"potato chips" news and stories

Thinking of switching from a classic potato chip or corn chip to one that claims to be healthier? Before you give up the Fritos, have a look at Healthcastle.com's amazingly helpful nutritional comparison of 40 top brands, reports NPR. You may be surprised at what those "better-for-you" chips actually save in the fat and calories departments.

Take Lay's Classic potato chips (ok, I admit it, they're my personal fave, so that's where I looked first) compared with Corazona's Slightly Salted Chips. Corazona's chips have 30 fewer calories for a one-ounce serving (let's just pretend we eat only an ounce), and 4 fewer grams of fat, but both have zero trans fats and sugars. And Corazona's are higher in carbs by 3 grams. So if it's a calories-and-fat battle you're waging, you might as well stick with the Lay's. But sodium? Lay's has double, with 180 mg. to Corazona's 90. (And yes, corazón, means "heart" in Spanish.)

Americans love their potato chips -- in fact, about 13 percent of the nation's potatoes become them. Now, thanks to Cornell's potato-breeding program, we'll soon have two new varieties designed specifically for chip-making, reports The Cornell News Service.

Waneta and Lamoka potatoes, named after two twin lakes in the Finger Lakes region that Cornell calls home, both have long storage life and an appealing color when sliced. Since potatoes are usually harvested in the fall but don't head for the chipper till spring, it's important to have a potato that stores well. These new varieties are also resistant to common potato diseases in the area: golden nematode, which infects roots, and scab, which forms pits in the root vegetable.

Everybody who loves chips seems to love Kettle brand. (See all our chips taste tests.) And the company just keeps coming out with new, tasty flavors. Our pals over at YumSugar are also fans, and are crazy about the latest flavor, Zesty Ranch Krinkle Cuts. Can it compete with Buffalo Bleu chips and (one of our own faves) BBQ?

Get all the details on the new chips at YumSugar.

In our last installment of potato chip taste tests, we take on the potent sour cream and onion flavor. We gathered more than 10 of the most popular brands (found in most Tri-State-area supermarkets) and separated them into three categories: regular, kettle and an alternative.

In the end, we chose an overall winner for each category and one loser (which was clearly the worst chip of the bunch). After the jump, find out which big supermarket brand flunked our taste test.

Round two of our potato chip taste test: Salt and Vinegar. The second most sought after potato chip flavor (after BBQ), salt and vinegar chips have been taken to the next level in recent years, with upgraded ingredients like sea salts and malt vinegar.

With more than 15 different bags, we separated this taste test into three different categories: regular, kettle and an alternative. We tested each chip on the following categories: chip thickness and the balance of flavors -- were the salt and vinegar flavors in harmony, or did one overpower the other?

In the end, we chose an overall winner and loser for each category.