I first spotted these new Dutch Gourmet potato chips at Safeway a few months ago, but managed to summon the willpower to keep myself from buying them. After all, did I really need another potato chip to be hooked on?
I eventually caved, mostly because I love Old Dutch chips (it’s a childhood thing), but also because Kettle Chips’ honey dijon flavour is insanely good. I wanted to see what Old Dutch did differently with their own take on the sweet mustard seasoning.
The Pitch: “Thick cut premium potato chips.” Also, “Natural flavour, low sodium, kosher, no MSG, gluten free.” Says the back of the packaging: “Fresh potatoes are ripple-cut in thick slices, given a quick sizzle in high-quality oil and then sprinkled with boldly adventurous seasonings that nestle irresistibly into those crunchy ridges. Ridiculously addictive!” (See? I was worried about getting hooked on these.)
The Look: OK design, but nothing to write home about. There’s not a single Old Dutch logo (or windmill, for that matter) on the packaging. The bag is pretty freakin’ huge, so I appreciate the nice little innovation on the foil-plastic chip bag: a ziplock-style seal. You don’t cut the bag open; instead, you tear open a little cut on the top, which reveals the zipped inner chamber. From there, it’s as easy as opening up a very large baggie of potato chips. Cool.
The Taste: Sweet, with a real Dijon taste, not just ambiguous mustard. Very crunchy, due in large part to the thick-cut potatoes. And yet, it tastes like it’s missing something. The flavour is not quite strong enough up front, and not intense enough for my liking. Nice, lingering aftertaste, though.
A Second Opinion (from Aline, also at NEAROF! HQ): “You get a hint of the Dijon, but it’s not overpowering. It’s just right. And I like the thickness of it, too. The vinegar, too, it’s not too much. It’s all about the balance of the ingredients.”
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RATINGS AND DETAILS
Cost: $4.99 for a 360 gram bag at Calgary Co-op.
Value for cash money: Good. It’s a pretty massive bag for the price.
Availability: At Safeway stores for some time, and now apparently at Calgary Co-op stores. Not sure how easy they are to find elsewhere, but the roll-out is clearly underway.
Nutrition?: Per approx. 17 chips (50 grams): 270 calories, 17 grams of fat, 110 mg of sodium, 2 grams of fibre, 3 grams of protein. Also, some daily values: 15% of vitamin C, 2% of calcium and 4% of iron. They’re chips, not health food.
Made in U.S.A.?: Yep. Package says so.
The verdict: I think they’re OK, but Aline likes them more. Not as flavourful as similar chips (Kettle’s version, especially), but not bad.