CATEGORY
Barbecue Potato Chips
2007 CHEFSBEST® AWARD FOR BEST TASTE WINNER
Ruffles
What Makes a Great Barbecue Potato Chip?
When your soup or sandwich needs some extra kick, the tangy zest of barbecue chips can deliver the extra flavor. Send them off to work and school in sack lunches, or open a few bags for the deck party. For those who like smoky and spice flavors in their snacks, barbecue chips can be hard to beat.
Our chefs define high-quality potato chips as having a golden color, though the evenness of color may vary from chip to chip. As a stylistic choice of their manufacturers, the seasoning on barbecue chips may give them an orange or brown tint. Some chips may have a small amount of skins and blotches, which is acceptable. The piece integrity should be high, however, with minimal broken pieces at the bottom of the bag. Barbecue chips should include aroma notes of barbecue seasoning, spice and potato, though there should be no inappropriate off notes, including rancid oil or stale notes.
Taste balance is achieved when barbecue chips have moderate saltiness as their leading basic taste, followed by just enough sweetness to balance the salt. Sourness, if present, should be very low.
Among the flavors, bold barbecue flavor should lead, followed by a discernible potato flavor. Barbecue potato chips should have a complex character, with notes of barbecue, spice, smoke and natural potato sweetness to create a balance of flavors.
High-quality potato chips should have distinct crispness that is similar to potato crisps, though not crunchy like tortilla chips. They may feel slightly greasy when eaten—from the greasiness of the oil—but they should dissolve quickly and finish with a clean mouthfeel. High-quality potato chips should not coat the mouth excessively, making it easy to eat one after the other.
Product Category Definition
The product judged was defined as barbecue potato chips for the consumer market, not including other flavors, potato crisps, baked, kettle or organic chips.
Also Judged:
Lay’s
ONE-STEP IDEAS
Add crushed chips to a meatloaf recipe instead of breadcrumbs for a decadent twist.
Dredge chicken pieces or fish fillets in crushed potato chips and bake in the oven for to add extra crunch.
Crumble over casseroles before baking for a crunchy topping.
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TASTING
TERMINOLOGY
PRODUCT
FUN FACTS
- The term “barbecue” could have come from Spain, France, Romania or the Caribbean. No one knows for sure.
- The mechanical potato peeler appeared in the 1920s, making it easy to mass-produce potato chips.
- It takes four pounds of potatoes to make one pound of potato chips.
The ChefsBest Award for Best Taste is awarded to the brand rated highest overall among leading brands by independent professional chefs.
