Tubular Crisps (Pringles Original)

Member Name: angeelu

Product:	Pringles Original
Date:	26/10/04 (1315 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tasty, Lots of flavours, Well packaged

Disadvantages: High in fat, Bit expensive

Hmm... No idea why there's a can of Heinz Soup depicting the Pringles category on dooyoo, but never mind! Everyone knows what Pringles are, but just how much do you know about them? There's only so much that can be said about a crisp, which is why in this review I am also going to give you a bit extra information about the Pringle!

The Info
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Pringles - love them or hate them they seem to have been around forever now, and still seem to be as popular as ever. I can't claim to be 100% correct here, but Pringles are the first actual I ever remember being sold in a tube - of course, now there are plenty of similar products, including some shops own brands, but it was Pringles that set the trend. Although they were launched in the USA some time before (October 1968), Pringles were launched in the UK in July 1991.

Available in Original, Sour Cream & Onion, Texas BBQ, Salt & Vinegar, Cheese & Onion, Hot & Spicy, Paprika, Salsa and Smokin' Bacon. Pringles Rights are a lower fat version of the same product, yet they're only available in Original and Sour Cream. The flavour list is even more extensive with additional flavours including Ranch-Rageous, Spicy Cajun, Torengos, and Sweet Mesquite BBQ (possibly the same as the UK Texas BBQ Sauce flavour?). There's even a fat free variety!

All Pringles are suitable for vegetarians - they contain no animal products or animal derivatives, although some flavours contain dairy ingredients making those flavours unsuitable for vegans. Even the meaty flavours do not contain any meat.

If you've ever paid much attention to an individual Pringle you'll notice that unlike your regular crisps Pringles appear to be a different texture. The reason for this is that they are made from potato flakes rather than slices of potatoes. The flakes are made up into a mash potato like dough, then the dough is cut and put on to Pringle-shaped carriers, fried, and seasoned on one side. The fact that they're made in a different way to regular crisps gives them a different kind of crunch. They're kind of crispy yet also melt-in-your-mouth-ish. I've heard of some people (who obviously don't like them) describing the texture like eating crisps that have already been chewed, but personally I quite like the texture!

Pringles have launched a number of different varieties as well as complementary products in order to keep people going back to Pringles. Such products have included their reduced fat versions, rippled versions of their crisps, and more recently Pringles Dippers. The Dippers have been accompanied by the launch of Pringles branded dips.

What's Next?
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The Pringles website (pringles.com) has announce 'Pringles Prints' - these are basically Pringles crisps with words or images printed on to them in a variety of colours which won't affect the taste. These are already available in the US apparantly (launched in August by the look of the site) and include things such as fun and trivia on the crisps, as well as Junior Trivial Pursuit versions.

Urban Legends?
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As with many popular foods and companies you can normally find out about some sort of urban legend associated with the product, and Pringles are no exception.
One urban legend suggests that Pringles are actually manufactured from left over McDonalds french fries - the myth goes that the unsold fries are put into a device that somehow dehydrates them turning them into flakes. These are then packaged up and sent to Procter & Gamble (the makers of Pringles) who use them to create the crisps! It's perhaps worrying that only 78% of people who've read this urban legend on the Urban Legends website (http://urbanlegends.about.com/) actually believe this to be untrue. That means almost 1 in 4 people who've read it think their Pringles are repackaged unsold fries?!

Of course, there's also all the rumours of secret ingredients that make them addictive and cause them to live up to their 'once you pop you can't stop' slogan.

More recently it's been claimed you can use a Pringle can (empty) to create an antenna suitable for hacking into wireless networks. This one has actually been proven to be possible (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1860241.stm), yet other sources claim it's not the case as the lining of the can isn't metallic like it appears to look (http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/has.html).

The Verdict
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The fact that they've existed for almost 40 years now pretty much proves Pringles are a success, but that doesn't mean everyone will like them. Personally I go through phases of absolutely loving them or not really being fussed. Similarly with flavours, I've had Sour Cream, Original and Texas BBQ all listed as my favourites at some point.
There's only so much development you can make within the crisp industry, but Pringles keep on developing. The launch of varieties such as the rippled versions, the Dippers, and the complementary dips that were launched shows Pringles determination to keep at the top of shopping list!

Advantages? Well, they're available in plenty of flavours and varieties, the tubes mean that they don't get so broken up as crisps packaged in a bag, they're reasonably priced (although a little on the expensive side), and they're often on offer in the supermarket!
Disadvantage? All the usual downsides associated with crisps really - they're pretty high in fat and calories and not all that nutritious.

My rating? Four stars * * * *

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