Here is a bag of the Kettle Cooked "Everything Bagel" flavor from Lay's USAs current "Do Us A Flavor" competition.
In the lead up to trying it, it didn't sound very good. I imagined heavy cream cheese flavor (like a "sour cream & onion" bag) and minimal "everything bagel" flavor. I was wondering how they could replicate the unique potency of poppy seeds and all the other treasures on an everything bagel... well, now we know.
First of all, I was shocked by how mild the cream cheese flavor was. I could almost go out on a limb and say they could have added more; but I don't want to nit-pick. It was very tasty, just enough cream cheese flavor to compliment the garlic, onion, AND.... poppy seed... real... poppy seed!
What shook me the most about this bag was how strong that flavor of "Everything Bagel" really was. When I gave the chips a better look, I noticed they were actually covered in REAL poppy seeds. I didn't think Lay's would pull off that move... but they did; and it pays off big time with this bag. It lends an incredibly authentic flavor to what they were trying to accomplish with this bag. The bag really tastes like an Everything bagel. Lastly, I just want to touch on the fact that the Kettle Cooked chips used to be my favorite cook on chips from Lay's USA... but today I consider it hit or miss. These fell somewhere in between. I can't say I loved the texture. But, they were cooked, not burnt, and tasted very fresh, so, It was just the texture that I didn't care for as much as the seasoning.
Anyways, let me know... have you guys tried these? Have you tried the competition yet? What did you think? Did they surprise you like they surprised me?
