bestgroceries

Herr's Ketchup Potato Chips found @ Foodtown in Sunnyside, Queens, NY

This concept is new to me, but ketchup flavored potato chips have had a few manifestations. Frito-Lay and Old Dutch Foods Ltd. have produced them, and according to Wikipedia, Serbians favor the ketchup flavor. Even though at first it sounds too tangy and too salty, it makes perfect sense to dip chips in ketchup, because they’re a variation on french fries, only round and crispier. These chips, produced by Herr’s of Nottingham, Pennsylvania, have paired up with Heinz to simulate this chips-and-ketchup experience. My question: are we just too lazy to dip our chips in ketchup?
That said, if I were to recommend these chips for a themed party, I would say they would be a good pairing for the World Cup. Why? Even though this brand and flavor definitely originated on American soil, the taste leans into the multi-culti realm, when considering that Canadians serve their fries with gravy and Belgians and the Dutch eat their fries with mayonnaise. Since soccer, a.k.a. football, is becoming more popular in the U.S., it seems like ketchup chips could be the snack food that symbolizes the American experience of watching the World Cup.

On to the product. The bag is thin, metallic, and decorated with a visual equation: fries + ketchup = ketchup flavored potato chips. The Heinz label dominates while a red-checkered background announces that this snack is picnic-ready. Although definitely messy, the ridges are well-defined and these chips make a big crunch, which is very satisfying. Not to worry, the sound will surely be masked by the buzzing of the vuvuzela.

Inside the Bag

These are very good chips, but I don’t care as much for the flavoring. According to taquitos.net, the website that is serious about snacks, rival Wachusett Ketchup Potato Chips are “the best darn ketchup chips in the world” and “If you took ketchup and smelled it, it would smell like this.” Hmm. Not sure I have any reason to smell ketchup, but apparently the Wachussett version is more ketchupy than Herr’s. You’ve been warned.

But I still have to ask: why not just continue to dip your chips in ketchup and skip the powdered flavoring? Not only is this more authentic, but you could dip with one of Heinz’s newer varieties, perhaps one that doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient.