Bio-organic hand cooked chips - Trafo

Today we bring you the handcooked version of the bio-organic Trafo chips, already tested by Crisps&Critics back in 2015 (you can check that review here). The potatoes and the sunflower oil come from 100% verified organically grown producers.

The potatoes are cut flat and slowly fried, what takes a bit longer to process than with regular potato chips.  The cooking is done at a relatively low temperature (max. 165ºC), providing more bite and taste. In the end they are seasoned with sea salt, very slightly, letting feel the true flavour of the potato while enjoying a multiplying crunch of many bent-over chips in our mouth.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	7.0 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.09 mm
Crunchiness:	95 dB
Other features:	Good crunch. Organic oil and potatoes.
Origin:
Country, region	Wolvega, The Netherlands
We got them from	a bio-shop in Allach, Germany
Price / gram	1,99 € / 125 g
On-line:	www.fzorganicfood.com

Inside a bag of hand cooked bio-organic chips, sea salt by Trafo.

Kartoffelchips Meersalz - Alnatura

Alnatura's potato chips are presented in a blue elongated plastic bag, with a BIO7initiative stamp on it. Such stamp refers to the 7 principles and values for organic and sustainable farming of the product.

Unpeeled, the bio-potatoes are cut flat and then cooked in sunflower oil (29%). Instead of being pan-fried, it seems that the chips have been oven baked, since they have a smooth, matt and dry surface. On top, they are very decently seasoned with marine salt (2%).

The colour is very light, straw yellow. Be it the baking method or the potatoes "bio" origin, these chips taste earthy and feel healthy.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	6.9 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.16 mm
Crunchiness:	81 dB
Other features:	elongated bag full of pale yellow chips
Origin:
Country, region	The Netherlands
We got them from	an Alnatura shop in Germany
Price / gram	1.85 € / 125g
On-line:	http://www.alnatura.de

Inside a bag of Alnatura Kartoffelchips Meersalz

Bio-organic potato chips - Trafo

The potatoes used for these Trafo chips are grown in organic land, then selected, cut flat and fried in 100% non-hydrogenated sunflower oil, very rich in polyunsaturated linoleic acid. The oil has been produced using certified organically grown sunflowers.

The flavour is invigorating, with a scent of green fresh cut grass. Each chip is very thin, producing only a dimmed crunch, ideal to eat while watching a movie and still listen something... The first chip feels dry. Grab a handful of them and altogether will feel pleasantly oily and juicy.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	7.0 cm long
and has a thickness of	0.95 mm
Crunchiness:	76 dB
Other features:	Flat thin cut. Soft crunch. Organic oil and potatoes.
Origin:
Country, region	Wolvega, The Netherlands
We got them from	a bio-shop in Allach, Germany
Price / gram	1,99 € / 125 g
On-line:	www.fzorganicfood.com

Inside a bag of Trafo bio-organic potato chips natural

Salted chips - Hema

Crisps&Critics is back with a review from the Netherlands... a review that would fall within the "cheap chips" category. The Hema Salted chips bag just cost 0.50 EUR but its taste is way above any expectation. 

Without completely removing all the skin, the sliced potatoes are baked in 100% sunflower oil, resulting in a pale yellow bubbly surface. Many chips have an elongated shape. And all of them crunch and taste really natural. 

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	7.6 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.05 mm
Crunchiness:	97 dB
Other features:	elongated flat cut, bubbly chips
Origin:
Country, region	The Netherlands
We got them from	a HEMA store in Madrid
Price / gram	0.50 € / 125g
On-line:	http://www.hema.nl

Inside a Hema Salted chips bag

3 Dutch Farmers Crisps - Hoekschechips

Have you ever seen crisps tulips? Have a look at the plastic bag on today's post. A simple and excellent eyewink to these potato crisps' origin: The Netherlands. We like the creativity and original packaging design, and not only for the tulips, keep on reading: 

Gerrik, Henk and René, the 3 Dutch farmers, started growing and cooking their own potatoes in 2004 from a Dutch national landscape named "The Hoeksche Waard", The Netherlands. And despite their relatively short experience, they are doing really well.

Selling for the international traveller under the name "3 Dutch farmers", local stores in Holland offer them as "Hoeksche Chips".

The transparent foil bag let's us see what we are buying. No catches, no tricks.  A good sunflower oil aroma is felt when opening the bag.

Crisps&Critics tasted these delicious crisps, personally hand-baked by Astrid (see her name printed on the package). Once washed and cut, the potatoes are cooked in pure sunflower oil with its own skin what probably gives a slight, yet pleasant, bitter taste.

An unanimous opinion at Crisps&Critics on the quantity of salt: a tiny pinch of sea salt that empowers an authentic potato flavour.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	8.5 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.50 mm
Crunchiness:	101 dB
Other features:	Nice packaging
Origin:
Country, region	The Netherlands, Zuid-Holland
We got them from	a Crisps&Critics reader in transit at Schiphol Airport (Amsterdam)
Price / gram	? € / 75 g
On-line:	http://www.3dutchfarmers.nl/

Inside a 3 Dutch Farmers Crisps bag

Handcooked sea salt - HEMA

Strolling around Madrid last week we spotted a recently opened HEMA store, actually the first in Spain. HEMA (originally an acronym for Hollandsche Eenheidsprijzen Maatschappij Amsterdam, "Dutch Standard Prices Company Amsterdam") is a Dutch discount retail chain that started life as a dimestore. And guess what Crisps&Critics found in there: Dutch chips!! 

These chips are sliced thick and unpeeled. Then, fried in sunflower oil, in small amounts and a bit longer than usual. This results in a hard crust with a strong, dry crunch. Its flavour is good and are, despite the packaging reading "a pinch" of salt, generously salted (1.1% of sea salt). 

Definitely a perfect match for any "herring and bitterballen" Dutch party. 

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	7.5 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.53 mm
Crunchiness:	103 dB
Other features:	unpeeled, salty
Origin:
Country, region	The Netherlands, Amsterdam
We got them from	a HEMA store in Madrid (Spain)
Price / gram	1.25 € / 125 g
On-line:	http://www.hema.nl/

Inside a bag of handcooked sea salt - Hema