very good. The cut is flat and thick. Very slightly over-roasted, the flavour is authentic. The perceived crunchiness was higher than the dB measured. All in all a very complete pick for any occasion.

Dimensions:
	the biggest potato crisps is	6 cm long
	and has a thickness of	1.35 mm
Crunchiness	(dB)	97 dB
Other features	cut, section, colour...	Flat thick cut, toasted aroma, gold colour.
Origin
	country, region	UK, England
	We got them from	Benugo, shop at St Pancras train station, London
	Price / gram	0,95 £ (pounds) / 40g
On-line		http://www.piperscrisps.com/

Inside a Pipers Cris Cº bag