"pringles" news and stories

How many Pringles does $2.35 billion buy you? Apparently, all of them.

Like the slogan says, it seems like once to folks at Diamond Foods popped open a can, they just couldn't stop until they'd gobbled up the whole darn brand. The company is acquiring Pringles from its previous owner, Procter & Gamble.

As P&G's hometown paper, the Cincinnati Enquirer, reports, the American mega-company that's home to a variety of household name brands has lost its appetite for the food business over the years. Whereas it was once home to a range of grocery-store icons, from Duncan Hines and Jif to Folgers and Sunny Delight, P&G has sold off all of them, opting instead to focus on its less-than-edible brands, like cleaning products and toothpaste.

By selling Pringles, P&G takes itself out of the food business altogether.

Some celebrities are perfect for the food they promote -- Florence Henderson and Wesson Oil seemed made for each other like Popeye and spinach.

But not all stars are a natural match for the products they endorse. (Like that former Soviet premier who went on to do Pizza Hut ads?) Here are Slashfood's picks for the 10 Weirdest Celebrity Food Commercials of All Time.

• From pig to prosciutto -- how dry-cured hams can offer the most rich and rewarding flavor.
• New York is awash in speakeasies. They might not look like the bars of Prohibition, but the same hidden doors and password rigmarole applies.
• A look at Zach Brooks and his Midtown Lunch Web site, which is dedicated to finding decent and reasonably priced lunches in, of course, Midtown Manhattan.
• Stop! That white wine in your fridge should never be served super-cold.
• Per Se, Thomas Keller's famous Manhattan eatery, has one heck of a saucy kitchen.
• Organic dairy farmers are in dire straits thanks to the recession's harsh impact.
• Ballparks might not be going gourmet, but the fast food has been given a haute twist at hotspots like Yankee Stadium and Citi Field.

More news after the jump.

Pringles is among the here-since-the-70s foods that persistently redesign/refocus to make themselves either upscale or trendy enough to draw 21-century folks.

While Pringles has taken a shot at the gourmet market with their Pringles Select flavors, they really just want to appeal to the kids. Thus, we have the new Pringles Extreme flavors, the latest attempt to make something cool just by adding the word "extreme" to it. (Just like extreme sports drinks, extreme chewing gum and extreme ice cream.)

There's Blazin' Buffalo Wing, Kickin' Cheddar and Screamin' Dill Pickle. Only taste will tell whether it's got kick.

When snacking, the tendency is to automatically reach for whatever tortilla or potato chip is within reach. Pity, since there is a whole scrumptious world of other options. So, just in time to have everyone over to watch the big game, here are a few ideas to put something else in the basket on the coffee table and also a few suggestions about dips they might pair with.

1. Lime Tortilla Chips - Light-years ahead of the plain kind. Tostitos makes the tastiest ones. There go very well with fruit salsa, usually mango or peach.
2. Sweet Potato Chips - Everyone from Pringles to Terra manufactures these, though I would swing toward the latter, since the Pringles also have cinnamon. They match nicely with corn salsa or bean dip.
3. Banana or Plantain Chips - Yes, I know they're not the same thing, but close enough for my purposes. Another standout with fruit salsa, though I also like them with guacamole.
4. Pretzel Chips - A nice combo of two great salty snacks, the chips and the pretzel. Try with spinach or onion dip.
5. Tabasco Cheez-Its - Don't put anything on these. You'll wind up devouring much of the box and you don't want anything to get in your way.