i strongly dislike ridges/wavy chips but if someone wants to make a case for them, this is the thread to do it in and i'm happy to listen
lol hmmmm, OK, let's see if I can make a case for them:
1. The ridges allow for a greater surface area of the chip. The advantage of this is twofold:
I. The greater surface of a chip the greater amount of flavoring can be added, thus increasing the flavor profile. (For most people when you crunch the chip with your teeth it breaks apart the ridges and allows your flavor receptors in your tongue access to the flavorings. Not sure if Rick Daris is just swallowing his chips whole?)
II. The greater surface area provided by the ridges allows for more chip in every bite.
2. Waves act like corrugation, reinforcing the structure of the chip to prevent breakage. Again, the advantage of this is twofold:
I. Chips were made to dip. The ridges reinforce the chips structure to allow for heartier dips. It allows for maximum dip on each chip and avoids the need for "double dipping" thus decreasing the spread of germs and harmful bacteria in a community bowl.
II. The reinforced structure holds up under shipment and handling from manufacturer to grocery store and from grocery store to home. What does this mean for you? A bag full of whole, dippable chips. If you enjoy half a bag of undippable crumbs filling up the bottom of your bag then maybe ridges aren't for you.
3. Texture. This question relies on how you define taste. Some people would like to define "taste" in terms of the proportional balance between sweet/salty/sour/bitter. I personally think that's a little restrictive, because it doesn't account for texture, and it is in texture that the difference between ridged and flat chips is most evident. With ridged chips, what you have is the simulation of a "thicker" cut without actually using more potato than you would in a regular chip of comparable XY dimensions. Therefore you get the feel of a "gourmet" thick cut potato chip.
It is for these reasons that I believe RIDGES to be a beneficial trait to potato chips that increases flavor, dipability and texture.