REVIEW: Lay’s Argentinian Style Steak Potato Chips

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Lionel Messi, one of the most celebrated and decorated soccer (ahem, football?) players of all time, has a new collaboration with one of the oldest and most celebrated chip brands, Lay’s. Paying homage to Lionel’s home country of Argentina, which he helped win the most recent FIFA World Cup for in 2022, the newest limited edition creation from this power duo is Argentinian Style Steak.

When I think of Argentina and steak, I think of chimichurri, and the bold graphic of perfectly vibrant medium-rare steak covered in chunky green goodness on the bag lets me know my brain has gone in the right direction. For those unfamiliar with chimichurri, it is a delicious uncooked sauce made up of olive oil, fresh herbs, and garlic. I love chimichurri. Unfortunately, I don’t love these chips.

The chips aren’t bad by any means, but they don’t deliver the flavors I want and enjoy from steak with chimichurri. What the chip gets right is the beef flavor, as it’s certainly there and notably meaty from the first salty bite to the last. Where it goes wrong is in the lack of complexity and vibrancy of the chimichurri.

When I think of a good chimi, I think first of garlic, then maybe some parsley and a hint of basil, all enrobed in a velvety smooth fatty olive oil. The seasoning on these chips leans into the beef first, followed quickly by an aggressive onion flavor. I like onions and onion powder, but being the dominant flavor here is far from satisfying. The end result is a chip that tastes more like beef and onions than Argentinian Style Steak, which isn’t bad, but disappointing. Sour cream and onion, hold the sour cream, feels closer to home than a spiced-up steak.

In their purest form, this new limited edition chip reminds me of fast food French fries that sit in a paper bag on the drive home next to a juicy burger with onions on it. The fries absorb a bit of that beef and onion aroma, but still mostly taste like potatoes. I don’t mind fries with some beef and onion juice on them, but I certainly can’t put that kind of profile into the Messi-inhabited GOAT conversation.

Purchased Price: $2.69
Size: 2 1/2 ounces
Purchased at: 7-Eleven
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (15 chips, 28g) 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 140 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 0 grams of total sugars, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Twisted Queso Doritos

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If the exploding patriotic red and blue stars and stripes on this bag are any indication, it is officially America’s birthday. That makes me excited because, in snack food language, that means in about four weeks, it will officially be Halloween; the pumpkin is a-comin! But before spooky season begins in July, Doritos has unleashed a new chip flavor by way of every fireworks-fueled party’s greatest asset — a bowl of warm and gooey queso.

I went into this bag of chips optimistic that I would enjoy them but also nearly positive that I knew what I was going to taste. Last year, I wrote about Fritos Flavor Twists Queso, and being that the new Doritos Twisted Queso comes from the same company, it felt intuitively like a quick and easy rebrand. A twist, a corn chip, a queso — same thing, right? I was wrong!

These new Doritos were not what I was expecting, and in this case, that’s a good thing. I like the Queso Fritos Twists quite a bit, but these are even better. Yes, Fritos Twists are possibly the greatest corn chip form factor ever, but the flavor of these new Doritos is notably different in the best way.

Twisted Queso starts with a nice salty, layered cheese taste that quickly gets perfectly accented by a nice salsa-adjacent pepper flavor. There is a bit of heat that rounds out the profile, but these are instantly more dynamic and deep than I remember from the Fritos, and I really enjoy them. These taste much less like the other chip with Queso in the name and more like a cheese-ified version of the often overlooked Salsa Verde Doritos, an all-time chip in my book.

I had to make sure I wasn’t going crazy and do a little bit of ingredient sleuthing work to confirm what my tastebuds detected — and I was right. There are three key differences between Twisted Queso Doritos and Fritos Twists Queso. The Doritos use jalapeño pepper instead of bell pepper, which accounts for that little peppery kick. They also use Romano and cheddar cheese, whereas the Fritos just use cheddar. The Fritos also contain tomato powder, which keeps them feeling a bit sweeter, whereas the Doritos more prominently feature garlic powder. Long story short — they’re not the same recipe at all.

In the battle of corny twisted queso chips, there is a clear victor, and one that surprisingly stands up with the best of what Doritos has to offer — a true cheesy jalapeño delight.

Purchased Price: $2.69
Size: 2 5/8 ounces
Purchased at: 7-Eleven
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (11 chips, 28g) 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 190 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, less than 1 gram of total sugars, 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Fritos Lime & Jalapeno Flavor Twists

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I went on record last year stating that one of the biggest conundrums in the chip world (chip-iverse?) is the lack of new Fritos Flavor Twists varietals, and it seems the powers that be have heard my (our) call.

Less than a year later, after being stagnant for over a decade, the company has now dropped two consecutive new flavors. The first is a Cheddar Buffalo that was exclusive to Dollar General, a store that doesn’t exist where I live, and now, just ahead of summer BBQ season, Lime & Jalapeño.

Since it’s already been established that I’m a Fritos Flavor Twists freak, I’m not going to bury the lede here: these are excellent. For those familiar with the Frito-Lay brand, these are essentially a hybrid of three existing corn chips, and the marriage is divine. Combine Flavor Twists’ immaculate corkscrew form factor with the Tostitos Hint of Lime seasoning and the gentle peppery kick of Spicy Jalapeño Fritos Scoops, and you’ve given your tongue the blueprint.

The profile leads with a strong, citrusy lime jolt before leaning into a mild but flavorful garlic-y spice that makes way for a strong corn chip finish with a touch of creaminess. As more addictive twirly chips get devoured, the lime takes a bit of a backseat, and the peppered spice starts to build, with that buttermilk-y creamy tang developing more and more.

These chips aren’t sweet in the way that Honey BBQ are, but there’s enough of a sweetness emanating from the lime that makes them extremely dynamic. If you dislike lime-flavored chips, and I know that can be divisive, then these won’t be for you. But for anyone who enjoys that distinct fruity taste with a touch of creamy heat and the perfect snackable crunch, these are pure Fritos fusilli fun that should be picked up before they’re inevitably gone.

Purchased Price: $5.89
Size: 9 1/4 oz
Purchased at: Nob Hill
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (23 pieces, 28g) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 140 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, less than 1 gram of total sugars, 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Lay’s Wavy Do Us a Flavor Korean-Style Fried Chicken Potato Chips

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After far too long an absence from the innovative and fun snacking world, Lay’s Do Us A Flavor is back, baby! The contest that originated in 2012 and birthed interesting standout flavors like Southern Style Biscuits & Gravy has revealed three new finalists for fans to vote on. The most compelling, new, and promising of the three (subjectively, of course) is Wavy Korean-Style Fried Chicken.

The aroma of the chips carries a distinct funk that I immediately pick up as kimchi-adjacent. I get more of a smell that I associate with the often pickled banchan side dishes served at Korean restaurants than the chicken itself, which is usually sticky sweet and full of layers of deep and spicy intrigue.

A strong fermented flavor reveals itself when crunching into the wavy chips, and while I am impressed, I don’t particularly love it. Following the funky pickled cabbage note is the distinct taste of chicken, a dash of garlic-y spice, and merely a whisper of sweetness. Unlike most meaty chips with a smoke flavor to bring a meat-like presence, these actually use chicken broth, chicken powder, and chicken fat in the ingredients to bring that depth of flavor, which works. Whether or not you find it enjoyable is a different story (I don’t love it).

While these chips are impressive in their dedication to the more nuanced and divisive flavors of Korean cooking, I don’t find them particularly enjoyable, and I generally really like Korean fried chicken. The balance feels off, lacking the sweet and spicy punch I want in the front in favor of a heavy-handed amount of pickled banchan that should serve as the complimentary note, not the leading profile. The wavy form-factor does well to pay homage to crispy fried chicken skin, but these are missing out on the elements that make this style of chicken so special and delicious.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 7 1/2 oz bag
Purchased at: Nob Hill
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (13 chips, 28g) 150 calories, 10 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 140 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of total sugars, 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Guacamole Doritos (2025)

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Chips and dip: a tale as old as time.

Chips flavored like dip: a tale nearly as old as time.

People clamoring about bringing back discontinued chips that taste like dip from the glory days of pre-iPhone America: a tale as old as two decades.

Yes, for the first time in nearly 20 years, since this website’s inception, Guacamole Doritos are back on shelves. Originally running from 2003-06, this green-clad bag of vibrantly green tortilla chips has been the source of constant internet buzz and early aughts nostalgia. I am sure I had these at some point, but I have no recollection of, or specific love for, the original, so I’m going into this with an open mind and fresh tastebuds.

Biting into my first well-seasoned chip (always gotta pick a properly dusted one to start), there is no doubt these taste like guacamole. I immediately get that distinct, fatty, earthy avocado taste, rounded out by garlic, onion, and a touch of citrus. It truly tastes like I dunked a crispy chip into squishy dip. Quite marvelous.

Interestingly, the more I eat, the more the flavor moves away from avocado and into cheesy corn territory. This isn’t bad; it’s just different and not avocado. Some chips have a flavor that stacks, especially spicy ones, where the profile is initially subtle and then builds into a crescendo of flavor. These are different. They start boldly guac-y and then taper down to a spiced (not spicy) creamy cheesy taste with a hefty dose of corn chip. Still good, but that big-bowl-o-guac party vibe is drastically toned down.

Taking a look at the ingredients list, I’m not surprised to find sour cream, cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, whey, AND butter all in the mix. Yet there is no powdered avocado or other science-adjacent ‘cado in sight. I am still remarkably impressed by how on-the-nose the guacamole presence is on the first couple of chips, and how this myriad of other components, combined with “natural and artificial flavors,” created such a perfect impersonation.

The good news is that even if the flavor does dwindle a bit, what’s left is still very good and worth the purchase of at least one bag for Doritos lovers. However, something tells me that the nostalgia chasers may not enjoy them as much as I do, or at least as much as they did in 2004, since our new, matured experiences can rarely live up to the memories we hold dearly in our minds.

Purchased Price: $2.69
Size: 2 5/8 ounces
Purchased at: Circle K
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (11 chips, 28g) 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 170 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 0 grams of total sugars, and 2 grams of protein.

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