I put Taco Bell's wacky menu experiments to the test. Some meals should return to the lab, while crazy-good items like breakfast tater tots should go national.

Nancy Luna, Business Insider food correspondent, tries Taco Bell's test items.Nancy Luna/Business Insider

• Taco Bell has tested more than a dozen items across the US this year.
• I've tasted a handful, including the new Breakfast Tater Tots that launched November 16 in Chicago.

Taco Bell is widely known for testing wacky experimental menu items in various cities nationwide to gauge interest in a possible nationwide release.

So far this year, the Mexican-inspired fast food chain has tested-marketed about 15 items, including a Triple Crunch Mexican Pizza in Nebraska and Street Chalupas in Indianapolis.

"Like all innovation, a lot of work goes into bringing a new menu item to life," Taco Bell told Business Insider. "We work through countless iterations, test through numerous options and gather fan feedback all before items make it to restaurants."

The chain also gives the media a shot at trying some of the foods before they go to market. I've tried a handful of these fast-food experiments.

Some items should go national, while others need more work in the test lab. Let's take a closer look.