REVIEW: Zapp’s Evil Eye Potato Chips

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Zapp s Evil Eye Potato Chips

What are Zapp’s Evil Eye Potato Chips?

The Louisiana-based company invoked New Orleans voodoo practitioner Marie Laveau to inspire the newest flavor of its famous kettle style potato chips: a subtly hot, Cajun-spiced flavor.

How are they?

I was excited to try Zapp’s Evil Eye Potato Chips for a couple of reasons:

First, the brand’s parent company, Utz of Hanover, is based in my home state of Pennsylvania, and we Pennsylvanians take our potato chips very seriously. (I have vivid memories of a first-grade field trip to Troyer Farms, where our class observed potato chip production under the watchful eye of the brand’s charming farmer mascot.)

Second, I can’t resist the novelty of snacks inspired by spooky lore.

Zapp s Evil Eye Potato Chips Uneven

Zapp’s Evil Eye chips are heavily–although unevenly–powdered with red seasoning. The aggressive color, similar to a “Flamin’ Hot” anything, is misleading, though, as the first taste yielded a sweet, tangy tomato flavor that brought to mind one word: ketchup. As I ate, the flavor grew rounder, with notes of vinegar, onion and garlic, and a paprika-dominant Cajun spice mixture. Hints of cayenne and black pepper contribute some heat, which slowly builds and ranges from subtle to mild, but noticeable.

As the spice level fluctuates, the tomato flavor is squarely in the foreground until everything fades in the aftertaste to a vague onion flavor. After the initial ketchup taste becomes more complex, the flavor profile is like what would happen if you combined a barbeque chip with a Salsa Ranchera Tostito.

Meanwhile, the texture is everything you would want from a kettle style chip: thick, hearty, and crunchy without an oily feeling or aftertaste. Zapp’s products are cooked in 100% pure peanut oil, which apparently contributes to the characteristic crunch.

Zapp s Evil Eye Potato Chips Closeup

I needed to taste at least five chips before I decided that, yes, I like Zapp’s Evil Eye Potato Chips. I needed several more bites to figure out why, ultimately deciding that I owe my enjoyment to the fact that these chips taste different from any other salty snack I’ve eaten. The tomato-forward flavor will not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it definitely makes for an interesting, easy-to-eat bite.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Although its website offers smaller-sized packages, I could only find a 9-ounce “party size” bag in-store. Zapp’s must anticipate that its customers will enjoy Evil Eye chips at Super Bowl or Mardi Gras parties. But if you are like me and do not celebrate either, beware not of the evil eye, but the danger of reaching into the depths of the enormous bag and gradually coating your sleeves with red dust.

Conclusion:

Zapp’s Evil Eye Potato Chips deliver a perfect texture and unique seasoning blend that skews heavy on tomato and light on Cajun spice. I enjoyed the flavor profile immensely, but if you are looking for intense heat, the evil eye is not on your side.

Purchased Price: $3.00
Size: 9 oz. bag
Purchased at: Giant Eagle
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per 1 oz/about 20 chips) 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 160 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein

REVIEW: Peeps Marshmallow Froot Loops Pop

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Peeps Marshmallow Froot Loops Flavored Pops

What is the Peeps Marshmallow Froot Loops Flavored Pop?

Since last year gave us cereal flavored like Peeps, it’s only fitting that this year would give us Peeps that taste like cereal. Green, blue, red, and orange Peeps, allegedly flavored like Froot Loops, are skewered on a stick, hence the “pop” in the name.

How are they?

When I sniffed them after removing them from the package, they had a vague “Froot” scent. It kind of smelled like Froot Loops, but it was fruitier.

Peeps Marshmallow Froot Loops Flavored Pops Cereal

But when I bit the Peeps, the flavor was entirely fruity. I don’t know whether Just Born meant it to taste like Froot Loops cereal or just Froot, but it certainly didn’t taste like the cereal. The fruit flavor was surprisingly faint. Most of the other flavored Peeps have a more pronounced taste, but if you were mindlessly eating the contents of your Easter basket, you might not notice that these are different from plain Peeps.

With Froot Loops, all the colors are the same flavor, but for the Peeps, you might ask, “Are the different colors different flavors?” My answer: “Maybe?” The red seemed slightly less citrusy than the green and orange, but the flavors are so faint that I don’t know whether that was intentional or if it was my brain playing tricks on me because of what it expected the color to be.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Peeps Marshmallow Froot Loops Flavored Pops Easter

For me, the most aggravating part is the packaging and the price. At two dollars a pop (literally), they are ridiculously expensive for a disappointing candy. If I wanted to eat Peeps on a stick, I could provide my own skewer; the stick seems wasteful.

Conclusion:

If they sold these in standard Peeps packaging at standard Peeps pricing, they would be worth a try. But in pop form, I can’t recommend them to anyone. They would only be useful in candy bouquets, which are expensive already.

Purchased Price: $2.00
Size: 1.38 oz. package
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (4 chicks) 120 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 0 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 28 grams of sugar (including 28 grams of added sugar), and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Lay’s Sea Salt & Vinegar Poppables

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Lay s Salt Vinegar Poppables

To determine whether you’ll love Lay’s Sea Salt & Vinegar Poppables, you have to ask yourself three simple questions.

  1. Do you like salt and vinegar potato chips?
  2. Do you enjoy the crispy texture of Lay’s Poppables?
  3. If it was discontinued, would you send a tear-jerking email to Frito-Lay about how there’s now a hole in your heart that could only be filled with Lay’s Salt & Vinegar Poppables?

If you said “yes” to all three questions, I now pronounce you husband and life snack or wife and life snack. You may now eat your life snack.

Well, actually, if you said “yes” to the first two questions, then you’ll probably end up enjoying this salty and tangy version of the airy potato snack. It has the same flavor you’d taste with Lay’s original and Kettle Cooked Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips, and the same satisfying crispiness as all the other Lay’s Poppables.

It’s exactly what I expected, and I LOVED them.

Yes, past tense.

That deep affection from eating the first few handfuls blinded me from realizing something disheartening about Poppables — there’s not much of it in the bag.

When I mindlessly eat regular or Kettle Cooked salt and vinegar potato chips, which happens more often than I’d like to admit, I can look into the bag after munching for a while and see that I’ve put a noticeable dent into what’s there. But there’s still a lot left.

Lay s Salt Vinegar Poppables 1

With these Poppables, I did the same mindless eating, and when I checked to see how much was left, I was shocked that three-fourths of the bag was gone.

I guess I never paid attention to how much is stuffed inside. A regular bag of Kettle Cooked has eight ounces, and standard Lay’s has 7.75. Poppables has just five.

So that made me ask myself, “How much do I like Poppables’ crispiness?” Is it enough for me to overlook the fact that I can get more salty and tangy munching satisfaction with its crunchier chip cousins?

I took a hard look at myself in a mirror and thought I didn’t truly LOVE Lay’s Sea Salt & Vinegar Poppables. I really like them, and I’d take them over any other Poppables variety, but if they ever go away, I won’t be writing a sad email to Frito-Lay. I’ll move on and chomp Lay’s Kettle Cooked Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips.

Purchased Price: $5.89*
Size: 5 oz. bag
Purchased at: Times Supermarket
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (about 28 pieces) 140 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 220 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, less than 1 gram of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

REVIEW: Mtn Dew Amp Game Fuel Zero

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Mtn Dew Amp Game Fuel Zero

Playing video games and writing have similarities.

Both involve a deep focus while staring into a screen and mashing multiple buttons in quick succession. Gaming and writing also include throwing across the room in frustration the thing that has the buttons.

Wait…that’s only me?

Last year, Mountain Dew rolled out Mtn Dew Amp Game Fuel to help gamers with alertness and accuracy. This year, the brand is offering Mtn Dew Amp Game Fuel Zero, a zero sugar, zero calorie, and zero carb version of the caffeinated drink. I’m not a gamer, but I am a writer, and since I made the argument they’re alike and I love caffeine, I believe I’m qualified to review them.

There are two flavors, Watermelon and Raspberry Lemonade, and both come in cans with the same resealable tab as the original Mtn Dew Amp Game Fuel. Sorry, I’ve just been told I’m legally required to use their full names — Charged Watermelon Shock and Charged Raspberry Lemonade.

Mtn Dew Amp Game Fuel Zero Charged Watermelon Shock

If you’re going to choose just one, might I suggest the latter over the former, unless you REALLY love artificial watermelon flavor. I mean, it’s a perfectly fine flavor, it’s not as sweet as candy, and it smells better than Charged Raspberry Lemonade, but it’s not the flavor I’d drink again.

Mtn Dew Amp Game Fuel Zero Charged Raspberry Lemonade

That honor goes to, obviously since it’s the only other flavor I’m writing about in this review, Charged Raspberry Lemonade. Although, for some reason, my taste buds and brain occasionally think they’re drinking a raspberry iced tea. Maybe it’s because the berry flavor reminds me of the Lipton Brisk Raspberry and the lemon flavor, which doesn’t really pop that much, makes me think of lemon iced tea. Well, whatever it tastes like – raspberry lemonade or raspberry iced tea – I prefer it over the watermelon one.

In order to make this zero sugar, zero calorie, and zero carb version, an artificial sweetener arsenal of sucralose, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium is used. It’s noticeable in the watermelon one, but significantly less so with the other one.

Both flavors provide 90 milligrams of sweet caffeine, which isn’t a lot in today’s world that has energy drinks of the same size that offer over 200 milligrams. But I found myself getting a boost from them. Your results may vary.

Both Mtn Dew Amp Game Fuel Zero flavors are decent zero sugar energy drinks, but, unlike gaming and writing, it’s hard to equally compare them with the recent zero sugar energy drinks from Monster and Rockstar. Those tickle my taste buds with better flavors that don’t really taste like they’re sugar free, plus they have more caffeine.

Purchased Price: $1.79 each
Size: 16 fl. oz. cans
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Charged Watermelon Shock), 7 out of 10 (Charged Raspberry Lemonade)
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, 75 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, 0 grams of protein, 20% vitamin A, 40% niacin, 40% vitamin B6, and 40% pantothenic acid.

REVIEW: McDonald’s Oreo Shamrock McFlurry

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McDonald s Oreo Shamrock McFlurry

My mother recently enrolled in the 23andMe ancestry service, and I found out I’m about 3% more Irish than I had initially thought.

I wasn’t sure how I’d get over the fact that my entire life had been a giant lie, but luckily for me, the news coincided with the annual release of McDonald’s Shamrock Shake – a treat that’s probably as authentically Irish as I am. I’m about 8%.

To me, late-February/March is Shamrock Season. The winter holidays are all done, Baseball isn’t starting for another month, and there’s not much happening other than the rebirth of the single greatest item McDonald’s has ever offered.

I said it. I’m standing by it.

While I fully intend to have about 12 Shamrock Shakes over the next few weeks, I had to put the O.G. on hold and try the new Oreo Shamrock McFlurry first.

Mashed up Oreo? Shamrock infused vanilla soft serve? That weird McFlurry spoon!? How could I pass that up?

They couldn’t possibly improve on perfection, could they?

McDonald s Oreo Shamrock McFlurry Lidless

If I were rating on looks alone, we’d be talking about a 3 out 10 review. I honestly think the guy took a couple of spoonfuls for himself before he handed it to me. It was a mess.

That classic Shamrock Shake green doesn’t pop as well in a McFlurry. I guess the Oreo cookies had something to do with that, but it still wasn’t as fun. I also thought I’d get it served a cool little clear cup, but I just got a sloppy blob of mint chocolate chip ice cream in a non-festive paper cup.

But ya know what, looks, like the lifelong belief in your family’s genealogical history, can be deceiving.

If you like the Shamrock Shake, there’s absolutely zero reasons you won’t like this McFlurry.

McDonald s Oreo Shamrock McFlurry Down

It’s as if they made a Mint Oreo-flavored ice cream. They use regular Oreo cookies, but it may as well have been the Mint ones.

The Oreo cookie pieces were nice and fresh, but the best parts were the little bits of crème dispersed throughout. I feel like that texture often gets lost when Oreo is used in ice creams. They really popped here. Between the crispy cookie pieces, the soft serve, and those little chalky yet chewy crème pieces, it made for a perfect blend.

If I had one minor complaint, it would be that the mint was slightly subdued compared to a classic Shamrock Shake. I would’ve loved one more pump of syrup to compensate for the Oreo additive, but it didn’t ruin the experience at all. The touch of chocolate and crème flavor was a tasty twist on the norm.

Hot fudge topping was also offered (which may have been an extra charge), but I skipped it, fearing it would overpower the Shamrock and Oreo flavors. This doesn’t need more chocolate.

So yeah, I had little doubt about the Oreo Shamrock McFlurry. It’s legit.

I still prefer drinking my Shamrock Shakes, but this is close.

My test results conclude that the classic Shamrock Shake is about 3% better than the Shamrock McFlurry. Get em both. It’s Shamrock Season.

Purchased Price: $3.59
Size: Regular
Purchased at: McDonald’s
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 560 calories, 17 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, .5 grams of trans fats, 45 mg of cholesterol, 260 milligrams of sodium, 93 grams of carbohydrates, 71 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein.

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