Purchased at: Wal-MartCost: $4.99Size: 32 ozReview by: Zac PritcherIf I had to make a list of only three things in the world that I love, it would be something like Nintendo, zombies and french fries. In that exact order. Trivial? If you think so then you are extremely shallow. Nintendo is the company responsible for the greatest video games on the face of this earth. Zombies eat human beings because they are driven by instinct to do so, and it's entirely ok to blow their brains into oblivion. French fries? I shouldn't even need to explain myself.Ore-Ida has been a top player in the competitive world of frozen spud sticks for quite some time now, and one of their more popular inventions are the Zesties. These fries come preseasoned in the bag so that you don't have to worry about performing tasks as strenuous as pouring Lawry's salt on your freshly oven-baked side. You've already wasted enough energy opening the bag! And that's not counting the process of preparing whatever brand of frozen, partially cooked, microwavable chicken patty you plan on enjoying them with.Review:The claims on the package are the real draw to the product. First off, the name "Zesties" is enough to catch my attention, and partnering that with a picture of delicious-looking and well-seasoned french fries and I'm already sold. I mean, these things look absolutely delicious in the picture. All golden brown and deliciously crispy and what not.Of course there are a few different ways to prepare Zesties, including pan frying, deep frying and baking. Despite the fact that deep frying would definitely lead to a much more delicious end product, as is almost always the case when the option is suggested, I instead chose to bake them for the added simplicity. Pouring them out onto the baking pan yields a very similar image to the one advertised on the bag. Though the color of the fries is highly subdued in their frozen state, it's easy to imagine that they will look just like they do on the bag once properly prepared.
Once cooked, the product looks pretty close to what is on the bag. The fries appear to be well seasoned and have an excellent color and visual texture. I took my first bite and was admittedly a tad disappointed. The “zesty” seasoning is much weaker than I had anticipated, and though the added flavor was certainly appreciated, I still prefer to add my own seasoning of choice to Crinkle Cut Ore-Idas, as it makes for a much tastier french fry in my opinion.
Also disappointing was the dryness of the fries. Eating them without ketchup was a hard task to perform comfortably, simply because they lacked a proper amount of moisture. This is likely brought about by baking instead of deep frying, so I’m not going to dwell on it. I’ll just deep fry them in the future.
Does it Hit the Spot?
Yes. Though they may not be the best frozen french fries on the market, they are still a competent product that have good attributes that outweigh the bad. The seasoning is weaker than I would’ve liked and baking the fries resulted in a slightly dry texture, but the crispiness and little added flavor from the “zesty” seasoning won me over.
