These are the tastiest frikandel rolls from the supermarket

Say wine, snacks or haute cuisine and the gourmands at online food magazine FavorFlav know where to drink, how to eat it and what to cook. This time our cheffies serve you: the tastiest frikandel rolls from the supermarket.

Never thought there was so much difference between the frikandel rolls from different supermarkets. When you see them side by side, it immediately stands out: Albert Heijn has nice thin strips of puff pastry on top, the roll from Jumbo is a bit flatter, and the roll from Dekamarkt has a large piece of air where the frikandel could be. And we haven't even taken a bite yet. Clearly: this will be an exciting test.

Sum
The frikandel roll is a sum of crispy puff pastry, a tasty spicy-sweet sauce, and a perfect frikandel. A successful frikandel roll is more than just the sum of its parts: the different elements make each other tastier. A precarious balance, because too sweet a sauce can ruin a delicious frikandel plus crispy puff pastry jacket, and a soggy puff pastry won't be saved by sauce that you lick your fingers clean.

That's going wrong
Everything goes wrong with the roll from Lidl. Too little sauce, the puff pastry is not crispy enough, and that frikandel? ‘That's just a sausage, not a frikandel,’ judges Robbert sternly. ‘No flavor, no crunch,’ says Rick. And the sauce is too sweet, it’s like jam. This only resembles a frikandel roll in appearance and is only suitable for people who just got a new denture: nice and soft, you don't have to chew on it.

Tough, not tender
The frikandel roll from Dirk suffers from a tough sausage. ‘A frikandel should be nice and tender,’ says Robbert. ‘This is more like a curry sausage, which is often so dry.’ The sauce does not disappoint, it is sweet-spicy as it should be, according to Arno. And Rick breaks off a piece of puff pastry and notes satisfied: ‘Crisp. That's how it should be.’

Where is the sauce
The roll from Aldi is a nice middle-of-the-road option, as long as you take a roll where not all the sauce has dripped out during baking, because without sauce it’s just a dry bite. The same goes for Dekamarkt. ‘Did they bake these rolls upside down?’ Rick wonders anxiously. ‘All that sauce has flowed out.’

With the roll from Jumbo, the color of the sausage stands out: very dark brown. But don't be misled by the appearance, because it tastes good. Nice and crispy, tasty frikandel, nice sauce. Not the absolute best, because that is undoubtedly the one from Albert Heijn. And that is because, Rick explains, of the superior ratio between puff pastry and sausage. ‘Those strips on top are very narrow, so they become very crispy when baked and you taste the frikandel better.’