IT'S FRANKENFOOD FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!
That's right, it's that time at the end of each week when I subject myself to some strange melding of two independent food items into one delicious or disgusting new dish.
For this week's Frankenfood Friday, I decided to explore the Lays "Do Us A Flavor" winner from some year previous and two of the new "Passport to Flavor" chip varieties this year. The ones available at my local store included the Chinese Szechuan Chicken, the Brazilian Picanha, and the Southern Biscuits & Gravy.
First up was the Szechuan Chicken, which I was pretty excited about because I *LOVE* "Asian" food (even when it is some American "fusion" that no longer resembles actual Asian food in the slightest- I don't discriminate!)
I found that right off the bat it definitely tasted like Chinese food, so they hit that one on the head. But it was so salty, and so strongly flavored, I kept feeling like I was eating seasoned dry ramen, and after about 4 chips in a row my mouth felt like I'd just taken the seasoning packet from a $0.44 ramen package and dumped it into my mouth.
Ultimately, they're not bad, but I probably won't finish them and I definitely won't buy them again.
The next flavor I tried was the Brazilian Picanha. It was supposed to taste like steak & chimichurri sauce, which are staples of Brazilian restaurant menus.
These were pretty darn good. The first taste that hit my tongue was that of green vegetables. No specific ones came to mind, just kind of a salsa of very healthy vegetables. It was towards the end of chewing and after swallowing that I got a sort of savory, beefy steak flavor, which was extremely subtle but pleasant. I had actually expected these to be overly steak- flavored and not unlike chips made from bouillon cubes or something, but it was a really good balance. Most telling, though, was that later in the night I had all three of the tasting plates out for my husband and I to snack from, and I finished off this plate before touching the other two. The Steak & Chimichurri combination has that morishness that's expected from a good potato chip, and the flavor is strong, distinct, but not an assault on the senses.
Finally I tasted the Biscuits & Gravy. I was most nervous about this one, because while I LOVE biscuits and gravy as a dish, I felt like even if Lays managed to successfully translate the flavor to the chip, I wasn't sure that somehow the flavor of gravy in a dry form wouldn't ruin the flavor of biscuits & gravy for me forever. I actually hesitated to spend my money on them because I didn't think I'd like them, so my generous and not at all sadistic friend Diana bought them for me to ensure I wouldn't miss out on this unique frankenfood opportunity.
The first taste proved to taste... exactly like gravy. It was very strange to taste something that should be thick and wet as a seasoned, crunchy chip. As I chewed, there came the biscuit. I somehow expected it to basically taste like potato chips and gravy, but those mad scientists at Frito Lay actually made the dadgum thing taste like a BISCUIT, too! It mostly tasted of butter, but it definitely tasted like the canned biscuit dough biscuits that I happen to love. I didn't think I would go back for more, even though the flavor wasn't bad, because it was just so weird, but I realized later on that while it's almost off-puttingly accurate in flavor when you're paying attention to what you're tasting, they're totally munchable while you're watching X-Files or painting your toenails. When I went back for a taste after the official tasting was over and I was focused on cooking dinner, I didn't mind them at all, & we eventually polished the tasting plate off. Still, they're best for distracted snacking, and in that case, so is a plain potato chip. To me it's not really worth buying again when there are flavors out there that I actually crave.
The only flavor we weren't inclined to go back for was the Chinese Szechuan Chicken, which was really only unsuccessful in the intensity of the flavor and the impossible to ignore mental picture of dumping Ramen seasoning packets into my mouth. I know for a fact we'll be finishing off the Brazillian Picanha chips, and I highly recommend them if you're looking for a little adventure. The Biscuits and Gravy were pretty good, and we might even finish them off before they go stale, but I personally probably won't buy them again because I think it's just... well, it's like taking biscuits and gravy and adding potatoes. If Biscuits and gravy needed anything added to them it's not another heavy starch. Somehow that translates to the flavors, too- not bad, but a little too rich and bland at the same time. I think it might have been a total hit if it had been "Sausage Biscuit", and had a stronger sausage flavor with that odd undercurrent of biscuit, but gravy is too subtle. Just not craveable, though still worth tasting.
The best success of the Lay's Frankenfoods remains the Bacon Mac & Cheese from a few years ago, which I have actually spontaneously craved, and gone to purchase again several times. And that's really the best measure of a great chip, isn't it?
What do you think of these flavors? Are you brave enough to try them? If you already have, what did you think? Do you agree with me? Let me know in the comments! And let me know if there's anything you'd like to see me try for the next FrankenFood Friday- I need ideas!
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