Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

You are here: MacNN Forums > Community > MacNN Lounge > More Not Bad

More Not Bad
Thread Tools
subego
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 21, 2021, 09:09 AM
 
     
ghporter
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 21, 2021, 05:57 PM
 
I like Zapp’s Salt & Vinegar, and the Cajun Dill Gator-Tators are good, but the salt and dill content make that “kick” a little harsh if I eat them alone. I guess I’m just the sensitive type….

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
reader50
Administrator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: California
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 21, 2021, 07:27 PM
 
I like Zapp's Hotter 'N Hot Jalapeno. Every couple years, I'll order up a case - Zapps are not sold in this area. At least, not anywhere I've found.
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 21, 2021, 07:56 PM
 
Yeah. They’re made by Utz, which is in Pennsylvania, so it’s quite a hike to the west coast.

Chicago’s in range, but lots of shelf space is taken by our own local brand, Vitner’s. Jay’s is from here, but they were bought out by Snyder’s of Hanover. Snyder’s tried to buy out Utz (also in Hanover), but the FTC torpedoed it.

I stay away from any snack labeled “hot”, so I’ve never tried the Hotter N’ Hot, but the Voodoo has a nice, mild heat to it.

Not mild in taste, though. Like the dill. Those are about right at the edge for me in terms of how much flavoring I want. This was my first try with dill, so I wanted to shoot it straight, but it’d go well with a French onion dip.

The crawtators are good too. I haven’t really found a better chip than Utz when it comes to “large regional” size brands.


What are the local chip brands out west?


Phun chip fact: Jay’s was originally “Mrs. Japp’s”, but they rebranded in... 1941.
     
dav
Mac Elite
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: sic semper tyrannis
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 25, 2021, 08:49 AM
 
these are still my favorite hot potato chips...
Mama Zuma's Revenge
not salty, not vinegary, a touch of sweet but not quite bbq, hot enough to make my forehead perspire.
one post closer to five stars
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 25, 2021, 09:30 AM
 
IIRC, there was a tiny cheese shop near me which carried Route 11. It’s been so long though, I don’t really remember how good they were.

Cheese shop’s gone now, so I can’t test.

They had great goat milk caramels.
     
ghporter
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 25, 2021, 09:54 AM
 
My son informs me that pork rinds are “keto friendly,” and make a great “breading” for all sorts of things. He’s made, for example, “fried” chicken strips that are “breaded” with crushed pork rinds. I must investigate this, because he indicates that the results are “highly not bad.”

My own not bad, from last night, is pre-cooked, frozen, very lean hamburger patties. These guys are grilled before freezing - they even have real grill marks. You can heat them in whatever manner you desire. We microwave them, which means they’re ready to put on the bun about the same time I’ve finished slicing onions and tomatoes. Top with sharp cheddar on a toasted whole wheat bun, and you have a “really not bad at all” burger with less than 10 minutes of prep work.

(Of course my wife’s home made guacamole, which had aged overnight, and some fresh blue corn chips didn’t hurt the whole meal’s “not badness” at all. )

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 25, 2021, 09:57 AM
 
Yup... pork rinds are pretty much the only low carb option in the snack aisle other than jerky.

Never used them as an ingredient, though.
     
OAW
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: May 2001
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 25, 2021, 06:03 PM
 
There can be no discussion of hot potato chips without mentioning this STL classic …



OAW
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 25, 2021, 06:39 PM
 
Do they have “Farmington Chips” (a/k/a “Kitchen Cooked”) in STL? Their hot chips are good, but not mega-hot. Regulars are great. Never broke into the Chicago market, but they’re a central Illinois staple.

Apparently, Utz bought them 2 years ago.

     
OAW
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: May 2001
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 25, 2021, 07:18 PM
 
^^^

Don’t recall seeing those.

OAW
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 26, 2021, 11:21 AM
 
I was going to suggest trying them if you came across a bag, but talking to locals, I’m sadly getting the impression the buyout is responsible for a nosedive in quality.
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 8, 2021, 09:08 PM
 
Originally Posted by reader50 View Post
I like Zapp's Hotter 'N Hot Jalapeno. Every couple years, I'll order up a case - Zapps are not sold in this area. At least, not anywhere I've found.
Looking at my fresh bag of Gator-Tators (which do in fact pair well with French onion dip BTW), and what do I see?



Your state has literally made the shit illegal.
     
reader50
Administrator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: California
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 9, 2021, 12:21 AM
 
Prompted by this thread, I ordered a case of Zapps Jalapeno a couple weeks ago. It should be delivered tomorrow. I'll look for that label.
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 9, 2021, 01:17 AM
 
Look for a SWAT team too.
     
reader50
Administrator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: California
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 9, 2021, 06:21 PM
 
No SWAT team. But my chip bags have the same label. No idea what would prompt that. CA doesn't have laws against good chips. I don't see anything unusual in the ingredients. Maybe Utz Foods is in a tax dispute with CA or something.

Edit: it appears to be a Prop 65 cancer-warning thing. Looks like Prop65 wants a cancer warning on the bag, and Utz doesn't want to print that. Instead, they have a click-link on their product page, before ordering. I agree with the linked story - there are Prop65 cancer warnings on just about everything, because it doesn't establish acceptable thresholds. And most everyone has learned to tune them out.

I'm good here, as the sale wasn't in CA. Internet sale, with product in PA.
( Last edited by reader50; Jun 9, 2021 at 06:36 PM. )
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 10, 2021, 02:44 PM
 
Originally Posted by reader50 View Post
No SWAT team.
Woops! Gave them the wrong address.
     
ghporter
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 11, 2021, 05:08 PM
 
In large enough quantities, EVERYTHING will hurt you, and probably kill you.

Air Force Basic Training had a number of incidents of water intoxication resulting in death. If you drink too much water, you can dilute your electrolytes enough to make your heart stop. Oops.

They have a HUGE research facility on Lackland, and it took a couple of weeks to come up with a definitive, DIRECTIVE fix. Training Instructors (not any of them physiologists) had been ordering trainees to drink and drink and drink. Now they have quantitative limits, and the TI is responsible for not letting his trainees overdo. It’s been pretty good for years now.

So many things are mutagenic at massive doses, but absolutely benign at levels most humans could reasonably come in contact with. I think California “knows” this, but they have their list, so they make every vendor add a warning as if you’re snorting asbestos when you eat potato chips…. Doofs.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
Paco500
Professional Poster
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Berkshire, UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 12, 2021, 05:34 AM
 
Originally Posted by OAW View Post
There can be no discussion of hot potato chips without mentioning this STL classic … OAW
You from St. Louis or just a fan of the flavour?
     
Paco500
Professional Poster
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Berkshire, UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 12, 2021, 05:37 AM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
In large enough quantities, EVERYTHING will hurt you, and probably kill you.
Not cowbell.
     
Paco500
Professional Poster
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Berkshire, UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 12, 2021, 05:40 AM
 
You got these stateside?



Would be Lay's In the US. Surprisingly tasty and, for a crispy snack, surprisingly low calorie.
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 12, 2021, 12:27 PM
 
I haven’t seen them.

For whatever reason, lentils have been the big go-to around here for a flour based-chip, pushing out pita chips.

Are they really thin and crispy like normal papadam? The lentil chips I’ve tried are slightly puffy, more like an (east) Asian shrimp chip.


Edit: I’m totally curious now how Frito-Lay would go about marketing these in the US.
( Last edited by subego; Jun 12, 2021 at 03:16 PM. )
     
Paco500
Professional Poster
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Berkshire, UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 12, 2021, 03:59 PM
 
I eat a metric f*£k ton of lentil chips- love them. Too much perhaps.

As for the consistency of the poppadom crisps above, I would say they are roughly midway between the shrimp crips you tend to drown away that come free with your Chinese (oe in our case, feed them to the chickens) and actual poppadoms. it's really the seasoning that sells them. Really tasty.
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 12, 2021, 04:47 PM
 
Originally Posted by Paco500 View Post
oe in our case, feed them to the chickens
Those chickens would have to pull them out of my cold, dead hand.
     
Paco500
Professional Poster
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Berkshire, UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 13, 2021, 12:56 PM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
Those chickens would have to pull them out of my cold, dead hand.
Our chickens were badasses. They would have done that.
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 13, 2021, 03:00 PM
 
Well, they’re fools.

Shrimp chips are delightful, but I’m still the tastier option.

I have great marbling.
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 7, 2021, 07:33 AM
 


Just… okay. Messy, a little too sweet, and kind of a stale texture.




These look like they have potential, but I haven’t tried them yet.
     
Laminar
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 7, 2021, 11:12 AM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
Just… okay. Messy, a little too sweet, and kind of a stale texture.
I like jerky and I like bacon, but weird hybrid between the two seems...gross.
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 7, 2021, 12:33 PM
 
Jack Links makes bacon jerky, which I thought was an awesome idea when I first saw it, but didn’t live up to its potential. It’s rubbery. This is a little better, but is still lacking. The quest continues.

What I really wanted was some dill Slim-Jim.
     
ghporter
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 7, 2021, 01:54 PM
 
Then there’s this: “Tactical Bacon” by CMMG (an actual firearms company)


No idea how it tastes, but it’s supposed to have a long shelf life. Personally, I’m not brave enough to be a field tester for this stuff…

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 7, 2021, 02:26 PM
 
I’d try it, but I wouldn’t pay money to try it.

Sorta related, I’m told you can let cooked bacon sit out all day and it won’t go bad. Restaurants go heavy on it for that reason. They can make a giant pile and get that work out of the way all at once.
     
ghporter
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 7, 2021, 04:57 PM
 
Interesting, if slightly disturbing....

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 8, 2021, 12:26 PM
 
So, the “home stlye potatoe chips” are good. Very thin and oily. So much so the potatoe regains a bit of elasticity.

Problem is the oil’s kind of Z-grade.
     
ghporter
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 8, 2021, 01:37 PM
 
Here’s an old Detroit staple: Better Made Potato Chips:


When I was a kid, eating these meant an automatic trip to the sink for a thorough wash. They didn’t seem to be concerned about fat content, but the chips were SO good. They also used A-grade oil (I have no idea what type back then) which tasted fine - and held that all-important salt on each chip.

Not at all a healthy snack, whenever or whatever, but good, fresh potato chips with just enough salt is a guilty pleasure I save for times when I really deserve a reward.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 8, 2021, 01:47 PM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
(I have no idea what type back then)
My guess?

Lard.
     
ghporter
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 8, 2021, 01:58 PM
 
Back then, probably. I survived worse growing up then and there. For a hint at some of it, read this.

So far, except for wearing out one hip with the other just looking properly broken in, I’ve been healthy as a horse, so I’m not concerned about lard, PBBs or most other things. But I’m more careful about what I consume nowadays.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 8, 2021, 02:06 PM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
Lard.
I meant this as a compliment.
     
ghporter
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 8, 2021, 03:46 PM
 
As I took it. But the "L word" has a bad rep lately, so I explained...probably not well.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 8, 2021, 05:20 PM
 
I blame Big Canola.
     
gorickey
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Retired.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 8, 2021, 11:43 PM
 
Mmmm!
     
Brien
Professional Poster
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Southern California
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 9, 2021, 08:10 PM
 
Prop 65 is on everything and has lost all meaning.
     
ghporter
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 11, 2021, 05:34 PM
 
Originally Posted by Brien View Post
Prop 65 is on everything and has lost all meaning.
It's worse, I think than a carton of "half and half" having a label that says "contains milk." Really?

"The State of California" "knows" that a lot of things can cause diseases like cancer. But does "The State of California" even take into account that there's a "threshold" below which the body just eliminates or ignores stuff? I often wonder what "The State of California" is smoking...

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
P
Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 15, 2021, 09:27 AM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
It's worse, I think than a carton of "half and half" having a label that says "contains milk." Really?

"The State of California" "knows" that a lot of things can cause diseases like cancer. But does "The State of California" even take into account that there's a "threshold" below which the body just eliminates or ignores stuff? I often wonder what "The State of California" is smoking...
Prop 65 is an absolute mess. Part of what I do involves checking for banned substances, and the difference between RoHS (EU Directive for more or less the same thing) and Prop 65 is huge. RoHS has a lower limit (anything below 0.1% by weight can be ignored), and anything that is added has been on a candidate list for years before. Also, if it is banned, no labels will help you - it is truly banned as in you can't sell it.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Thorzdad
Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nobletucky
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 15, 2021, 04:36 PM
 
These aren’t bad at all. Made in Turkey. Not real spicy, but definitely tasty. If you’re in a middle-eastern market, look around and see if you can find them.

     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 15, 2021, 10:47 PM
 
Umm… what is it?
     
Thorzdad
Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nobletucky
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 16, 2021, 06:23 AM
 
They're seasoned cracker/chip/crisps. For father's day, my daughter got me a three-month subscription to Universal Yums, and these were part of my first box of snacks this month, along with other snacks from Turkey.
     
Demonhood
Administrator
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Land of the Easily Amused
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 20, 2021, 01:01 PM
 
The bag makes them look like over-starched rugs floating over the remnants of an imploded xmas tree.
     
Thorzdad
Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nobletucky
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 20, 2021, 01:03 PM
 
We in the marketing biz call that look "X-TREME!!!"
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 21, 2021, 07:23 AM
 
I still don’t know what they are, though. Corn? Potato? Turkey?



Originally Posted by Demonhood View Post
The bag makes them look like over-starched rugs floating over the remnants of an imploded xmas tree.
Originally Posted by Thorzdad View Post
We in the marketing biz call that look "X-TREME!!!"
To me, they look like X-TREME communion wafers. Body of TACO JESUS!!!
     
Thorzdad
Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nobletucky
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 21, 2021, 08:03 AM
 
Ah. I believe they are rice flour based. I don't have the bag anymore to check. They were not-quite-as-crisp-as-a-dorito crispy.
     
 
Thread Tools
 
Forum Links
Forum Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Top
Privacy Policy
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:44 AM.
All contents of these forums © 1995-2017 MacNN. All rights reserved.
Branding + Design: www.gesamtbild.com
vBulletin v.3.8.8 © 2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.,