Random thoughts 1: Just Sayin'

[Hrothbern]

I can't imagine deep frying chips in just plain butter.
But I guess ghee is OK.

Ghee is clarified butter
You can buy ghee or cheaper, make ghee.

You heat the (unsalted) butter in a saucepan until it starts to foam (the water boiling and evaporationg out)
don't overheat, the proteins etc may not start to overheat
you stir until you see the honey golden transparent clarified butter with small clumps (the proteins and milksugars in the butter)
you continue until it foams again and take it fast from the fire
you filter it through cloth and you have hot clarified butter sauce (great for asperges)
put it in a bowl and ready.

 

[Farm Boy]

Are you my brother in law? Or is it just that everyone in the Midwest is the same?

Much to my dismay in this application, no. I have few people to eat superior potato chips with. Most of them seem to favor gross bland ones.

Though, Pringles Salt & Vinegar used to have much stronger vinegar flavor when they were first released. Around 2001ish I had a couple stoner friends that would wander over on the weekends because they knew I'd have a tin, they'd each eat 2 or 3 lone chips, and wander off on their merry way. I couldn't find them at all for a couple years after that(the chips, not the stoners), then they returned to store shelves a shadow of their former vinegary glory. Still just about the best chip out there though since I also can't find Baked Doritos anymore(better than the fried variety) or the cheddar flavor of Munchies.

 

[Lexicus]

Though, Pringles Salt & Vinegar used to have much stronger vinegar flavor when they were first released. Around 2001ish I had a couple stoner friends that would wander over on the weekends because they knew I'd have a tin, they'd each eat 2 or 3 lone chips, and wander off on their merry way. I couldn't find them at all for a couple years after that(the chips, not the stoners), then they returned to store shelves a shadow of their former vinegary glory. Still just about the best chip out there though since I also can't find Baked Doritos anymore(better than the fried variety) or the cheddar flavor of Munchies.

Damn, this explains why I always felt like they used to be so much better. Salt n vinegar chips for life btw

 

[civvver]

Question for US residents:

You walk into a convenience store. What are the standard flavours of Lays potato chips that are always available? Exclude limited edition and regional varieties.

It's really hard to say what's regional and what's limited edition as well. For example I always find dill pickle available now but I thought it was limited edition. Apparently not.

Now also are you talking standard grocery store or gas station/7-11 convenience store? Cus they are much more limited. I'll list both I guess. And do we include ruffles? They're frito lay. But I'll just list regular lays I can think of for now.

Convenience store always has regular, cheddar and sour cream, sour cream and onion, bbq, salt n vinegar and then usually some one off stuff like limited edition biscuits and gravy or something.

Grocery store goes a little further with all those but now they always seem to have dill pickle as well and they have flaming hot. They also seem to carry a bunch of varieties of bbq now and I'm not sure what's limited edition, but they have had for a while like over a year, honey bbq and sweet southern heat bbq.

Other varieties are kettle cooked, those usually are regular, salt n pepper and jalapeno. Those are pretty standard, but I've seen some limited editions like sun dried tomato and asiago. Wavy lays I never get but standard flavors are regular, sour cream and onion and bbq. I think some places have ranch and salt n vinegar.

Ruffles has a few different flavors, a new one that I've seen is jalapeno ranch. But standard is regular and cheddar and sour cream and loaded potato which is like cheddar and sour cream plus bacon flavoring. And I think a regional one for me is called all dressed which is something they do in canada, it's like a sweet and salty one.

Lays is really pushing those limited editions though. Ones I've tried are cheesy garlic bread, brat and beer, biscuits and gravy, chicken and waffles, sun dried tomato and asiago, and a smoked gouda one. Cheesy garlic bread was really good, tomato asiago was pretty good, rest were not good. Edible but not great.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

This may be another regional thing, or maybe a different definition of "pushing." Around here I never see the "limited edition" things in the convenience stores, just at the grocery store where there is more room for the wider selection. Even in the grocery store only the regulars usually make it onto the end caps. You have to go down the actual chip aisle to find the one offs. They are available, definitely, but I wouldn't say anyone is pushing them.

 

[Farm Boy]

Dollar General, Casey's, and Subway tend to have the more adventurous chip flavors front and center. Might be kinda like Taco Bell and testing out new iterations of Mountain Dew.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Dollar General, Casey's, and Subway tend to have the more adventurous chip flavors front and center. Might be kinda like Taco Bell and testing out new iterations of Mountain Dew.

I'll have to examine that from this regional perspective. I never actually look at the chips at Subway and it will give me a reason to go in the new Dollar General out in Sun Village. No Casey's here though.

Side note....does anyone see the Mountain Dew Spiked Lemonade in cans anywhere? I've only seen it at the aforementioned Taco Bell. It's good.

 

[Farm Boy]

They have the lemonade at Dollar General around here unless I'm having a brain fart. Also, from what I understand, Necco will be rolling out a new line of lemon candies also at Dollar General. I like Necco wafers. Serving size? One roll. Love it, no bs.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

They have the lemonade at Dollar General around here unless I'm having a brain fart. Also, from what I understand, Necco will be rolling out a new line of lemon candies also at Dollar General. I like Necco wafers. Serving size? One roll. Love it, no bs.

All candy, and chips, come in single serving packages...different sizes, still single serving.

 

[Farm Boy]

Aint that the truth. Pop too. The 2 liter bottles just take slightly longer.

 

[Borachio]

Greedy pigs!

When I see something saying serves 4, I invite my friend round and we eat it two meals running.

And then we fill up with cashew nuts, bananas and grapes. And maybe some buttered toast.

Perhaps a bit of icecream as well.

It all depends.

Worst comes to the worst, and we're still feeling peckish, I'll nip down the fish and chip shop.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Greedy pigs!
...
I'll nip down the fish and chip shop.

You call me a greedy pig, but even I have never eaten an entire shop!

 

[Traitorfish]

What is some good alternate history that isn't about the Nazis and/or Confederates winning?

I recognise that narrows the field somewhat.

 

[Cutlass]

What is some good alternate history that isn't about the Nazis and/or Confederates winning?

I recognise that narrows the field somewhat.

Eric Flint wrote a couple about former slaves and Indians setting up their own country after the War of 1812. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1812:_The_Rivers_of_War

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Lays is really pushing those limited editions though. Ones I've tried are cheesy garlic bread, brat and beer, biscuits and gravy, chicken and waffles, sun dried tomato and asiago, and a smoked gouda one. Cheesy garlic bread was really good, tomato asiago was pretty good, rest were not good. Edible but not great.

They're not pushing them here. I never heard of most of those.

What is some good alternate history that isn't about the Nazis and/or Confederates winning?

I recognise that narrows the field somewhat.

If you're into alt-Roman history, Robert Silverberg's book Roma Eterna isn't bad.

 

[Ajidica]

What is some good alternate history that isn't about the Nazis and/or Confederates winning?

I recognise that narrows the field somewhat.

Keith Laumer's Worlds of the Imperium is a pretty fun alt-history novel. Rough premise is that after discovering the ability to travel to alternate universes, an Anglo-German super-state forms that is under attack by a war-torn alternate Earth.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worlds_of_the_Imperium

 

[cardgame]

Cheddar munchies are an absolutely amazing snack food. I can't seem to find them either, they're around but rare.

 

[Farm Boy]

Quaker makes a cheddar snack mix variety I can sometimes find in vending machines that is mostly close enough but I don't find it much more often than Munchies.

 

[civvver]

I have seen the spiked mountain dew at gas stations. Not so much in grocery since they usually sell bigger packs. Gas stations seem to have a lot more drink varieties like surge, every flavor energy drink etc.

Have you guys tried the lays poppables? I was smitten with doritos 3ds back in the day, they were just awesome. Those were corn chips in a puffy, criss cross shape, these are potato based in a puffy, criss cross shape. Really good. I like the doritos flavor a bit better cus they were spicy but the new cheddar poppable ones are good. The downside is that shape takes up a lot of space so you deceptively get quite a bit less weight for your money. Normal size bag of lays is 8 ounces, same size bag of poppables (or at least same price) is only 5. I ate an entire bag in 2 sittings no problem, I'm pretty sure I could do it in one if I was drunk lol.

Cheddar munchies are an absolutely amazing snack food. I can't seem to find them either, they're around but rare.

Aren't there a ton of really close things to that?

Spoiler :

 

[Farm Boy]

No, those aren't the same. The Quakers thing almost is. I'm not sure what exactly does it. It might be in the wheat bale things. Need higher cheese to salt ratio.