Rusty 's Island Chips

We read reviews of Rusty's Chips in the Rosengarten Report, AOL Food and Real Simple magazine. Of these, David Rosengarten's review is by far the largest, but it relies on his palate alone. Editors of AOL Food tasted nearly 60 bags of plain potato chips, but a surprisingly large number are deemed runners-up. We're not sure what the testing criteria were or how many editors participated in Real Simple's testing.

If you're into gourmet, small-batch potato chips, reviews we read agree that Rusty's Island Chips are the best artisan potato chips. These super-crunchy chips are sliced, cooked, bagged and sealed by hand. Critics say that Rusty's chips are wide, full of flavor and perfectly salted. Reviewers rave that these chips are everything a potato chip should be, but they are hard to find outside Southern California, and shipping costs $10. If you're looking for a super-crunchy chip that's available in most supermarkets, reviewers recommend Kettle brand Lightly Salted Chips (*est. $2.50 for 5 oz.). Rusty's Private Reserve chips (*est. $2.50 for 4 oz.) cost a little more, but are guaranteed to be whole, center-cut chips, with no crumbs.