Does a higher price tag really mean a better product? This week, Daze checks out chips and oreos.

When I moved to college, I was terribly afraid that I would no longer be able to enjoy my favorite crunchy snack: Cape Cod potato chips, produced in my beloved home state. Much to my delight, I discovered that Cape Cod chips are conveniently sold at Wegmans. They are light, crunchy, kettle-cooked in small batches — basically, the perfect chip.

— $3.50 for a 9 oz. bag

Cape Cod chips

The basic chip found in almost every grocery store, Lay’s potato chips are fine. Very salty, a bit too greasy but with tons of crunch, Lay’s are like a more generic, heavier cousin of a standard potato chip. While Wavy Lay’s are slightly crunchier, and thus better, than the plain type — they still have none of the subtlety of flavor or texture that the Cape Cod chips have, and they taste like a mass-produced junk food rather than a delightful little chip. — $3.99 for a 14 oz. bag

THE VERDICT: Obviously, Cape Cod wins.

The standard cookie and the ingredient in numerous ice creams and other deserts, Oreos are a versatile little snack. They can be hard, soft, dipped in milk, blended with ice cream — whatever you do to an Oreo, it still tastes delicious. Oreos are delicious, and somehow stay fresh in the cabinet for weeks at a time. The originals are my favorite, although many people prefer the extra-creamy Double Stuf Oreos. — $3

Oreos

In high school, a friend of mine with a gluten intolerance always had gluten-free Newman-O’s lying around. Newman-O’s, which come in many flavors, are basically organic, fancy, glorified Oreos. With the same number of calories as their Oreo cousins, and only about half of the yummy flavor, Newman-O’s are a waste of money. — $6