‘What I’ve learned today,” says my friend Lucy, stepping firmly away from the crisp buffet, “is that you can have too much of a good thing.” My volunteer testers and I were enthusiastic about the prospect of tasting our way through 10 types of lightly salted, crisply fried potato, but we all agreed, once they were laid out side by side in anonymous bowls, that it was surprisingly hard to differentiate between them. That said, good news: every single one had its cheerleaders, so there were no real duds in this sample.
To outline what I’m looking for from a salted crisp, it should be crisp, obviously. To this end, all the bags were opened at the same time, just before the blind tasting. Salt levels are a matter of personal preference, though it should be upfront rather than a mere seasoning, while, in an ideal world, the potatoes themselves would be the primary flavour, rather than a mere texture. They should be cooked long enough that they crunch, rather than melt between the teeth, but it’s a delicate balance: too long in the oil and they’ll be bitter. And that oil – if you can taste it at all – should be pleasant: too strong a flavour, even of the best fat, will overpower the spuds. Last, crisps should be dangerously moreish: if you can eat one and stop, they’re not good crisps.
The best salted crisps
Best overall:
San Nicasio Himalayan pink salt potato chips
★★★★☆
The most divisive crisps of the day, with marks ranging from one (Rose, seven, and representing the youth vote) to five (me). Noticeably yellow, thanks to the extra-virgin olive oil they’re cooked in (which, unlike the Himalayan pinkness of the salt, comes through in the flavour, hence, perhaps, the loss of the kid vote), they prompt the demand: “Serve me these with an aperitivo immediately: crunch, salt, good oil – YES.” Sadly, these Andalusian crisps have a far higher fat content than any of the others tested. One for picking at elegantly over a chilled glass of sherry.
Best bargain:
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference lightly sea salted hand-cooked crisps
★★★★☆
Though some find them a little undersalted, these chunky crisps’ “classic flavour” finds favour, with several testers noting with excitement that they “actually taste of potato!” While the comments section attracts several variations on “mid-range” (Rose judges them merely “OK”), the decent flavour and excellent crunch make this a great value choice.
And the rest …
M&S hand-cooked lightly sea salted crisps
★★★☆☆
Rose finds these too crunchy, but that very quality appeals to the person who says they’d be perfect for a hangover. “Nice enough,” someone else says, “but surprised not to find one I like more.” That sums these up – a decent, aggressively crunchy crisp with a high salt content, but missing that elusive potatoey flavour.
Waitrose sea salt hand-cooked crisps
★★★☆☆
“Perfectly fine,” one tester finds, before admitting: “Actually quite moreish.” Someone else judges them “generic”. Thin and crisp, which divides opinion, from “nothing to them” to “better – lighter!”, Rose judges them “too spicy”, but I rather like their saltiness and the fact that – hurrah! – they taste of baked potato. I’d buy these again.
Co-op Irresistible hand-cooked lightly sea salted crisps
★★★☆☆
Cooked skin on, which gives them a decent potatoey flavour. There are a few slightly sweet, caramelised ones in here, suggesting an older potato, but in general these are crunchy, well-balanced crisps that would perform well in most situations, from festival pre-drinks to family picnics. “Middle of the road,” as Rob observes.
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Kettle lightly salted potato chips
★★★☆☆
Fun fact: I once visited the Kettle Chips factory in Norwich and was allowed to cook a kettle of crisps, so I can confirm that, as the packet suggests, they are indeed hand fried in small batches. They’re not my favourite, though, even when cooked by the pros – I find these a bit greasy, while other testers judge them “blah” and “cardboardy … does not break when you bite in”. Several testers say they “need more salt”, but I’ll let them off, given they’re described only as lightly salted (always a red flag for me).
Tyrrell’s lightly sea salted crisps
★★☆☆☆
“Bang average” sums up the response to these. “Wouldn’t put out for guests.” Rose finds them “too bitey” (they are, it must be said, very crisp), someone else finds them “bland”, and several tasters say they feel “cheap” and “basic”, which is not reflected in the price. Disappointing.
Morrisons The Best hand-cooked skin-on sea salt crisps
★★☆☆☆
These apparently taste as if “they were opened last night”. “A bit stale,” someone else agrees. “Wrong texture, dense.” Personally, I like a thicker crisp, but these are a little too chewy and even I find them a touch salty, though, checking the labels afterwards, they contain less salt than some of the others, so maybe it’s just that the flavour is more intense. Might be better served with a creamy dip to balance this out.
Aldi Specially Selected lightly salted hand-cooked crisps
★★☆☆☆
“Too thick, like eating greasy batter out of the bottom of the chip paper, and not in a good way,” one tester says, and although I love a thicker crisp, I’m inclined to agree – these are a bit tough, rather than snappy, and taste, as Rose notes, “too oily”.
Walkers ready salted crisps
★★☆☆☆
Rose, who confides in me that these are the only crisps she knows, picks them out from the lineup in seconds – they’re far paler and more uniform than the others – but even she’s not that enthusiastic. “Not crunchy enough” is a common complaint, while someone else thinks they’re so light, they’re almost “a health snack”. The final damning verdict comes from Claire: “An anaemic pub crisp. Fine with a cold pint, otherwise lacking.”