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    Taste Test: The best potato chips (BBQ, classic, salt & vinegar, low-fat, more)

    We tried over 160 kinds of potato chips from the supermarket, specialty stores and online to find five with the best flavor, crunch and pop.

    Best Low-Fat:
    Utz Kettle Classics Reduced Fat Potato Chips

    Panelists noted the new lighter chips (with 40 percent less fat than the original) tasted identical to many full-fat versions. But these winners were the most "crunchy, satisfying and rich," with a secret: They're hand cooked in flavorful peanut oil and accented with sea salt. Read full review »

    Try with: Loaded Baked Potato-and-Popcorn Mix »

    Best Barbecue:
    Trader Joe's Hawaiian Style Hickory Barbeque Potato Chips

    Unlike their artificial competitors, these chips get their color naturally from tomato powder and paprika, with honey, hickory smoke and ground chiles adding flavor. Read full review »

    Try with: Pulled Pork-and-Slaw Sandwiches »
    Best Classic:
    Boulder Canyon Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper Kettle Cooked Potato Chips

    These chips are tops in two trends: They're kettle-cooked and have a sprinkling of black pepper. The added surprise? A touch of evaporated cane juice to sweeten them up. Read full review »

    Try with: French Onion Dip Burgers »
    Best Salt and Vinegar:
    Archer Farms Sea Salt & Vinegar Kettle Chips

    The potato flavor comes through, perfectly balanced by the vinegar. "The delicate tart taste is just right!" so you can snack away without getting a sore tongue from too much acid. Read full review »
    Try with: Fish 'n' Chips Sandwiches with Broccoli Slaw »
    Best Diner-Inspired:
    Herr's Creamy Dill Pickle Potato Chips

    Thanks to parsley flakes and onion powder, these taste just like dill pickles. An unusual, scrumptious creaminess prompted one panelist to call these "a fun twist on sour-cream-and-onion chips." Read full review »


    Try with: Rachael's Gigantic Reuben Loaf »



    By Dina Cheney | Potato chip photography by Levi Brown

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    See all Taste Test winners »

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      Childhood Favorites from the Shine Supper Club

      My after-school snack was a sacred ritual. I sat on the carpet in my parents' bedroom at a low table, the television turned to "I Dream of Jeannie," and ate a peanut butter and honey sandwich cut into neat squares. I wasn't fussy about crusts. I just loved the sticky pairing of creamy peanut butter with syrupy golden sweetness drizzled from a honey bear in diagonals across the soft white bread. Nothing else--save for maybe apples and peanut butter in a pinch--could have made for as sweet an