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.

北海道 ようていポテトチップス うすしお味 - Fukagawa Yushi Kabushikigaisha

"Hokkaido Mt Youtei Potato Chips soft salt" are named after the Youtei volcano. The mascot of Kutchan city, a skiing potato, presents these chips in a greenish bag with a background photo of the volcano. Kutchan is known for its proximity to the world famous snow region of Niseko and for its production of quality potatoes, hence its mascot.

The potatoes chosen for this delicacy are of the Danshaku type. The chips are flat cut, partly unpeeled and, once baked in a mix of palm and rice oils, get a pale yellow colour. The crunch is thud, short and slightly muffled, probably due to the reduced quantity of oil used in the baking. This provides an intense potato flavour maybe at the expense of a mouth dry feeling.

On the bag rear, there's plenty of information about the mountain region with national parks, museums, trekking routes, etc... an interesting use of a potato chips bag as a leaflet to promote touristic spots in the Hokkaido area. 

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	6.2 cm long
and has a thickness of	N/A
Crunchiness:	86 dB
Other features:	Pale yellow, mix of palm and rice oil.
Origin:
Country, region	Japan, Hokkaido
We got them from	a YoursLIVI supermarket in Hiroshima, Japan.
Price / gram	151 ¥ / 75 g
On-line:	http://kumachan.co.jp/shop

Inside a bag of Hokkaido Mt Youtei Potato Chips soft salt.

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

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.

La Tentación - Ugarsa, S.L.

Carefully selected potatoes planted and harvested in a micro-climate at a heigth of 1000 m above the sea level and fried with authentic olive oil. 

Very correctly baked and salted, the taste is as good as expected. The semi-transparent packaging allows checking what you are purchasing and is so well sealed that we can't find any broken chip!

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	8.3 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.1 mm
Crunchiness:	91 dB
Other features:	Olive oil, flat cut, bent-overs
Origin:
Country, region	Spain, Castilla y León
We got them from	a lovely Crisps&Critics fan sent them from Soria, Spain.
Price / gram	1 € / 150 g
On-line:	http://www.artefritas.com/contacto.htm

Hand cooked chips sea salt - Kettle brand

Big, thick unbroken chips is what we find inside the Traditional Hand Cooked Kettle brand chips bag. Probably unbroken due to the ultra resistant sealed bag, so far the toughest bag of chips to open before any review.

The potatoes for this Kettle chips are peeled and later flat cut in quite thick slices. Then hand cooked in small batches in sunflower oil. This results in a hard crust chip, slightly brittle, and a harmonious crunch. Several chips are stuck together, what still increases the hardness and thickness sensation. 

Very simply seasoned with a pinch of fresh sea salt, the whole ensemble is definitely a runner-up to be amongst the best of its class. Simple is better: Crisps&Critics can only agree with Kettle's commercial.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	8,6 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.31 mm
Crunchiness:	96 dB
Other features:	Big chips, double (stuck together).
Origin:
Country, region	Norfolk, UK
We got them from	a Hit supermarket near Allach
Price / gram	2.79 € / 225 g
On-line:	US & Canada : http://www.buykettlechips.com EU & Middle East: http://www.kettlechips.eu

Inside a bag of Traditional Hand Cooked Sea Salt Kettle Chips

Classica - San Carlo

Back in 1936, Francesco Vitaloni opened the "Rosticceria San Carlo" in Milano roasting a bit of everything: from chicken to fish, from beef to vegetables. Soon a specility got well known: their "patatine croccanti" or crunchy chips, The only problem was that only 20 kilos were produced.

Today, San Carlo processes tons of snacks with selected potatoes from known italian farmers, keeping its tradition and simplicity both in the final product as well as in its packaging.

According to the packaging, to bake the Classica San Carlo chips, Sanoil is used: a mixture of unspecified vegetable oils with an alleged reduciton of fat. The flavour of the chips is good, with a slight toast scent in every bite. Despite the small bag, the chips are reasonably big and kept unbroken. For the seasoning, San Carlo Classica uses iodized salt in very correct quantities.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	8 cm long
and has a thickness of	0.94 mm
Crunchiness:	89 dB
Other features:	Big chips, golden yellow colour.
Origin:
Country, region	Italy, Lombardy
We got them from	a Bennet supermarket near Bellagio
Price / gram	1 € / 80 g
On-line:	http://www.sancarlo.it

Inside a bag of San Carlo Classica

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

Tirtikli Cipso - Doğuş

Doğuş produces undulated salted potato chips, in Turkish: Tirtikli Sade Patates Cipsi.

Gold potatoes harvested in Turkish fertile lands are peeled, washed and crinkle cut before being baked in abundant palm oil. After being cooked, the chips have a straw yellow colour. Once in the mouth the chips offer very little resistance, the crunch being subtle and soft. Each chip feels very juicy and proportionally salted.

Very correct middle-east chips to taste with Anatolian cuisine, experiencing first-hand hospitality while sailing along its turquoise Mediterranean waters.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	6.2 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.81* mm
Crunchiness:	84 dB
Other features:	Wavy cut, juicy. free of any pork or its additives.
Origin:
Country, region	Turkey
We got them from	a shop near the Fethiye marina.
Price / gram	2.99 ₺ (Turkish lira) / 115 g
On-line:	www.cipso.com.tr

* 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 Tirtikli Cipso, Dogus.

Potatischips saltade - Ikea

Who would have said that a Scandinavian furniture manufacturer can also sell such good snacks? The food market in every Ikea store is really worth a visit. For this review we bought Potatischips saltade, Ikea's salty potato chips.

These Ikea potatoes are small and medium sized, some brown skin edge left, cut flat and well baked in unspecified vegetable oil. The chips are thick, hard, with different toasting levels and colours. Once in our mouth the taste is quite good, abundantly salted and with a slight rancid flavour that does not take away the pleasure of crunching the chips one after the other. Fully recommendable as a reward after successfully mounting some of their furniture...

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	7.2 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.42 mm
Crunchiness:	94 dB
Other features:	Brown skin edges, well toasted
Origin:
Country, region	Sweden
We got them from	an Ikea store in Germany
Price / gram	1.30 € / 150 g
On-line:	www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20129672/

Inside a bag of Potatischips Saltade, Ikea

Kartoffel-Sticks Salz - Sun Snacks

The straight potato sticks on Sun Snacks' blue packaging remind us sunshine rays on a blue sky. 

The sticks are thicker than other sticks reviewed at Crisps&Critics. Their colour is straw yellow with some slightly brownish corners. Well salted, the straight sticks crunch deep and short. 

Despite the bag having relatively small dimensions, it's well filled and holds 125g of product.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	5.8 cm long
and has a thickness of	3.71 mm
Crunchiness:	74 dB
Other features:	Sticks, deep loud crunch.
Origin:
Country, region	Germany
We got them from	an Aldi supermarket
Price / gram	1 € / 125 g
On-line:	www.aldi.com

Inside a bag of Kartoffel-Sticks Salz, Sun Snacks

ギザギザポテト - Organic farm

ギザギザ "gizagiza" potatoes are produced by Miura Seika Kabushikigaisha under the trade mark Organic Farm.

"Gizagiza" means "zigzag" in Japanese. Another synonim to add in our list of wavy, undulated, ruffled or crinckle-cut chips.

The potatoes are of the "Bareisho" type and come from certified bio JAS gardens. Once peeled the potatoes are zigzag cut. The chips are then baked in an unspecified vegetable oil and finally salted. The packaging does not mention the (bio) origin of the other ingredients besides the potatoes.

The final product are pale yellow chips of average size and gentle crunch that once in the mouth taste soft and feel juicy.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	7 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.59 mm *
Crunchiness:	89 dB
Other features:	Wavy cut, bio potatoes.
Origin:
Country, region	Japan, Shizuoka
We got them from	a Natural House shop in Omotesando-Tokyo Japan.
Price / gram	199 ¥ / 60 g
On-line:	http://www.naturalhouse.jp

* 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 gizagiza potato chips