Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel Seasoned Kettle-Cooked Potato Chips

Everything-but-the-Bagel-seasoned will never get old in my book. It's basically cemented itself into the canon of Trader Joe's products right up there with cookie butter and cauliflower. Although Everything but the Bagel is definitely at least a tier higher than cauliflower because, ugh, cauliflower (yay cuz it's healthy but ew because who likes the smell of cauliflower?). In any event, I like that TJ's keeps coming up with "new" products that aren't really novel - just old stuff reimagined in a new way. Like a remix. I'm surprised it took this long to come out with an Everything but the Bagel potato chip. 

Kettle-cooked chips rank high on my chip hierarchy. Some people think the kettle-cooked variety is too fried or too crunchy. I LIVE for that crunch. It sparks joy and keeps my dentist in business, heh. 

Theoretically, this product should work. Why wouldn't you go for garlicky, oniony, savory seasoned chips?

Typical profile of a potato chip. Also - it's Canadian-made. 

1) The flavor is not what I expected. It is the chip manifestation of an everything bagel with cream cheese instead of a chip flavored with everything-but-the-bagel-seasoning. It's kind of strange. A and T both say that this chip definitely carries a cream cheese flavor. It doesn't taste obviously like cream cheese to me but it definitely has this buttery-ness. 

2) The cream cheese-ness is definitely a potential turn-off. Theoretically, even with the cream cheese-ish flavor, this flavor combo should work. Sour cream and onion chips work. Kettle-cooked chips in a sour-cream or cream-cheese-based dip seasoned with everything bagel seasoning works (I haven't reviewed it...but that's basically the TJ's Everything-but-the-Bagel yogurt dip. It is so easily homemade I haven't wanted to spend money on the actual product. Just drown sour cream or full-fat greek yogurt in everything-but-the-bagel-seasoning to your taste). But who decided that a cream-cheese flavor belonged in the actual chip? My lukewarm disposition toward this is mostly because it threw me off and did not meet the expectation of what I thought this product should be. 

2b) People that like the Everything-but-the-Bagel-yogurt dip will probably like this chip. I am probably one of those people who would eat this chip with that dip for the extra tang.

3) I don't think the chip was too garlicky, though some of the internet seems to to think so. I, however, enjoy copious amounts of garlic. It keeps people and the covid away. Maybe not that last tidbit. 

4) $2.49 for this everything-bagel chip remix. 

TL;DR: Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel Seasoned Kettle-Cooked Potato Chips. I never asked for cream cheese on this not-a-bagel-kettle-cooked chip tho. 6 out of 10. -2 if you hate cream cheese. Mantou Joe repurchase? Thank u next.