Corn chips are about as commonplace as a snack food can get. There are countless tortilla chip varieties ready for dipping in salsa, along with pre-seasoned things like Doritos and Fritos.
But chips made with popcorn? I’d never seen such a thing until I ran into Popcorners.
The Pitch: “The new shape of popcorn. Popcorners are the delicious new snack with the snap of a chip and the same wholesome goodness as popcorn. They’re air popped with real corn and all natural ingredients so you can snack smart. Enjoy them alone or with your favourite dips.”
The Look: Nice enough packaging, with a pretty photo of what a popcorn chip looks like: a cross between a tortilla chip, popcorn, and a puffed rice cake. The chips themselves look much like the photo but with more powdered seasoning and 3-D wrinkles.
The Taste: Strange as hell. They’re like tortilla chips, but softer. They’re crisp and they crunch when you chew them, yet they also retain some of their popcorn flavour. The butter flavouring helps bring out the movie-theatre popcorn taste, and it adds a creamy, cheesy note that reminds me of Cheetos seasoning. And yet they don’t do anything for me. I’d rather have a bowl of popcorn or a bag of Doritos, thanks. I don’t understand what’s to be gained from fusing these two things together.
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RATINGS AND DETAILS
Cost: $2.49 for a 142-gram (5 oz.) bag at Planet Organic.
Value for cash money: Not bad.
Availability: Planet Organic. Not sure where else. The Popcorners website says they’re now offered on JetBlue flights.
Nutrition?: Per 28-gram (1 oz.) serving: 120 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 280 mg of sodium, less than 1 gram of fibre, 2 grams of protein. There are some extra vitamins and minerals in there, too.
The verdict: Meh. A curious idea, but I don’t see the point of turning two good things into one so-so thing.
Meh for you… Eureka for those who can’t eat regular popcorn. Do your research!!! Those with diverticulitis cannot eat popcorn and many types of nuts, so Popcorners was our only indulgence. I think they discontinued the butter flavor. I’m sad about that.
Curious. I had no idea that was an issue with some folks. Thanks for noting it, and sorry to hear your favourite flavour has vanished.
I like the taste of popcorn, but I was tired of the problems it was causing my teeth. Chomping down on kernels and shells chipped two of my teeth, while the later gets stuck under the gumline and between teeth and can be difficult to remove. So I was overjoyed when I discovered PopCorners because I knew that they had made it possible to safely eat popcorn again.