Review - Archer Farms Hot & Spicy Potato Chips
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Here's yet another fiery potato chip entry, this time from Archer Farms. If you had not known, Archer Farms is Target department stores' "premium" food brand sold in many of their locations across the U.S.. I'm reviewing the Hot & Spicy Potato Chips, and surprising to me, these are an above-average snack a lot of spicy food fans would deem munch-worthy.
Ingredients:
The official ingredients list coming soon. This does contain, of course, potatoes, black pepper, red pepper, cayenne chiles, tabasco chiles, salt, oil, and more.
Aroma:
3 out of 5. Very light, salty and mildly peppery (both black pepper and chile pepper).
Appearance and Texture:
3.5 out of 5. Since these are kettle-cooked, they are plenty bubbly and expectedly greasy. They are not as thick cut as a lot of other kettle-fried chips out there, but in my opinion the thinner cut still does it right. These chips are crunchy enough for me.
Archer Farms Hot & Spicy Potato Chips have a lovely, medium dusting of orange-tinted flavoring with featured lots of multi-colored pepper spices (black, red, and orange).
Taste:
4 out of 5. "Light" is the key word to describe the flavoring, and that's not an insult in this case. You get nice and light salt, a light chile taste, and light black pepper. There's just enough not to be overpowering, but it's not bland or under-seasoned by any stretch of the imagination. This is a chip where you can grab large quantities of it at a time for munching and not be deterred by a scorching sensation on one end of the heat spectrum or by a banal, unappetizing generic taste at the other end.
The seasoning isn't sweet or quasi-BBQ; it's pure pepper and salt. If that combo sounds good to you, then you may like this stuff.
Heat:
2.5 out of 5. Kind of spicy for a "mainstream" chip. I may have preferred it to be just a touch hotter, but when eating handfuls of these the heat does build up.
Label and Packaging:
2.5 out of 5. While the graphic design is sharp and classy, emphasizing the "premium" aspect of the brand, it's the bag materials and the way this was to be opened that I had a major beef with.
The bag is made out of a dull yet smooth plastic/foil hybrid, which makes it very durable - no accidental tears here. But one is supposed to open the perforated top, and it's damn near impossible without using scissors or a steak knife since the plastic is so tough and almost rubbery. (The instructions "pull to open" are laughable.) Once you are able to slice and chop your way through, there's a Ziploc-type seal for repeat openings and closings.
Overall:
A good effort from a so-far reliable brand, Archer Farms. You can pick up a bag at Target for around $2.49 for a 9 oz bag.
Related Articles:
Spicy Food Reviews - Hot Sauce Reviews, Hot Snacks, Hot Wings, Seasonings, BBQ Sauces, Condiments, and More
Comments
2010-03-03 23:04:00
2010-09-13 11:09:25
2011-10-31 11:16:33
Please Archer Farms...DO NOT stop selling the "Hot and Spicy" flavored chips. Your #1 fan!
2012-01-15 18:25:18
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