Alfredo's salt - Amica chips

Alfredo's is the new gourmet series of the Italian potato chips manufacturer Amica chips (more Amica reviews here).

Medium size Italian potatoes are washed, cut flat and pretty thick. After being baked in sunflower oil a few salt grains are added (1.3%).

The whole process results in hard chunky chips with a loud crunch well balanced by the amount of salt used. 
"Al punto", as the chef Alfredo orders.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	7.1 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.61 mm
Crunchiness:	91 dB
Other features:	Medium size potato slices, thick, hard and brittle.
Origin:
Country, region	Italy, Mantua
We got them from	Kempten (Germany)
Price / gram	1.99 € / 150 g
On-line:	www.amicachips.it

Inside a bag of Alfredo's potato chips

Patatas Fritas en Aceite de Oliva Sabores del Mediterráneo - Vicente Vidal

We were surprised receiving another potato crisps bag by Vicente Vidal, this time from a "Sabores del Mediterraneo" edition, traditionally baked in 100% olive oil. 

These potato chips are carefully selected and bought directly to farmers from the Iberian peninsula. Once washed they are sliced flat and baked in the same way it's been done since 1931.  A pinch of salt is added at the end. We notice a soft crunch and a vegetable flavor that turns into a bitter sensation after a few seconds. For some it might be an unpleasant feeling similar to eating a rancid product. However such a bitterness might also be due to the presence of polyphenols in the olive oil. It can also be due to the above-the-average-content of olive oil in weight (38%) in the product.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	7.5 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.18 mm
Crunchiness:	80 dB
Other features:	Medium to big size potato slices, partly peeled and baked in abundant olive oil.
Origin:
Country, region	Spain, Navarre
We got them from	A local shop in Munich promoting Spanish specialties.
Price / gram	1.99 € / 150 g
On-line:	papasvidal.es/en/

Inside a bag of Patatas Fritas en Aceite de Oliva, Sabores Mediterraneo by Vicente Vidal

Jemně solené - Bohemia

Czech potatoes are selected, washed and cut flat before being fried in 100% sunflower oil. Only then they are slightly spiced with salt (2.2%).

This results in plain chips of a pale yellow colour, pretty thin and not so loud at crunch. The chips feel greasy in the hand but not in the mouth. The aroma reminds us of being in a bohemian bookstore.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	6.1 cm long
and has a thickness of	0.91 mm
Crunchiness:	74 dB
Other features:	Pale yellow and thinly sliced potato chips.
Origin:
Country, region	Czech Republic, Choustnik
We got them from	a shopping mall in Brno.
Price / gram	15.90 Kč / 77 g
On-line:	www.bohemiachips.cz

Inside a bag of Bohemia jemně solené

Kartoffel chips Salz - Star Marke

Today we taste ruffled potato chips from "Star Marke", an own brand of the German supermarket chain Tengelmann.

The potatoes for this product are quite small, perfectly peeled and then cut in a wavy profile before being fried in abundant sunflower oil (34%). Some chips look like being literally soaked in oil. However, the crunch is good. The potato chips feel hard and brittle in our mouth but in our opinion they are oversalted.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	5.2 cm long
and has a thickness of	2.19 mm*
Crunchiness:	86 dB
Other features:	Wavy cut, abundant oil and salt.
Origin:
Country, region	Germany
We got them from	a Tengelmann supermarket in Munich.
Price / gram	1.59 € / 150 g
On-line:	http://www.starmarke.de/produkt-detail.php

* Thickness measured between top of the wave and bottom of the valley in the biggest chip we found.

Inside a bag of Tengelmann's Star Marke

Purple Chips Papá Daniel - La Santamaría

Back in 2014 Crisps&Critics first reviewed Purple Chips. In 2015, we tasted Papá Daniel's Traditional Potato Chips. In 2016, while feeding our souls at a stylish eatery in Munich, Barna, we were offered purple chips that we liked very much: Papá Daniel's Purple Chips.

When opening the bag we see a huge variety of colours, from light yellow to dark purple. Every chip has its own aureole, as if each potato was an artwork deserving a frame. Multiple bubbles are spread over the many curls and bent-overs of each chip. The taste is very authentic, juicy and very slightly salted. Traditionally cooked in batches, the purple chips are pan fried in abundant sunflower oil, keeping its full flavour and texture.

Eating healthy in style is possible. Try them out.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	8.4 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.14 mm
Crunchiness:	93 dB
Other features:	Light yellow to dark purple colour.
Origin:
Country, region	Spain, Pinto (Madrid)
We got them from	Barna, feed your soul
Price / gram	3,90 € / 130 g
On-line	www.productoslasantamaria.es

Inside a bag of Purple Chips Papá Daniel, La Santamaría.

Rillies - Bravo

 

Rillies chips could be considered the ruffled sister of our last Bravo review. Apart from the Rillies' wavy cut, these are thicker and tastier. 

Middle sized potatoes have their skin removed, cut undulated and baked in sunflower oil. This results in chips that are much savoury and juicier compared to its reviewed "light" predecessor.

A pity with the Rillies undulated chips share with its sister: the huge amount of salt used doesn't allow us appreciate its true potato flavour.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	5.6 cm long
and has a thickness of	2.05* mm
Crunchiness:	91 dB
Other features:	Wavy cut, peeled, pale yellow colour.
Origin:
Country, region	Germany, Schleswig-Holstein
We got them from	a Penny market in Hamburg.
Price / gram	0.99 € /200 g
On-line:	http://www.wilkbonbon.de/

* Due to the wavy cut, with very small and close undulations, the thickness has been measured between the top peak and the bottom of the valley.

Inside a bag of Rillies

Tsakiris Chips - Τσακίρης πατατάκια με αλάτι

Welcome to the first Greek review at Crisps&Critics: Tsakiris Chips.

George Tsakiris was the first to elaborate potato chips in Greece. It was back in 1954, and the delivery van was a very nice Ford truck.

Nowadays, the potatoes are processed in modern facilities: The chips are washed, its skin perfectly removed, cut flat, fried in palm oil and salted. This process results in a uniform and intense yellow colour. The chips are medium size, taste fresh and have a regular crunch. The amount of salt is normal.

Tsakiris potato chips with salt are presented in a flashy orange packaging.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	6.5 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.11 mm
Crunchiness:	86 dB
Other features:	Flat cut, intense yellow colour.
Origin:
Country, region	Greece, Phthiotis
We got them from	a kiosk in Athens.
Price / gram	0.78 € /72 g
On-line:	http://www.tsakirischips.gr/

Inside a bag of Tsakiris salt chips.

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

SÓS chips salted - Tesco

Simply salted Hungarian potato chips are difficult to find.

The next reviewed bag of chips comes from Tesco, a British retailer that opened its first store in Central Europe back in 1995 and manages 200 stores in Hungary today.

In a light blue bag from Tesco's own brand, we find 77g of flat cut medium sized potato chips that have been peeled and baked in abundant sunflower oil (36.5%). 

Taste and feel is quite basic. A soft sweet corn scent is left in our mouth at each bite. Definitely a good pick to share with friends during a bicycle ride along the Hungarian Danube shores.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	7.4 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.09 mm
Crunchiness:	90 dB
Other features:	Flat thin cut. Light yellow colour.
Origin:
Country, region	Budapest, Hungary
We got them from	a Tesco store in Budapest
Price / gram	199 HUF / 77 g
On-line:	www.tesco.hu

Inside a bag of Tesco chips salted sós

Salz Chips - Crusti Croc

The potatoes used for Crusti Croc's Salz Chips originate from Germany. The "kartoffeln made-in-Germany" are very well peeled before being cut thin and flat. Baked in high-oleic sunflower oil (34%), the chips are finally seasoned with table salt: a bit too much for many of our critics. The final product results in chips that have a very light yellow colour, almost white.

The first feeling when opening the bag of Crusti Croc chips is a good aroma: some consider it a wood or forest aroma, while others smell an earth/soil scent. In any case a smell that brings our minds back to nature, to the roots.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	7.1 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.04 mm
Crunchiness:	90 dB
Other features:	Flat cut. Light yellow colour with diverse shapes and curls.
Origin:
Country, region	Germany
We got them from	a Lidl supermarket in Germany.
Price / gram	0.99 € / 200 g
On-line:	http://www.lidl.de/de/crusti-croc-salz-chips/p189414

Inside a bag of Crusti Croc Salz.

Sós Chips - Coop

The first Hungarian review at Crisps&Critics comes from a Budapest supermarket own brand: Coop.

Hungarian potatoes irrigated with plenty of Danube water are probably used for this bag of crisps. "Sós Chips" potatoes are partly peeled and then baked in palm oil. Many dark skin traces from the chips' edges are found scattered all around the chips' surfaces.

The flavour is good, not too intense, slightly reminding a countriside potato, with a moderate crunch and appropriately salted.

The 90g bag will be more than enough if you are still hungry after eating some Lángos, or while queueuing for dinner where the best Goulash in town is served.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	6.6 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.05 mm
Crunchiness:	92 dB
Other features:	Medium/Small chips with some black/burnt edges.
Origin:
Country, region	Hungary
We got them from	a Coop supermarket in Budapest
Price / gram	250 HUF (Hungarian Forint) / 90 g
On-line:	www.coop.hu

Inside a bag of Sós Chips from Coop.