{"id":17539,"date":"2014-08-14T11:00:08","date_gmt":"2014-08-14T21:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/?p=17539"},"modified":"2023-08-28T16:30:08","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T02:30:08","slug":"review-lays-kettle-cooked-wasabi-ginger-potato-chips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2014\/08\/14\/review-lays-kettle-cooked-wasabi-ginger-potato-chips\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Lay’s Kettle Cooked Wasabi Ginger Potato Chips"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Lay's<\/a><\/p>\n

Goddamn, I really wanted to like you. I wanted to praise you to Fatboy Slim\u2019s \u201cPraise You\u201d and tell all my friends how good you were. I patiently waited to open up your bag as you already had me at \u201cKettle Cooked.\u201d You had me at KETTLE COOKED dammit!!! I love the crunch that quickly shatters into delicious crumbles. Being kettle cooked is the only way to make a potato do that. <\/p>\n

I also love wasabi flavored snacks, including that hard to find Lindt chocolate bar. Akin to a big, boisterous and caring aunt who keeps telling you to eat more because you\u2019re so skinny (but you\u2019re not) or how much of a grown man you look in your tie (even in a bolo tie?), wasabi is loud and imposing. It makes its presence known as your nasal flares slightly then tempers down to a sweet cooing.<\/p>\n

As for ginger, I love all forms of it except the ubiquitous pickled stuff that comes with sushi. I find the shades that range from the opaque hues of a cadaver to the neon rose on a Hypercolor t-shirt are as awful as the sometimes soapy unpleasant taste pickled ginger imparts. However, I was excited because the vinegary-pickled ginger could play off well as an Asian-tinged Salt & Vinegar chip.<\/p>\n

So what went wrong? Was it my high expectations? Was it the excitement of another Lay\u2019s Do Us a Flavor competition? Was it the bourbons and binge viewings of Community? Either way, I was let down in a manner that rivaled the time when my father told the family that my younger brother was his favorite son. Shades of Thanos\u2019 family, I will seek my revenge\u2026eventually.<\/p>\n

\"Lay's<\/a><\/p>\n

The flavor, inspired by Meneko Springer McBeth, makes sense and probably on Earth-616<\/a>, the flavor profile would be as normal as sour cream and onion. A quick read-through of her bio shows she\u2019s as normal as anyone: a married registered nurse with three daughters (presumably cute and well-mannered). She has an \u201caffinity for spicy flavors\u201d and loves sushi. Her fun fact is that \u201cThe Clearance Queen\u201d is her nickname because she always hunts down the best bargains. She sounds like someone I could ask the time and not be scared of being maced or threatened with undeserved violence involving an ice pick.<\/p>\n

Letting me down is one thing, but why let down nice and normal Meneko Springer McBeth who just wants to find good bargains? Is being budget conscious enough to damn an innocent soul, Lay\u2019s?<\/p>\n

I should have known it when I opened the bag, only to smell the roasty and pleasantly fried scent of kettle chips. Don\u2019t misunderstand me, the chips smelled great. But when you\u2019re saying there\u2019s wasabi and it was bereft of the pungent horseradishy blast\u2026well, that let me down a lot. I can only compare it to smelling a grilled thick cut steak with pieces of garlic embedded and you can\u2019t smell any of the aromatics.<\/p>\n

If that wasn\u2019t sad enough, besides being seen with your nose in a bag of chips as if you were sniffing a fine cognac, the chips tasted just mundane. I was also glad I bought the small convenience store version because I would likely feed the rest to the ducks and they would get hyperlipidemia.<\/p>\n

The bag promised wasabi and ginger, but the wasabi was so faint and the ginger was non-existent. The only prevalent taste I could discern was a soy sauce flavor and the onion powder.<\/p>\n

\"Lay's<\/a><\/p>\n

I ate a handful Cookie Monster-style to see if the flavors would be stronger. It wasn\u2019t and all I tasted initially was the ghostly vinegar kick that was more like a shuffle. The wasabi was too lazy to even nod a \u201chey\u201d to me and I believe a thousand Japanese mobsters cut off their index fingers in shame.<\/p>\n

The chips did have a well-rounded saltiness to them and the soy sauce gave off a sweetness that channeled the highly sought umami factor. I\u2019m so depressed now that I think I\u2019m just filling up words in this review so it looks like I am actually working instead of being as lazy as the wasabi and ginger in these chips.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know what Meneko Springer McBeth did to make Lay\u2019s so angry. For God\u2019s sakes, she even reported that she loves spicy foods and all they could eke out was something as spicy as Mr. Rogers eating a banana. I\u2019m torn because I want this flavor to exist, but I don\u2019t want it to win because of the flat flavor Lay’s has given it.<\/p>\n

(Nutrition Facts – 1 oz\/about 18 chips – 150 calories, 8 grams of total fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 140 milligrams of sodium, 350 milligrams of potassium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.)<\/small><\/p>\n

Item:<\/b> Lay\u2019s Kettle Cooked Wasabi Ginger Potato Chips
\nPurchased Price:<\/b> $1.49
\nSize:<\/b> 2 7\/8 oz bag
\nPurchased at:<\/b> RaceTrac
\nRating:<\/b> 4 out of 10
\nPros:<\/b> The texture is really nice, crisp with that audible crunch. The sweetness of the soy sauce is nice. Nurses, be kind to them cause\u2019 they work hard and aren\u2019t given a lot of credit, yo. The chips are well seasoned, the goldilocks zone of salt. Earth-616.
\nCons:<\/b> The wasabi couldn\u2019t deliver because it was faint. The ginger couldn\u2019t stand up because it was just as faint. The onion powder and soy sauce overwhelmed the chip. Earth-8101<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Goddamn, I really wanted to like you. I wanted to praise you to Fatboy Slim\u2019s \u201cPraise You\u201d and tell all my friends how good you were. I patiently waited to open up your bag as you already had me at \u201cKettle Cooked.\u201d You had me at KETTLE COOKED dammit!!! I love the crunch that quickly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1440],"tags":[1474,1594,1476,1787],"class_list":["post-17539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-chips","tag-frito-lay","tag-lays","tag-potato-chips"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":17314,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2014\/07\/29\/spotted-on-shelves-lays-kettle-cooked-wasabi-ginger-potato-chips\/","url_meta":{"origin":17539,"position":0},"title":"SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Lay’s Kettle Cooked Wasabi Ginger Potato Chips","author":"Marvo","date":"July 29, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I expect an American sushi chef to crush these and then sprinkle them on top of a sushi roll, which will be called something like Snapping Dragon Ginger Roll. (Spotted by Ryan M at Haggen.) If you\u2019re out shopping and see an interesting new or limited edition product on the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Spotted on Shelves"","block_context":{"text":"Spotted on Shelves","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/spotted-on-shelves\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lay's Kettle Cooked Wasabi Ginger Potato Chips","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3856\/14799857793_0f95633e79.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":52399,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2022\/08\/09\/spotted-lays-kettle-cooked-fritos-chili-cheese-potato-chips\/","url_meta":{"origin":17539,"position":1},"title":"SPOTTED: Lay’s Kettle Cooked Fritos Chili Cheese Potato Chips","author":"Marvo","date":"August 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"When are we going to get Lay's Sunchips Garden Salsa Flavored Potato Chips or Lay's Kettle Cooked Cracker Jack Flavored Potato Chips? (Spotted by Jason B at Sheetz.)","rel":"","context":"In "Spotted on Shelves"","block_context":{"text":"Spotted on Shelves","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/spotted-on-shelves\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/layskcfritospc.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/layskcfritospc.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/layskcfritospc.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/layskcfritospc.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":19644,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/09\/spotted-on-shelves-lays-fiery-roasted-habanero-and-kettle-cooked-olive-oil-herbs-potato-chips\/","url_meta":{"origin":17539,"position":2},"title":"SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Lay’s Fiery Roasted Habanero and Kettle Cooked Olive Oil & Herbs Potato Chips","author":"Marvo","date":"February 9, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Will you vote for Lay's Fiery Roasted Habanero or Lay's Flamin' Hot? Will you vote for Lay's Kettle Cooked Olive Oil & Herbs or Lay's Kettle Cooked Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper? Or will you not vote at all. (Spotted by Dubba at Market Basket.) If you\u2019re out shopping and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Spotted on Shelves"","block_context":{"text":"Spotted on Shelves","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/spotted-on-shelves\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lay's Fiery Roasted Habanero Potato Chips","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm2.staticflickr.com\/1465\/24815895711_6b69f1eb70_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm2.staticflickr.com\/1465\/24815895711_6b69f1eb70_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm2.staticflickr.com\/1465\/24815895711_6b69f1eb70_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45814,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2021\/01\/22\/spotted-lays-kettle-cooked-flamin-hot-limon-potato-chips\/","url_meta":{"origin":17539,"position":3},"title":"SPOTTED: Lay’s Kettle Cooked Flamin’ Hot Limon Potato Chips","author":"Marvo","date":"January 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"If the flavor works on tortilla chips, I guess it should work on potato chips. Although, with that logic, Lay's Kettle Cooked Cool Ranch Potato Chips would've been a thing. (Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)","rel":"","context":"In "Spotted on Shelves"","block_context":{"text":"Spotted on Shelves","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/spotted-on-shelves\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Lays-Kettle-Cooked-Flamin-Hot-Limon-Potato-Chips.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Lays-Kettle-Cooked-Flamin-Hot-Limon-Potato-Chips.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Lays-Kettle-Cooked-Flamin-Hot-Limon-Potato-Chips.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Lays-Kettle-Cooked-Flamin-Hot-Limon-Potato-Chips.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Lays-Kettle-Cooked-Flamin-Hot-Limon-Potato-Chips.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61757,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2024\/04\/19\/back-on-shelves-lays-wavy-cuban-sandwich-and-kettle-cooked-honey-habanero-potato-chips-2024\/","url_meta":{"origin":17539,"position":4},"title":"BACK ON SHELVES: Lay’s Wavy Cuban Sandwich and Kettle Cooked Honey Habanero Potato Chips (2024)","author":"Marvo","date":"April 19, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's our Lay's Cuban Sandwich review from a year ago. Here's a Lay's Kettle Cooked Honey Habanero review from three years ago. (Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.) 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Like the designers working on the next iPhone or me passing Math 100 in college, I'm sure the folks in charge of developing flavors didn't accomplish what they wanted in one try.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lay's Kettle Cooked Olive Oil & Herbs Potato Chips (Flavor Swap)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm2.staticflickr.com\/1599\/25767357296_8b497f062e_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm2.staticflickr.com\/1599\/25767357296_8b497f062e_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm2.staticflickr.com\/1599\/25767357296_8b497f062e_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17539"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17539\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}