Tested: these are the tastiest chips from the private label
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 paprika chips from the supermarket.
It crunches, the orange dust sticks to your fingers and you assume it will make your mouth stink, but people, how we love paprika chips. Even after six bowls (tasting!), we are far from done with those red rascals. And the result: here you buy the tastiest paprika chips, for less than a euro per bag.
We bought bags of paprika chips from the store brand at Dirk, Dekamarkt, Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Lidl, and Aldi. One bag can stay closed: at Dirk and Dekamarkt they have the same store brand products, so that one goes back home with the biggest chip lovers of this tasting panel.
We shook the chips into bowls and the difference is surprising: they all actually look different. The chips from Albert Heijn look a bit more artisanal, those from Lidl seem to have much less color, and Jumbo's paprika chips pop out of the bowl, so much orange powder is on them.
Spicy powder
This also shows when tasting: the chips from Lidl and Albert Heijn leave quite a bit of that spicy powder on your fingers. The Jumbo chips have a strong paprika flavor that you especially taste well when you eat the chips in stacks, as Robbert always does. ‘A bit chemical,’ says Rick, and Bo finds them too sharp.
The chips from Lidl stand out because they are nice and crispy. They seem to be cut a bit thinner, and therefore they crunch like crazy. ‘Less orange powder, less artificial,’ says Bo. And Robbert is happy with the mouthfeel of these chips. The Dirk chips have a sweeter aftertaste, Aldi has not only a thick paprika flavor but also really the taste of potato, and the chips from Albert Heijn sound nice when you bite into them.
Bowl goes empty
The different brands are therefore close together, all of them would easily empty the bowl, says Robbert. ‘You also have to consider: normally you eat those chips with a glass of cola or something. Then it tastes different again. Now we are very focused on the aftertaste, but normally the next bite is already in your mouth.’
Pleasant crunch
The conclusion: the chips from Albert Heijn are the most favored. ‘Nice and crispy, good paprika flavor and ‘eat-through chips,’ according to Bo. They are closely followed by the chips from Dirk, as they also have a pleasant crunch and exactly the right amount of paprika powder.
Friday afternoon drinks
There isn't really a loser, they are all tasty. It also just depends on your taste, as the test shows. ‘Dirk has a bit of a sour aftertaste, but that's not disturbing. And Albert Heijn is just a bit sweeter.’ In short, everyone should compare those store brand chips with each other, a good activity for a boring Friday afternoon drink. With cola or a beer on the side of course, because that is and remains the original habitat of the paprika chip.
