Here is one in time for the football games this Sunday! Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Kettle Cooked Potato Chips Lightly Salted. Whew, that’s a mouthful! Trader Joe’s has been stepping up the Reduced Guilt line for a while and I think these were one of the first things they put out there with the Reduced Guilt label. Reduced Guilt usually means less fat, salt, calories or whatever without sacrificing flavor (which is not always the case, that’s why I’m here to give you the straight dope!).
I’ve only done one other Reduced Guilt item I’ve reviewed is the Reduced Guilt Mac and Cheese which I found to be decent if lacking in portion size. I don’t know what made me pick up the Reduced Guilt Potato Chips, but I thought I needed to review these since it’s chip eating season with football on the TV.
Trader Joe’s claims that these have 33% less fat than their regular kettle cooked potato chips and are “lightly salted”. Out of the bag, these chips had a different look than their regular chips. Most of the chips were curled or bent over backward. Must be something in the “slow cooking” process they do. I’m not sure what they do to make them have 33% less fat and kettle cook them at the same time. As for the flavor… I found them to be decent. They had a nice crunch to them. They seemed a little tougher if you can use that word for potato chips. Maybe starchier. Definitely less salt, but you know what this is the right amount of salt that should be on all potato chips. For the ultimate test, I put them in front of the kids and wolfed them down without batting an eye so they pass the kid taste test with flying colors.
I guess the big question is would I buy them again? I’m not sure. We don’t eat a whole lot of potato chips (My kids would if I bought them!). I buy them occasionally for the kids if there is a party or something. If that’s the case, I would be them for the kids. But if I am going to buy potato chips for myself, I would be the myriad of other high-fat chips that Trader Joe’s offers and take the hit on the fat and salt. If you can’t keep away from the potato chips, these might be an option for you. Taste-wise, they weren’t all that bad and if I did a blind tasting, I might not even notice that there was something different.
Based on that I will rate these Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Potato Chips 7 Bells!
[…] a few bags of roasted plaintain chips for my hubby, these roasted chicken patties for lunches, and Reduced Guilt Lightly Salted Kettle Cooked Potato Chips, because, well because. These are my staples. Then I always end up eyeing a few new things, […]
I’m a distributor of quality potato chip which I will not mention. In my opinion TJ’s reduced guilt kettle potato chips are far superior to any I have tasted.
I used to love this ship but there is an after taste in it! It taste like they used OLD and overused OIL in it! I hope they will use a clean and fresh oil.
[…] Extending your hand, you greedily grip onto a bag when your eyes are drawn to another bag labeled, Reduced Guilt Kettle Cooked Potato Chips. You obviously purchase that one. After all, you try to steer clear from that familiar pit in your […]
Best potato chip I have tasted. Too bad they run out of stock and are non-available. Wish I could order on-line.
I do not like them much! I want all the fat and salt!