Dateline 8-24-2016

Its day three of my exploration into the Passport to Flavor run of Lays potato chips. So far, I've tried the Chinese Szechuan Chicken and the Brazilian Picanha flavors and though I enjoyed both I don't see myself being a repeat customer for either. Today, I'm going to give the Indian Tikka Masala a shot...

The first thing that I noticed was that these chips have a different texture to them. I don't think I realized that these chips were not only experimenting with flavor but they also each have a different chip type as well. The first two flavors I tried were both standard potato chips which is why I thought they were all the same. This is why I was pleasantly surprised to find a firmer crunch to the bite thanks to the fact that these are kettle cooked chips.

Not only was I pleasantly surprised by the change in texture, I was a little blown away by the change in flavor. I was half expecting to not be able to tell the different between these chips and the Szechuan Chicken Chips, since up until this point everything has had a ramen flavor packet taste to it. That and the fact that my main real food experience with Tikka Masala has been with chicken so I was expecting that same bouillon taste but I was wrong.

These chips are by far my favorite of the bunch, so far. The firmer kettle cooked chip mixed with the taste of curry makes for a way more favorable snack. I think the curry powder give it a less MSG/sodium feel to the flavor which is really what I liked the best. Where the other flavors felt like seasoning sprinkled on chips, these chips felt more like the flavor wasn't an afterthought and more like the way they are meant to be.

I would definitely buy these chips again and am very interested in exploring how these would work with a dip. If you are keeping score at home, my least favorite is the Chinese Szechuan Chicken, followed by the Brazilian Picanha, with the winner being the Indian Tikka Masala. 

Stay tuned tomorrow to see if the Greek Tzatziki Chips will steal the lead.

Talk to you then,

- The Wicker Breaker