We hold potatoes in high regard here at Cup of Jo, so we recruited Casey Elsass — an expert recipe developer and food writer — to assist us in discovering the finest potato chips available. Casey has contributed to over 20 cookbooks, and when it concerns party snacks, no one excels quite like him (this is the man behind Mosaic Jell-O and hot-fudge gifts). With his exceptional taste, he embarked on a mission to evaluate five grocery-store chip brands. And the victor surprised us all…
The Competitors:
Five broadly available potato-chip brands — original salted flavor only. I also ruled out ridged chips or any specialty types.
The Approach:
As with our previous taste test, I laid out blind samples, each numbered and matched to a key that I kept secret. Sliced cucumber and plain sparkling water were provided for cleansing the palate between tastings. Besides ranking the samples, I requested Casey to assess saltiness, crunch, and potato essence.
The Disappointments
5th Place: Utz
4th Place: Zapp’s
Let’s begin with the not-so-great news: Both Utz and Zapp’s fell flat. “Utz has potato flavor and not much else,” Casey remarked. “Limited salt, and it’s rather dry — like a potato cracker.” The Zapp’s chips tasted notably stale, even from a freshly opened bag. “They seem like they’ve been left out,” observed Casey. “Additionally, they’re overly crunchy to me.” The positive news for both brands is that we admire them for their other products: Zapp’s Voodoo chips are unmatched, and no pretzel brand rivals Utz. We’ll let them shine in those areas and leave the potato-chip arena to our leading three, which are…
The Saltiest
3rd Place: Wise
Initially, this one seemed excessively salty: “My ideal chip is salty, but salt should be a secondary taste. With this, it’s immediate.” Yet the Wise chips grew on Casey (and on me — though I kept my thoughts private!). It was the one he kept revisiting and was a serious contender for second place. Until…
The Runner-Up
2nd Place: Boulder Canyon
Who would have thought?! These chips have been available for 30 years, but are still relatively new in the century-old American potato-chip sector. “Mmm!” Casey expressed, visibly amazed upon first trying them. “This one’s quite light — crispy but in a snappy manner. And it offers a great balance of potato and salt.” These chips impressed Casey so much that Boulder nearly claimed the top spot. He did a palate cleanse, then a side-by-side comparison with his other favorite, for certainty. In the end, although Boulder chips were outstanding, the undisputed winner was…
The Undisputed Champion
1st Place: Lay’s
“Yes, this is it,” Casey declared. “They offer an impeccable crunch, with a perfect flavor progression: oil, potato, salt. They seem so light you might expect them to be too airy, but the crispiness is flawless.” After trying them, Casey guessed they could be Lay’s, particularly due to that understated excellence. “If you’ve ever visited Italy, the key tradition there is ‘aperitivo,’ a pre-dinner custom, where you enjoy your spritz and small snacks. And I’m nearly certain that everyone in Italy serves Lay’s.” Though I cannot verify Casey’s Aperitivo Theory, I find it credible. I always considered Lay’s oil-heavy, but this test proved otherwise (as our colleague Alison noted, “It’s astonishing how superior these are compared to the others”). On overall satisfaction, Lay’s were — to both official and unofficial evaluators — the clear favorite. Once the taste test concluded, we gathered in the garden and finished the whole bag.
Thank you immensely for your expertise, Casey! So, friends, do you concur with these conclusions? And which snack, dessert, or ingredient shall we evaluate next?
P.S. Numerous taste tests, and THE best summer dessert to bring over.
(Many thanks to Alison for allowing us to use your garden!)
