New chips tasty, spicy, pricey

If your tongue is tired of plain old barbecue and tortilla chips, then wander down the grocery aisle for Frito-Lay’s latest wake-up call.

The venerable chip-maker has turned up the dial on seasonings in its new line of “gourmet” snacks. The Lays Sensations are kettle cooked to make them extra crisp and doused with a healthy helping of seasonings. The Spokesman-Review reader food panel tasters crunched the Sweet Chili and Sour Cream, and Lime and Cracked Black Pepper, at a recent tasting. Overall, they liked the new flavors giving them three-and-a-half stars and four stars respectively for taste.

“Nummy! Crisp and seasoned very well,” said Larry Inman.

Marcia Oranen added, “I love it. (They are) nicely seasoned and really crisp.”

The Lime and Cracked Black Pepper flavor was the favorite of the evening.

“Black pepper perhaps? Whatever it is, it’s my favorite of the bunch. Nice and crunchy and not too salty,” said Donald Clegg

Skip Hubbard said he liked the nice spicy kick at the end.

The panel members also tasted two new Tostitos Sensations chips in Red Chile and Lime and Southwestern Ranch flavor. Both have spices blended into the chips and are topped with seasonings as well. The Red Chile and Lime chips are cooked with crushed red pepper, and the Southwestern Ranch is infused with black peppercorns. Both flavors received a three-star rating.

“A great chip for dips that can also stand alone. Is that black pepper? Why did it take so long for someone to put black pepper in a chip?” wondered Tina Johnson

But Larry Inman didn’t think the new chips would rise above the plethora of choices in the chip aisle. “In a very competitive snack market, they’re pretty ordinary,” he said.

The Red Chile and Lime were surprisingly scorching for some.

“Spicy! Delicious, but keep a cool beverage nearby,” Inman said.

That was the reason Matt Quesnell liked the offering. “Oh, yeah. Here we go. These are my kind of chips – but I should warn that I love lots of spiciness and flavor.”

A few said they were too hot for their tongues to handle.

“No. No. No. Where’s the water? And that was just a nibble. My moola is staying in my wallet,” said Marilyn Moore.

The biggest complaint about the Red Chile and Lime was that the lime flavor was too overpowering.

Although many tasters liked the potato and tortilla chips, they were unimpressed with the price. Each 6-ounce bag sells for $2.49 which earned a two-star rating (that’s poor on the five-star scale) for value.

Sweet Chili and Sour Cream, Lays Sensations

Price: $2.49 for a 6-ounce bag

Nutrition per serving: 150 calories, 9 grams fat (1 gram saturated, 54 percent fat calories), 2 grams protein, 16 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 1 gram dietary fiber, 300 milligrams sodium.

Taste: “ “ “ 1/2

Value: “ “

Comments: “This is a hearty chip with a great crunch. It has a slight cayenne flavor.” – Peggy Kazanis

“Could use more heat, but not bad.” – Donald Clegg

“They look spicier than they are, which is kind of disappointing, but I still thought they were pretty tasty.” – Matt Quesnell

Lime and Cracked Black Pepper, Lays Sensations

Price: $2.49 for a 6-ounce bag

Nutrition per serving: 150 calories, 9 grams fat (1 gram saturated, 54 percent fat calories), 2 grams protein, 17 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 1 gram dietary fiber, 300 milligrams sodium.

Taste: “ “ “ “

Value: “ “

Comments: “Tangy lime flavor… Delicious.” – Marcia Oranen

“This is a great sweet and sour flavor.” – Peggy Kazanis

“A potato chip that actually tastes like potatoes, go figure!” – Andy Hoye

Southwestern Ranch, Tostitos Sensations

Price: $2.49

Nutrition per serving: 150 calories, 8 grams fat (1.5 grams saturated, 48 percent fat calories), 2 grams protein, 18 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 2 grams dietary fiber, 130 milligrams sodium.

Taste: “ “ “

Value: “ “

Comments: “Average at best. It would take a darn good dip to get me to eat more than a few of these.” – Skip Hubbard

“Not a bad flavor at all. Tastes almost creamy… if that can be said of a chip.” – Matt Quesnell

“OK flavor, a lot of black pepper.” – Marcia Oranen

“Not too appealing, whatever it is.” – Donald Clegg

Red Chile and Lime, Tostitos Sensations

Price: $2.49 for a 6-ounce bag

Nutrition per serving: 150 calories, 8 grams fat (1 gram saturated, 48 percent fat calories), 2 grams protein, 17 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 2 grams dietary fiber, 130 milligrams sodium.

Taste: “ “ “

Value: “ “

Comments: Good, but don’t use a dip, because it would completely overpower it. A little on the spicy side.” – Tina Johnson

“Strong flavor. Too spicy, but a very crisp chip.” – Nancy Robinson

“Nice hit of lime at first, but overwhelms the other flavors as you eat more. Only average.” – Donald Clegg

“I like the tang of lime.” – Marcia Oranen