Today, an unmarked box arrived at the Delish HQ. Inside were four white bags, labeled only with a Lay's logo and Flavor 1, Flavor 2, and so on.
This may disarm some people—a mystery package! Back away slowly! Call the cops! (all rational ideas, mind you)—but not team Delish. Not when there's food involved.
We greedily tore open the bags, launching into what into a very scientific taste test to guess the flavors. Each bag represents one of the four finalists in the Lay's "Do Us A Flavor" contest, its third annual nationwide challenge to find the nation's newest potato chip flavor. This year, the "bet you can't eat just one!" brand is shaking things up, installing vending machines in Los Angeles that dispense mystery bags, just like the ones we received, inviting people to guess the flavors before they reveal what they actually are later this month.
This year's Lay's contest gave participants a bevy of options: First, choose the type of chip—wavy, kettle-cooked, etc. Second, name up to three flavors to include on the chip (like, for example, last year's winner, Wasabi Ginger). Last, choose a city or town that the combination of flavors represents.
"What will readers think if we say, 'Oh, this is definitely steak, and it turns out it's pickle or something?!" news editor Rheanna O'Neill Bellomo asked. (My thought? If we haven't scared you off with our Grasshopper Tacos, recall alerts or borderline obsessive Starbucks coverage, you're with us for the long haul. And PS, we love you.)
With this in mind, we sampled each bag, trying to pinpoint the exact blend of ingredients. Only AFTER taking the blind taste test could we sneak a peek at the ingredients list to come up with a revised guess for each one:
Flavor No. 1:
The Prevailing Guess: Thanksgiving Stuffing
It Tastes... A bit peppery, with a vaguely familiar, savory taste that's faintly remniscent of roast chicken.
Other Guesses:
- Roasted chicken
- Mirepoix — That cooking trinity of carrots, celery and onion, simmering on a stove with lots of pepper.
- Onion rings, with a dash of pepper
Ingredients Include: Buttermilk, cream, onion powder, sugar, sour cream
Revised Guess: The breading on a chicken-fried steak
Flavor 2:
The Prevailing Guess: Shrimp cocktail
It Tastes... Salty and slightly tangy
Other Guesses:
- Barbie Hair ("I know this flavor! Only it's not a food," social media editor Alyssa Fiorentino confessed.)
- Philly cheesesteak with sour cream
- The desert
- California roll ("The initial taste is seaweed-y!" I argued. Clearly, we were all divided on this one.)
Ingredients Include: Onion powder, garlic powder, tomato powder, sour cream
Revised Guess: Shrimp cocktail...or Barbie hair dipped in marinara
Flavor 3:
The Prevailing Guess: Sloppy Joe
It Tastes... Tomato-y, cheesy and meaty, with a hint of sweetness at the end
Other Guesses:
- Cheese...of some kind
- Pulled pork
- "Tastes like how my dentist's office smells"
- Powdered cheese, leftover from stale Cheetos
Ingredients Include: Onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, tomato powder, cheddar cheese, brown sugar
Revised guess: Cheese pizza
Flavor 4:
The Prevailing Guess: Supercharged sour cream & onion potato chip
It Tastes... Like a cheesier version of a sour cream & onion potato chip, with more of a chive-like kick at the end.
Other Guesses:
- Fish and chips with tartar sauce
- Sour cream and onion...crab cakes?
- Cheesy garlic bread—which already won two years ago in the initial contest
Ingredients Include: Parmesan and Romano cheese, parsley, garlic, black truffle
Revised Guess: Parmesan truffle fries
