REVIEW: Lay’s Kettle Cooked Flamin’ Hot Potato Chips

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Lay s Kettle Cooked Flamin Hot Potato Chips

I feel certain there’s a chapter in the anthologies of Snacking Americana dedicated to Frito-Lay’s Flamin’ Hot.

This iconic seasoning, which started on the hallowed Cheeto, has now donned the surface of nearly every chip, crisp, and crunchy snack the company produces. In 2019, Forever 21 even launched a Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Collection and rumors of a Flamin’ Hot Cheetos origin story movie spread like, well, wildfire.

The challenge in this frenzy of Flamin’ Hot obsession is for the snack company to launch new products that aren’t just flavored with the seasoning but offer a different eating experience from the fire truck red snacks that have already been bestowed upon us. Enter, Lay’s Kettle Cooked Flamin’ Hot.

Lay s Kettle Cooked Flamin Hot Potato Chips Closeup

Their appearance immediately lives up to expectation. They are BRIGHT RED and look to be fully coated in the Flamin’ Hot seasoning, true to the front-of-bag image. It also seems like more of the chips are completely covered in the seasoning as compared to the plain Lay’s Flamin’ Hot. Maybe that has to do with the kettle cook method and how the seasoning clings to oil? I’m not sure, but it definitely adds to their appeal.

So, do they hold up to the tried and true Flamin’ Hot fame?

Oh, hell yeah. These chips rock.

As was previously mentioned in other TIB reviews, the flat chip shape (compared to the Cheeto shape) means that you can place a full crunchy layer of fiery flavored madness over your entire tongue at once. With a Cheeto, there’s way less available surface area, and your teeth take most of the direct hit. With these chips, the flavor is intense right away, in the best way. I also think the kettle cooked texture delivers a more satisfying crunch than plain potato chips. I’m surprised this variety didn’t launch sooner.

I was particularly happy with the cheesiness that comes through, a flavor which is lacking in the Lay’s Flamin’ Hot traditional potato chip variety. After going through a few historic Flamin’ Hot launches, it looks like “cheddar cheese” moves around in the ingredient line, sometimes not present at all. My recommendation to Frito-Lay would be to keep it in any future products because it adds a critical flavor element.

The cheesiness balances the heat beautifully and, when combined with the sturdy crunch of a kettle cooked chip, makes this one of the best all-around chips I’ve had in a long time. It was hard not to eat the entire bag in one sitting. And of course, your fingers will be left with the signature Flamin’ Hot red Cheetle.

Lay s Kettle Cooked Flamin Hot Potato Chips Cheetle

I will say, the one ever so slightly negative thing I have to say about these is that five minutes after eating about two servings worth, my tongue went numb to any other flavors for roughly half an hour. I’m no stranger to spicy things, so this surprised me a little, but didn’t bother me much at all. These chips are worth it.

Upholding their Flamin’ Hot family legacy, these kettle cooked chips receive my most heartfelt 10/10 rating and earnest recommendation for your snacking needs in 2020.

Purchased Price: $3.18
Size: 8 oz. bag
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (about 18 chips) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Double Fudge Cookie Dough Blizzard

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Dairy Queen Double Fudge Cookie Dough Blizzard

What is the Double Fudge Cookie Dough Blizzard?

The Dairy Queen Blizzard of the Month for February includes vanilla soft serve forcibly mingled with chocolate chip cookie dough, choco chunks, and cocoa fudge.

How is it?

Dairy Queen Double Fudge Cookie Dough Blizzard Top

Pretty good for a Blizzard that’s basic in name and substance —- no movie tie-in with a cute play on words like the Jurassic Chomp and no declarations that it’s royal or outrageous in any way. It’s just the standard Cookie Dough Blizzard with more chocolate and more fudge. With that said, all the chocolate balances nicely with the non-chocolate part of the cookie dough. The dueling textures of the soft dough and crunchy choco chunks are also nice.

As an aside, sometimes I feel bad for whoever the Queen of Dairy has deemed worthy of creating and testing new Blizzard combinations for the kingdom to enjoy. Sure, it’s an awesome job and one that I would surely do for less money than whoever currently has said awesome job (note to any DQ exec reading this: please leave your contact info in the comments, and I’ll send my resume).

Dairy Queen Double Fudge Cookie Dough Blizzard Spoon

On the other hand, after all the monthly, seasonal, and special Blizzards over the years, it’s hard to come up with something truly unique. Case in point, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough was the Blizzard of the Month back in November…of 2010! The only difference here, after nearly a decade, is that this version has cocoa chunks and presumably double the fudge. Well done, unknown DQ employee, well done.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Dairy Queen Double Fudge Cookie Dough Blizzard Shark

I got a choco shark tooth in mine! Yes, I know it’s not as impressive as an Abe Lincoln-shaped Cheeto or the image of Kanye West appearing on a grilled cheese sandwich, but I thought it was pretty cool. Check eBay soon if you’d like the chance to own this rare and valuable piece of DQ history.

Conclusion:

This Blizzard falls into the category of satisfying but also forgettable. If you are a fan of action movies and The Rock, you know what I’m talking about. This is worth ordering next time you visit the realm of Dairy Queen, but it doesn’t quite rise to the level of worth ordering through DoorDash…unless you are really lazy, and can afford the mark-up and tip, and can deal with your Blizzard being slightly melted and not having a DQ employee flip it upside-down for your amusement. It’s not quite that good.

Purchased Price: $4.09
Size: Medium
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Medium) 1,160 calories, 50 grams of fat, 28 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 65 milligrams of cholesterol, 580 milligrams of sodium, 163 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of dietary fiber, 120 grams of sugar, and 19 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Ocean Spray Brew

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Ocean Spray Brew

It appears the Bog-tenders over at Ocean Spray used a Mad Lib to brainstorm their new product, because here I am, about to sip an Ocean Spray Brew.

Ocean Spray’s signature cranberries and green coffee beans play supporting roles in two different flavors of this bizarre witch’s brew – Lemonade and Blueberry.

I guess fruit flavor mixed with coffee isn’t exactly a new concept, but I can’t help but feel like Ocean Spray’s tapping an entirely new market that nobody asked for here.

I drink multiple cups of coffee a day but seldom have juice. I don’t dislike it, but I usually find most juices too sweet, almost always too acidic, and any time I drink them, they go down like a shot of whiskey.

So, with that said, am I the market for this stuff? Will I prefer juice with a splash of coffee?

The answer to that question is a resounding YES. These are shockingly tasty.

Imagine you’re drinking a light version of a fruit-flavored iced tea that was not only steeped with a tea bag but coffee beans as well. Huh?

I’ll break them down by flavor:

Ocean Spray Brew Cranberry Lemonade

Lemonade – It smells like iced tea, but once you’re about to take a sip, you get smacked with the scent of coffee. I’d equate this to having a glass of lemon iced tea right after eating a coffee-flavored hard candy. That might not sound all that appetizing in your mind, but it really works. To me, this evoked Italian after-dinner espressos with those little lemon wedges. The brew is perfectly balanced – not too sweet or sour. No flavor overwhelms another.

Ocean Spray Brew Cranberry Blueberry

Blueberry – This one smells like blueberries and coffee grounds. It tastes like blueberry tea that quickly transitions into a berry centric cold brew. I was reminded of dark chocolate covered espresso beans despite there not being any chocolate in the ingredients. I guess it was the dark berry flavor and coffee mixed together that put that in my mind. Imagine an edible espresso bean wrapped in a blueberry-infused chocolate coating. That’s the aftertaste.

Overall, I preferred it slightly more than the lemonade one.

Both of these flavors hit the mark, and deliver on the strange premise. You’ll notice I didn’t mention cranberry once, well, that’s because cranberry plays a great supporting character, despite appearing to be the headliner here. It works perfectly as the bridge ingredient in both flavors. It gave each bottle a nice, mildly sweet dryness that seemed to only elevate the other flavors involved.

Cranberry is better with a partner. Ocean Spray knows this and has managed to marry “cran” to every other fruit in existence. It even somehow managed to convince a chunk of the country that “crayon” is pronounced “cran.” Ocean Spray has that cran-power.

Ocean Spray Brew Both

So, to sum up, if you like fruit-flavored iced teas, and you like coffee, you should like Ocean Spray Brew. I loved it. Then again, I used to order my Dunkin’ iced coffees with a shot of blueberry, and I’m a huge fan of coffee stouts with fruited adjuncts, so I guess I was the audience here.

You get half a cup of coffee’s worth of natural caffeine in each serving, so you can even use this as a refreshing energy replacement in the morning.

I honestly think we just tapped into a new market. Nothing is ever “new” so I’m sure there are “juice coffees” out there, but if you’ve wanted a healthy (by juice standards) flavored iced tea that finishes like a coffee while also giving you a caffeine kick? Here ya go!

Purchased Price: $2.99 each
Size: 1 liter bottle
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 9 out of 10 (Cranberry Blueberry), 8 out of 10 (Cranberry Lemonade)
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) Cranberry Blueberry – 30 calories, 0grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 10 milligrams of sodium, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein. Cranberry Lemonade – 30 calories, 0grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 10 milligrams of sodium, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s Netflix & Chilll’d Ice Cream and Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert

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Ben Jerry s Netflix Chilll d Ice Cream

Pretzels seem like an odd inclusion in Ben & Jerry’s new Netflix & Chilll’d Ice Cream. Is it popular among Netflix subscribers and password sharers? Maybe it’s just me, but popcorn and potato chips are probably munched on more during a binge-watching.

Is there something in Netflix’s algorithm that not only knows we might like Interior Design Masters because we’ve watched Queer Eye, but also what we like to eat while we watch Tan France turn folks from Le Eek to Le Chic? Or maybe Netflix’s algorithm watches us through the cameras in our phones, tablets, and compu…

(Knock at the door)

Hi. Who are you guys? Hey, nice red suits. Wait. W-w-what are you doing? Let me go! LET ME GO! HELP! HELP!

Oh, hello. I’m back. Forget that whole thing about Netflix’s algorithm binge watches our lives through our cameras. Netflix’s algorithm is definitely not watching us right now or threatening me with revealing the amount of high school romance anime I watch.

Ben Jerry s Netflix Chilll d Non Dairy Frozen Dessert

Just like Netflix has something for everyone in the family, Ben & Jerry’s is offering Netflix & Chilll’d in varieties that will satisfy everyone’s deal with dairy. The regular version features peanut butter ice cream with sweet and salty pretzel swirls and fudge brownies. The non-dairy one has peanut butter-flavored frozen dessert made with almond milk, sweet and salty pretzel swirls, and fudge brownies.

After trying both, I have to say I prefer the non-dairy one.

Ben Jerry s Netflix Chilll d Ice Cream Closeup

The combination of the peanut butter frozen dessert with the saltiness and flavor from the pretzel swirl tastes something like a Nutter Butter cookie to me, which is something I haven’t experienced with ice cream (or frozen dessert). Also, the PB flavor in the non-dairy one is more prominent than the dairy version. Maybe the almond milk used in the base makes it a little nuttier. The peanut butter ice cream in the regular Netflix & Chilll’d is fine, but the frozen dessert stands out a bit more.

Ben Jerry s Netflix Chilll d Non Dairy Frozen Dessert Closeup

The pretzel swirls in both pints add a welcomed saltiness that contrast and enhance the sweet components. The swirl in the non-dairy one also gives off toffee notes. I feel the flavor is more prominent in the regular one, but that might be because the peanut butter ice cream doesn’t have as strong a flavor as the frozen dessert. Also, although “pretzel” is in both descriptions, the swirls don’t provide any crunch, which is disappointing.

Unlike the pretzels and their lack of texture, the fudge brownies bring the expected chewiness to each spoonful. And, like we’ve seen hundreds of times with peanut butter and chocolate, combining it with the peanut butter ice cream/frozen dessert results in sweet tooth satisfaction. Actually, the fudge brownies help make the regular version taste similar to a peanut butter cup.

I know. The previous sentence makes it hard to believe I prefer the non-dairy and non-peanut-butter-cup-tasting one.

Chill Netflix

Both Netflix & Chilll’d pints are NOT binge-worthy. Well, they are, but I don’t want to encourage anyone to eat entire pints in one sitting. Again, I prefer the non-dairy one, but I feel you can’t go wrong with either.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Received from Ben & Jerry’s
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Non-Dairy), 7 out of 10 (Regular)
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) Regular – 390 calories, 24 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 80 milligrams of cholesterol, 290 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 29 grams of sugar, 7 grams of protein. Non-Dairy – 380 calories, 22 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 250 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 27 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free samples of the product from Ben & Jerry’s (thanks Ben & Jerry’s!). Doing so did not influence my review in any way. Although, with ratings like that, you might think it did. But I assure you it did not.

REVIEW: Kit Kat Lemon Crisp

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Kit Kat Lemon Crisp

I have been searching for the new Kit Kat Lemon Crisp for a couple of weeks now. I adore Kit Kats, and my curiosity about this new springtime edition quickly became an obsession for me. I scoured every single candy aisle, seasonal display, and end cap in each store near my house. Anytime I saw a yellow bag of candy, I would get excited, only to be immediately disappointed. I began to lose hope.

Then, the other day, I was in Fry’s, shopping for random items and not even actively searching for the candy. I turned the corner of an aisle, looked down, and voila: there they were, in a nondescript, out of place Easter candy display. I immediately forgot everything else that I had come shopping for and rushed home.

I tore into the bag and unwrapped one of the small bars. The smell of soft, fragrant lemon hit my nostrils. The candy was a pale yet welcoming yellow.

Kit Kat Lemon Crisp Coating

The coating on the outside of the Kit Kats is sweet, slightly tart, and distinctly lemony, without being overwhelming. It doesn’t taste excessively artificial either, which is a major plus. The flavor reminds me of the cream in the lemon sandwich cookies that I used to eat when I was a child. It is undeniably delightful and oddly refreshing.

Texturally, it’s very similar to the chocolate coating on traditional Kit Kats that we’re all familiar with. It’s not necessarily chocolate, though. The packaging states that the candy is “crisp wafers in lemon flavored white crème.” As far as my mouth is concerned, it’s basically lemon-flavored white chocolate.

Kit Kat Lemon Crisp Give Me a Break

The wafers on the inside provide the same reliable crunch that they always have. I delicately ate the coating off one of them, leaving only the wafer layers. I wanted to see if they were lemon-flavored, and as far as I can tell, they’re not. They taste the same as a standard Kit Kat when you remove the chocolate. But that’s all right because the citrusy coating brings enough flavor for the whole bar.

Simply put, Kit Kat Lemon Crisp bars are heavenly and embody everything I want in a lemon-flavored sweet. Supposedly, they’re only a seasonal offering, but if they sell well, maybe Hershey will keep them around. I hope that’s the case because I’m not prepared to lose them.

Purchased Price: $3.50
Size: 9 oz. bag
Purchased at: Fry’s
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (4 pieces) 170 calories, 9 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 30 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 15 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

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