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Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Trader Joe's Organic Corn Chip Dippers

Alright, so, listen: there's not too much point in delaying to make the obvious comparison here: Trader Joe's Organic Corn Chip Dippers, on first impression at least, are pretty much just like those big ol' Frito scoopers you can get at pretty much any corner store these days. I'm pretty sure the average consumer (who I definitely lump myself in with) would not be able to tell the difference in a blindfolded taste test. In fact, I can't convince myself that these TJ dippy chippies are not Fritos. That's an intentional double negative there, folks. It means two things: it's 1 a.m. when I'm writing this, and I mean business.

All that being said, there might be a small teeny tiny infinitesimal difference tastewise between the two possibly competing brands. I think these guys are a little thicker, a little crunchier, and perhaps a tad less salty and greasy. I don't eat Fritos often though, and when I do it's normally the regular sized ones, so maybe I'm pulling that comparison out of my arse. I don't know. But I like the fact that these are organic, and while not perfect, Trader Joe's has a respectable enough hisotry with labeling their snackfoods while Frito-Lay....not so much. Not that if I'm to be watching my health and caloric intake that one type of corn chip is really all that better in the grand scheme than another, but any slight edge here and there, I'll take.

Though certainly not bad, these dipper-doodles aren't quite perfect. The lovely specimen I have pictured to the left (smothered in Wal-Mart brand salsa, which is as appetizing as it sounds) is a fine chip made for heavy dipping and lifting duty, I could probably use it as a soup spoon. Too bad not all the chips were like that. Naturally some were more hairpin or latched shaped which made for suboptimal performance. It's a good thing these taste fine enough on their own, or good crumbled up on top of a bowl of chili, that the slightly-more-than-occasional faulty fellow isn't too much of a loss. 
 
 With football season in a few weeks and baseball playoffs starting just a little after that, I'd humbly recommend adding these to the snacking rotation with some guac or salsa or the TJ's pub cheese I keep meaning to try. Just skip the TJ black bean dip because nothing tastes good with that junk, unfortunately. If you're having the gang over and you're concerned that your moronic buddy who always calls end-arounds a reverse will start making foo-foo jokes about your dainty organic chips, just dump them in a bowl and he'll be none the wiser. It'll also save a couple bucks too - I think these were about $2 while the big boys cost something like $3 or $4. Sandy had a complete lack of anything interesting/slightly comical/vaguely embarrassing things to say about these chips, but I know she liked 'em, as did I, so split the score as you see fit. 

Bottom line: Trader Joe's Organic Corn Chip Dippers: 7.5 out of 10 Golden Spoons

6 comments:

  1. I will have to pick these up. I wonder how nicely they will pair with the Trader Joe's Corn & Chile Tomatoless Salsa that I have at home. Yum.

    Thank you for this site. I have had friends trying to get me to check out TJ's for years. I finally started going early this year and absolutely love it. This site has been helpful in helping me determine which new "treats" to try.

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  2. Pub cheese + pretzels= Awesome.

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  3. This is one of those Trader Joe's items we have on hand at all times. My 5 year old is especially fond of them for a snack, and I bet if you add them to chili, the golden spoons mark might hit an 8! :)

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  4. Excited to learn that these are organic, and that you find them crunchier (always a win for me) and less greasy! Will definitely try to buy some of these the next time I go!

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  5. I love this little dippers. Trader Joe's is, overall, great. My question is... do you have any idea WHERE these are made.. .other than Heaven? Sometimes, Trader Joe's openly prints Made in Thailand... Made in Germany... you get the idea. But when they very often say "Dist & sold exclusively by Trader Joe's, Monrovia, CA 91016", one eyebrow raises up on its own. Thanks!

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  6. These chips are amazing!!! I can't get enough!

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