Trader Joe's kettle-cooked potato chips

This is becoming an unplanned "new product" week on the blog. Trader Joe's has released a spate of interesting new items recently, and it's hard to keep up.

The first image above is a brand-new Trader Joe's product: Organic Potato Chips Kettle Style. (See here for TJ's own description.) It becomes the third kettle-cooked potato chip in the TJ's lineup. Nina and I have previously reviewed the Kettle Cooked Olive Oil Potato Chips, both of us finding them tasty but needing added salt. Finally, there's the Reduced Guilt Kettle Cooked Potato Chips, which is not a new item, but it's one we have not tried before. I figured that as long as we would be trying the new one, we might as well sample all three side by side and compare them. So we did.

I thought the new one was the standout. Big chips, flavorful, cooked just right, just the right saltiness, crunchy without being brittle. Outstanding in every way. I think they're the best potato chips TJ's sells, and among the very best I've ever had from any manufacturer.

TJ's web site carries this warning:

Organically grown potatoes are only available in limited quantities. Do the math, and you’ll realize the same must hold true for these chips. The bottom line is, there will be times you won’t find Organic Kettle Style Potato Chips on our shelves. 

We don’t want to start an ‘organic chip panic,’ nevertheless, we will advise hoarding while you can—especially for those with high levels of chip compulsion. You know who you are.

I'm well aware that this might be nothing more than marketing hype to sell more product. But I loved them enough that I decided to act as if the warning might be true--and I bought three more bags before I had even finished the first one.

As my final demonstration of endorsement, I'm adding this item to my Top Ten list. It earns this distinction in my book not for being an innovative, unique product, but rather for being a simple, common type of product executed perfectly.

The olive oil chips remain a top contender, though they still need salt added to the bag, as I described in an update to our original review.

As for the reduced-guilt chips, well, that's a whole nuther story, as they say. They are, in fact, quite bad. Flavorless. Overcooked. Dry. Brittle. Just not good. One will allegedly ingest 33% less fat with these. I say pick one of the good ones, and eat 33% fewer of them. You'll be much happier that way.

Will I buy it again? 

I'll buy the new organic ones every chance I get. If they really do go through periods of being unavailable, I'll buy the olive oil ones, add some salt, and be nearly as happy with them. I'll have no more of the reduced-guilt variety.

Nina's View

I concur with Bob about most of this, except: this current sample of Olive Oil chips was salted just right for my taste. I found the Organic ones too salty, and didn't like that they tend to clump together. Therefore I prefer the Olive Oil ones.