Food Channel Finds is our way of bringing information and opinion on some of the latest products to hit the market! These might be interesting food items seen as we walk a trade show, on a grocery shelf, at a food event or, often, from press releases – enticing us to put them to the test and see how they deliver.

Whether we write about a product or not depends on a number of variables—chief among them how much we fall in love with the flavor, the innovation, the packaging, or the brand itself.

Kettle Brand Krinkle Cut Potato Chips

Case in point: the box of Kettle Brand Krinkle Cut Potato Chips received today with the unexpected flavor of Wasabi Ranch.

The flavor actually shouldn’t have been unexpected. There are some new wasabi products out there, paired with sriracha, horseradish, soy sauce and similar strong flavors. Ranch is a fairly new pairing . . . and let’s just say it works. Really well.

We Were Hungry…

We opened these chips as soon as they came in—perhaps because we were all in need of a late morning pick up and a reason to look up from our computers or work stations. The first bag was soon gone, the victim of staff member after staff member coming back for another taste.

These chips are a departure for Kettle from its usual chips in that they are crinkle cut, a perfect choice for the layered flavor offered. We like the Kettle brand in general, particularly because they give you a story behind the product when you go to www.kettlebrand.com. Just look for who grew the potatoes in your bag and you’ll eat these non-GMO, gluten-free chips with a little less guilt for your indulgence.

Innovative and Flavorful – A Thumb’s Up

The wasabi ranch is a great addition to their flavors—and this is a company that has gone way out of the way to innovate new and interesting flavors in the past couple of years. We’ve tried the Backyard Barbeque, the Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper, the Honey Dijon, the Dill Pickle, the Sea Salt & Vinegar,  the Bourbon BBQ, and several others. We’ve missed a few, though—like the Pepperoncini, the Avocado Oil Himalayan Salt, the Tropical Salsa, and the Hot Jalapeno. Some we like better than others, but we’ve always found someone who claims the bag as their new favorite.

So, kudos to Kettle for keeping snacking interesting, and giving us something new to talk about in flavor.

And thanks for the mid-morning break.