Battle of the fake potato chips: Stax v. Pringles

[Fat Guy]

Any opinions on the new Stax potato-chips-in-a-can by Lay's? I purchased three flavors at Target this past weekend -- regular, sour cream & onion, and cheese -- and I've got to say I think Pringle's are about to become history. Not only do the Stax taste better than Pringles -- a minor point in the mass market -- but also they have superior packaging from both a cosmetic and an ergonomic standpoint. The can looks good and feels good in the hand. It's oval-shaped like the chips, not like a cylinder, and it's sleek and modern instead of looking like it came off some antiquated Soviet assembly line the way Pringles cans do.

Of course Munchos are better than either. Why Lay's didn't just copy the Munchos formula -- since they own it -- is a puzzle. Indeed, there are many puzzles regarding Munchos, for example why have they never done flavors of Munchos? But perhaps Munchos are an unnecessary distraction at this point in the discussion.

[Jinmyo]

Uh...

[Chef Fowke]

How do the fat contents compare. My experience shows a simple formula: %fat + potato chip = good eats.

[tigerwoman]

pictures please...

[hillbill]

looking like it came off some antiquated Soviet assembly line the way Pringles cans do.

Another sign of the insidious and subversive communist conspiracy creeping its way into American culture.

It is true that the Pringles cans look.....cheesy.....by contemporary packaging standards.

Edited October 21, 2003 by hillbill (log)

[hillbill]

I think Pringle's are about to become history.

To see how the two brands "stack up" and how P&G is fighting back in the battle of the pre-formed, stack potato crisp click here.

[Toliver]

I saw the Stax at Target, as well. But they were about 40 cents more per can than Pringles so I passed.

[Jason Perlow]

My god, you're saying they're actually BETTER than Pringles? How so?

[Wild Pegasus]

Indeed, there are many puzzles regarding Munchos, for example why have they never done flavors of Munchos?

I thought that there once was a flavoured version of Munchos produced. I'm thinking it was Salt & Vinegar but it could have been BBQ.

[Fat Guy]

They're a lot better. Well, actually, it's mostly that the plain ones are better. The flavored ones of both brands are pretty awful. But the plain Stax have a more chip-like texture than the plain Pringles and they have more of a legitimate potato flavor.

[Dave the Cook]

I find it interesting that the spokespeople in the USA Today focused on the "neatness" factor. Although I've noticed that the Snack Stacks are popular with pre-teens (notoriously attached to novelty), I don't buy Pringles because they're "clean eats."

Does anybody here consume Pringles because they're orderly and manageable?

[Jason Perlow]

It's oval-shaped like the chips, not like a cylinder, and it's sleek and modern instead of looking like it came off some antiquated Soviet assembly line the way Pringles cans do.

I actually like the Soviet assembly line look. I also like how its a major pain in the ass to get Pringles out of the can without making a huge mess once you get at like the 50 percent or 25 percent volume mark. Its kind of like a game where you have to tilt the can a certain way to get them to slide out into your mouth with the remaining Pringles crumbs without getting it all over your shirt or under your collar.

[guajolote]

Are the Stax made on McLemore Avenue in Memphis?

[hillbill]

I also like how its a major pain in the ass to get Pringles out of the can without making a huge mess once you get at like the 50 percent or 25 percent volume mark. Its kind of like a game where you have to tilt the can a certain way to get them to slide out into your mouth with the remaining Pringles crumbs without getting it all over your shirt or under your collar.

I have filed my application at the patent office for the NEAT-O Pringles extraction and consumption tool.

Edited October 21, 2003 by hillbill (log)

[Dave the Cook]

Are the Stax made on McLemore Avenue in Memphis?

[sherribabee]

Does anybody here consume Pringles because they're orderly and manageable?

To a certain extent, yes. I mean, they fit together nicely so one can easily cram 9 of them in the mouth at one time, without creating any crumbage. Can you do that with any regular chip?

And, just for the record, I like the Pringles cans. Modern packaging all looks the same to me. Makes me want to yawn. I like the distinctive plain-ness of the Pringles can. And it brings back memories of making crafts in grade school. Anyone else ever cover a Pringles can with wallpaper scraps and call it a pencil holder??

[Carolyn Tillie]

But can you make Duck Lips with them?

[Dave the Cook]

. . . they fit together nicely so one can easily cram 9 of them in the mouth at one time, without creating any crumbage.  Can you do that with any regular chip?

I never counted. But then, I'm a one-at-a-time chip eater.

The thing is, Pringles stacking ability merely masks the fact that they're crumblier than ordinary chips (part of their appeal, IMO). I think they only seem less messy than ordinary chips, when in fact, they're just messy in a different way. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[bloviatrix]

To me, the appeal of Pringles has always been that they are so artificial, and don't remotely resemble anything found in nature. Plus, they're good when you need a salt fix.

[Fat Guy]

Don't get me wrong, the Stax are also completely artificial tasting. They nonetheless have a better fake-potato flavor -- reminiscent of a real-potato flavor, though totally divorced, Adria-like, from the form of a potato -- and superior "snappy" texture. I'll be very surprised if any eGulleter, tasting the products side-by-side, opts for plain Pringles over plain Stax.

I too was unaware of the neatness standard. I thought the original idea was that they were supposed to be unbroken and flawless, a food of the future. Even though, you must admit, Munchos are at least a century more evolved in their flavor and texture than Pringles or Stax, even though they don't come in a can.

[hillbill]

To me, the appeal of Pringles has always been that they are so artificial, and don't remotely resemble anything found in nature.

Ingredients: Dried Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (contains one or more of the following: Corn Oil, Cottonseed Oil, and/or Sunflower Oil), Yellow Corn Meal, Wheat Starch, Maltodextrin, Salt, and Dextrose.

We buy potatoes in the form of potato flakes and then add just enough water and other wholesome ingredients to make a smooth potato dough. The dough is cut in uniform shapes and these cut-outs are placed on Pringle-shaped carriers. The crisps are fried and seasoned just right. Finally, they go to the stack-packer and then on to your favorite store.

Surely you jest!

[Fat Guy]

Potatoes, corn, and wheat -- a carbo-trifecta!

[Dave the Cook]

. . . you must admit, Munchos are at least a century more evolved in their flavor and texture than Pringles or Stax, even though they don't come in a can.

True. Munchos' package graphics seem to have gotten stuck in a time warp, too -- they still have that 1972 World's Fair/Food of the New Millenium look to them.

[Basilgirl]

An old boyfriend of mine and I challenged each other to finishing the entire can of Pringles before we got them home from the 7-11, which was like 3 minutes away.

We did it.

No spillage, that I can recall.

[slkinsey]

How do the fat contents compare. My experience shows a simple formula: %fat + potato chip = good eats.

The scary thing about Pringles -- I have never been able to duplicate this with a normal potato chip -- is that you can hold a match to one, and it will catch on fire and burn like a little potato candle until there is nothing left.