Entertainment
A Potato Chip Taste Test
We take potatoes very seriously here at Cup of Jo, so we enlisted Casey Elsass — recipe developer and food writer extraordinaire — to help us find the best potato chips out there. Casey has worked on over 20 cookbooks, and when it comes to party snacks, no one does it better (this is the man behind Mosaic Jell-O and hot-fudge gifts). With his finely tuned palate, he set out to rank five grocery-store chip brands. And the winner surprised us all…
The Contenders:
Five widely available potato-chip brands — original salted flavor only. I also nixed ridged chips or any specialty varieties.
The Methodology:
As with our last taste test, I set out blind samples, each numbered and coded to a key that I kept to myself. Sliced cucumber and plain sparkling water were available for palate-cleansing between tastes. In addition to ranking the samples, I asked Casey to weigh in on saltiness, crunch, and potato flavor.
The Duds
5th Place: Utz
4th Place: Zapp’s
We’ll start with the bad news: Both Utz and Zapp’s were total flops. “Utz has potato flavor and nothing else,” Casey said. “Not much salt, and it’s pretty dry — like a potato cracker.” The Zapp’s chips were deemed very stale-tasting, even from a freshly opened bag. “They taste like they’ve been sitting out,” said Casey. “Also, for me, they’re too crunchy.” The good news for both these brands is that we all love them for their other work: Zapp’s Voodoo chips are one-of-a-kind, and no one does pretzels like Utz. We’ll let them stick to that, and leave the potato-chip business to our top three, which are…
The Saltiest
3rd Place: Wise
This one seemed a little too salty on first bite: “My dream chip is salty, but salt should be a secondary flavor. With this one, it’s immediate.” But the Wise chips grew on Casey (and on me — though I kept my thoughts to myself during the proceedings!). It was the one he kept coming back to reconsider and was a strong contender for second place. Until…
The Silver Medalist
2nd Place: Boulder Canyon
Who knew?! These chips have been around for 30 years, but are still comparative newbies in the century-old American potato-chip industry. “Mmm!” Casey said, visibly surprised when he first tried them. “This one’s very light — crispy, but in a snappy way. And it has a good balance of potato and salt.” These chips were so good that Casey very nearly gave Boulder the crown. He did a palate cleanse, then a side-by-side comparison with his other top pick, just to be sure. And in the end, although Boulder chips were excellent, the winner, no question, was…
The Slam-Dunk Favorite
1st Place: Lay’s
“Yes, this is it,” Casey said. “They have perfect crunch, and the flavor progression is ideal: oil, potato, salt. They look so light that you expect them to be too airy, but the crispiness is spot on.” After sampling them, Casey suspected they might be Lay’s, specifically because of that subtle perfection. “If you’ve ever been to Italy, the big thing there is ‘aperitivo,’ a before-dinner ritual, where you have your spritz and some little snacks. And I’m almost positive that everyone in Italy is serving Lay’s.” While I cannot confirm Casey’s Aperitivo Theory, I believe it. I always thought of Lay’s as oil-heavy, but this test proved me wrong (as our colleague Alison put it, “It’s shocking how much better these are than the others”). On overall satisfaction, Lay’s were — to the official and unofficial testers — the stand-out favorite. When the taste test was over, we sat around in the garden and finished the whole bag.
Thank you so much for your expertise, Casey! So, friends, do you agree with these findings? And what snack, dessert, or ingredient shall we put to the test next?
P.S. Many more taste tests, and THE best summer dessert to bring over.
(Thank you to Alison for letting us use your garden!)
Entertainment
Chicken Shop Date with Paul McCartney makes beautiful music
Chicken Shop Date has seen host Amelia Dimoldenberg flirting with some serious names over the last 10 years, from Billie Eilish to Keke Palmer, SZA to Cher. Her latest illustrious guest? Sir Paul McCartney.
Having recently closed out The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the music legend and Beatle is hitting the press circuit to promote his new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane. On Friday, he headed for the titular chicken shop, where Dimoldenberg asked him the tough questions.
Notably, McCartney’s in the same seat where Dimoldenberg previously interviewed Paul Mescal, who’s playing the Beatle in Sam Mendes’ upcoming biopic.
McCartney’s no stranger to buzzy British web series and podcasts, appearing on Jessie Ware’s Table Manners, Marina Hyde and Richard Osman’s The Rest Is Entertainment, and Tom Holland’s The Rest Is History.
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How to watch PSG vs. Arsenal in the Champions League final online for free
TL;DR: Live stream PSG vs. Arsenal in the Champions League final for free on RTÉ Player. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The Champions League final is here. The Premier League champions face off against Ligue 1’s best side in what promises to be an absolutely epic contest.
PSG have been here before. They come into this final as defending champions, but they know they’ll need to be at their absolute best to fend off Mikel Arteta’s determined side. After some moments of doubt in recent weeks, it feels like Arsenal are back in their groove and on course to do something truly special this season.
We’re expecting a fascinating clash of cultures at the Puskás Aréna.
If you want to watch PSG vs. Arsenal in the Champions League final from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is PSG vs. Arsenal?
PSG vs. Arsenal in the Champions League final kicks off at 12 p.m. ET on May 30. This fixture takes place at the Puskás Aréna.
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How to watch PSG vs. Arsenal for free
PSG vs. Arsenal is available to live stream for free on RTÉ Player.
RTÉ Player is geo-restricted to Ireland, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Ireland, meaning you can unblock RTÉ Player to stream the Champions League final for free from anywhere in the world.
Live stream PSG vs. Arsenal for free by following these simple steps:
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Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
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Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
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Open up the app and connect to a server in Ireland
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Visit RTÉ Player
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Watch PSG vs. Arsenal for free from anywhere in the world
$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Champions League final without actually spending anything. This obviously isn’t a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream PSG vs. Arsenal before recovering your investment.
If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you’ll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.
What is the best VPN for RTÉ Player?
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on RTÉ Player, for a number of reasons:
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Servers in 105 countries including Ireland
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Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
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A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream PSG vs. Arsenal in the Champions League final for free with ExpressVPN.
Entertainment
Beats Solo 4 are $88 open box — and the 50-hour battery is no joke
TL;DR: Elevate your commutes and workouts with the Beats Solo 4 On-Ear Headphones, on sale now for $87.97 (reg. $199.99) through May 31.
$87.97
$199.99
Save $112.02
If you don’t just listen to playlists but live in them, the Beats Solo 4 On-Ear Headphones are for you. These re-engineered headphones deliver premium sound with an expansive sound range and an impressive 50-hour battery, so you don’t have to miss a beat.
Right now, you can score a pair of these premium headphones for just $87.97 through May 31.
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Music lovers know that a basic pair of headphones won’t cut it. The Beats Solo 4 deliver audio brilliance, extraordinary clarity, and an expansive sound range thanks to custom-built 40-mm transducers, all worthy of your excellent taste in music.
Personalized Spatial Audio lets you immerse yourself in the tunes, while dynamic head tracking and built-in gyroscopes surround you with sound, giving you the effect of being surrounded by 64 speakers at once, whether you’re in line at the grocery store or on your morning commute.
A built-in Digital-to-Analog Converter also provides high-resolution lossless audio, and if you want more texture, you can connect via a USB-C cable or a 3.5mm audio cable.
Enjoy an impressive 50 hours of battery life and Bluetooth 5.3, which offers extended range and fewer dropouts.
Aside from offering premium sound, the Beats Solo 4 also provide a premium wearing experience that keeps up with that battery life. They’re ultralight, weighing just 217 grams, and the UltraPlush ear cushions and ergonomic design offer unparalleled comfort and fit.
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You’re saving big on these headphones because they’re open-box. That means they were likely excess inventory from store shelves, but have undergone a verification process to ensure they’re still in new condition and are placed in clean packaging.
Score the Beats Solo 4 On-Ear Headphones for $87.97 now through May 31.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
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