‘serve Me These With An Aperitivo Immediately’: The Best (and Worst) Supermarket Salted Crisps | The Food Filter

‘What I’ve learned today,” says my friend Lucy, stepping firmly distant from nan crisp buffet, “is that you tin person excessively overmuch of a bully thing.” My unpaid testers and I were enthusiastic astir nan imaginable of tasting our measurement done 10 types of lightly salted, crisply fried potato, but we each agreed, erstwhile they were laid retired broadside by broadside successful anonymous bowls, that it was amazingly difficult to differentiate betwixt them. That said, bully news: each azygous 1 had its cheerleaders, truthful location were nary existent duds successful this sample.

To outline what I’m looking for from a salted crisp, it should beryllium crisp, obviously. To this end, each nan bags were opened astatine nan aforesaid time, conscionable earlier nan unsighted tasting. Salt levels are a matter of individual preference, though it should beryllium upfront alternatively than a specified seasoning, while, successful an perfect world, nan potatoes themselves would beryllium nan superior flavour, alternatively than a specified texture. They should beryllium cooked agelong capable that they crunch, alternatively than melt betwixt nan teeth, but it’s a delicate balance: excessively agelong successful nan lipid and they’ll beryllium bitter. And that lipid – if you tin sensation it astatine each – should beryllium pleasant: excessively beardown a flavour, moreover of nan champion fat, will overpower nan spuds. Last, crisps should beryllium dangerously moreish: if you tin eat 1 and stop, they’re not bully crisps.

The champion salted crisps

Best overall:
San Nicasio Himalayan pinkish brackish murphy chips

★★★★☆

The astir divisive crisps of nan day, pinch marks ranging from 1 (Rose, seven, and representing nan younker vote) to 5 (me). Noticeably yellow, acknowledgment to nan extra-virgin oliva lipid they’re cooked successful (which, dissimilar nan Himalayan pinkness of nan salt, comes done successful nan flavour, hence, perhaps, nan nonaccomplishment of nan kid vote), they punctual nan demand: “Serve maine these pinch an aperitivo immediately: crunch, salt, bully lipid – YES.” Sadly, these Andalusian crisps person a acold higher fat contented than immoderate of nan others tested. One for picking astatine elegantly complete a chilled solid of sherry.

Best bargain:
Sainsbury’s Taste nan Difference lightly oversea salted hand-cooked crisps

★★★★☆

Though immoderate find them a small undersalted, these chunky crisps’ “classic flavour” finds favour, pinch respective testers noting pinch excitement that they “actually sensation of potato!” While nan comments conception attracts respective variations connected “mid-range” (Rose judges them simply “OK”), nan decent flavour and fantabulous crunch make this a awesome worth choice.

And nan remainder …

M&S hand-cooked lightly oversea salted crisps

★★★☆☆

Rose finds these excessively crunchy, but that very value appeals to nan personification who says they’d beryllium cleanable for a hangover. “Nice enough,” personification other says, “but amazed not to find 1 I for illustration more.” That sums these up – a decent, aggressively crunchy crisp pinch a precocious brackish content, but missing that elusive potatoey flavour.

Waitrose oversea brackish hand-cooked crisps

★★★☆☆

“Perfectly fine,” 1 tester finds, earlier admitting: “Actually rather moreish.” Someone other judges them “generic”. Thin and crisp, which divides opinion, from “nothing to them” to “better – lighter!”, Rose judges them “too spicy”, but I alternatively for illustration their saltiness and nan truth that – hurrah! – they sensation of baked potato. I’d bargain these again.

Co-op Irresistible hand-cooked lightly oversea salted crisps

★★★☆☆

Cooked tegument on, which gives them a decent potatoey flavour. There are a fewer somewhat sweet, caramelised ones successful here, suggesting an older potato, but successful wide these are crunchy, well-balanced crisps that would execute good successful astir situations, from show pre-drinks to family picnics. “Middle of nan road,” arsenic Rob observes.

Kettle lightly salted murphy chips

★★★☆☆

Fun fact: I erstwhile visited nan Kettle Chips mill successful Norwich and was allowed to navigator a kettle of crisps, truthful I tin corroborate that, arsenic nan packet suggests, they are so manus fried successful mini batches. They’re not my favourite, though, moreover erstwhile cooked by nan pros – I find these a spot greasy, while different testers judge them “blah” and “cardboardy … does not break erstwhile you wound in”. Several testers opportunity they “need much salt”, but I’ll fto them off, fixed they’re described only arsenic lightly salted (always a reddish emblem for me).

Tyrrell’s lightly oversea salted crisps

★★☆☆☆

“Bang average” sums up nan consequence to these. “Wouldn’t put retired for guests.” Rose finds them “too bitey” (they are, it must beryllium said, very crisp), personification other finds them “bland”, and respective tasters opportunity they consciousness “cheap” and “basic”, which is not reflected successful nan price. Disappointing.

Morrisons The Best hand-cooked skin-on oversea brackish crisps

★★☆☆☆

These apparently sensation arsenic if “they were opened past night”. “A spot stale,” personification other agrees. “Wrong texture, dense.” Personally, I for illustration a thicker crisp, but these are a small excessively chewy and moreover I find them a touch salty, though, checking nan labels afterwards, they incorporate little brackish than immoderate of nan others, truthful possibly it’s conscionable that nan flavour is much intense. Might beryllium amended served pinch a creamy dip to equilibrium this out.

Aldi Specially Selected lightly salted hand-cooked crisps

★★☆☆☆

“Too thick, for illustration eating greasy batter retired of nan bottommost of nan spot paper, and not successful a bully way,” 1 tester says, and though I emotion a thicker crisp, I’m inclined to work together – these are a spot tough, alternatively than snappy, and taste, arsenic Rose notes, “too oily”.

Walkers fresh salted crisps

★★☆☆☆

Rose, who confides successful maine that these are nan only crisps she knows, picks them retired from nan lineup successful seconds – they’re acold paler and much azygous than nan others – but moreover she’s not that enthusiastic. “Not crunchy enough” is simply a communal complaint, while personification other thinks they’re truthful light, they’re almost “a wellness snack”. The last damning verdict comes from Claire: “An anaemic pub crisp. Fine pinch a acold pint, different lacking.”