As someone who is #TeamSalty over #TeamSweet literally any day of the week, I figured it was my job to try Kettle’s new line of air-fried chips, which are stated to be kettle cooked and air finished. My roommates and I also swear by our airfryer and expected these chips to be a totally new style. However, I can’t say I tasted much of a difference.
What are Kettle’s new air-fried chips?
Kettle’s new line of air-fried chips, features three favorite flavors: jalapeño, Himalayan salt, and sea salt & vinegar. Jalapeño would’ve been my preferred flavor to try, but I settled on the Himalayan salt and compared them to the original sea salt flavor.
The air fried chips are said to have 30% less fat than the regular Kettle Brand sea salt chips, thanks to their air-fried finish. When checking the back of the bag, I saw the two ingredients’ lists matched completely, so it really comes down to their method of cooking.
Are the Kettle air-fried chips better than the original?
Kettle-cooked chips are known to be oilier, bubblier, crunchier, and in my opinion, much better than your standard chip. I don’t find a crazy difference between the two. The original chips have a tad more flavor, which I think comes from their oilier taste. The air-fried chips taste lighter and thinner in comparison, which seemed to be the goal. “We batch cook them in kettles, then air fry them for a light & crispy crunch with 100% bold kettle brand flavor,” the bag states. I honestly preferred the air fried version to the original, but now that can be for you to decide.
It’ll be interesting to see what other brands try to take on the air fried method of cooking to try to encourage their audience to give their “healthier” chips a try.