Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream is greater than Lay’s Cheddar & Sour Cream Potato Chips, and it’s my favorite potato chip. If I see a bag of the Lay’s version at a gathering, I sigh and then think that the person who was in charge of bringing chips should no longer have that responsibility from now on. Sure, same company, same seasoning, but the Ruffles variety is better tasting for some reason, and if given a choice between the two, I’d choose the Ruffles 100 times out of 100.
Is it the r-r-ridges? Probably.
So I wondered if ridges would make these Ruffles Double Crunch Salt & Vinegar chips superior to original Lay’s Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips, a go-to variety whenever I come across a regular Lay’s sale. Of course, Double Crunch’s ridges are significantly more profound than regular Ruffles, but I thought that depth might still have the same effect that it does with the cheddar and sour cream seasoning. However, that was not the case.
Look, I’m not going to lie. I ate the entire bag within 24 hours and didn’t regret one moment of it, even those moments when my wife gave me the I-wanted-to-try-those-but-can’t-now-because-someone-forgot-how-to-share look. But something about them makes them taste slightly less enticing than regular Lay’s Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips, which I’d pick over these Ruffles 100 times out of 100.
Is it the r-r-ridges? Probably.
I don’t know if those deep waves hold more seasoning, but when I bite into these, there are short savory bursts that have a slightly different salty to vinegary ratio than the Lay’s variety. And once those bursts fade, what’s left is more potato-y, which is probably the thicker chip’s fault. With the regular Lay’s, that salty and tangy seasoning lingers longer. Plus, that lingering makes my lower mouth tingle, which I oddly enjoy. I don’t know what that sensation is. Puckering? Putting my salivary glands on overdrive? My taste buds clapping? Whatever it is, I didn’t experience it with these.
Again, Ruffles Double Crunch Salt & Vinegar chips are pretty good, but I’d rather have the regular Lay’s version. Of course, my preference for them may change someday if Frito-Lay puts its salt and vinegar seasoning on regular Ruffles in the US. (It was available in Canada, which makes me even more jealous of our friends up north with its All Dressed and ketchup-flavored chips.)
Purchased Price: $4.50
Size: 7.25 oz bag
Purchased at: Times Supermarket
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (about 10 chips) 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.