Chips are a staple in most households as they double as both a delectable snack and as a substitute dinner for the nights when you have no food or can't be bothered to cook.
I've recently been testing out store brand products from Canada's grocery stores to see who makes the best out of a selected product, and each time, the winner varies.
So, I decided to put Canada's major grocery house brands to the test in terms of chips, and there was quite a significant difference between the best bag and the worst.
For this taste test, I opted for salt and vinegar since it's a pretty classic flavour, and I bought a bag of Compliments, Great Value, no name, Irresistibles and President's Choice to see how they compare.
I'll be rating them out of five in terms of how much I enjoyed it and breaking down the price per 100 grams so you can find out which chip gives you the best bang for your buck.
Here's how the taste test went down.
No name salt and vinegar flavour chips
200 grams of no name salt and vinegar chips for $2.99.
I'm usually a pretty big fan of no name as it often gets you pretty good value at a reasonable price, like with their cheddar cheese, but I was let down in this taste test.
These chips are very thin with almost no crunch and they dissolve very quickly into mush in your mouth. In terms of flavour, there's very little salt and vinegar coming through, so overall, it's kinda like swallowing a blob of potato.
Rating: 1/5
Price: $2.99 for 200 grams
Price per 100 grams: $1.50
Compliments salt and vinegar flavour potato chips
200 grams of Compliments salt and vinegar flavour potato chips for $1.49.
The Compliments salt and vinegar chips have a pretty rewarding crunch, but the flavour isn't there.
It has a bit of a sour pucker, but it's a little unbalanced, so it's more of just a mild vinegar flavour without the salt to level it out.
These chips come in at a pretty good price, but there's a brand at a comparable cost that I think are a bit better, hence the low rating.
Price: $1.49 for 200 grams
Price per 100 grams: $0.75
Rating: 1.5/5
Great Value salt and vinegar flavoured potato chips
200 grams of Great Value salt and vinegar flavoured potato chips for $1.47.
These Great Value chips are nice and thick and give a medium crunch. What sets it apart from the others is that the flavour is quite intense, which might be either a negative or a positive depending on how you feel about that.
I personally think it's a positive because due to the strength of the flavours, I'd likely only eat a handful before needing to walk away, whereas with the last two bags, I could easily eat half the bag without thinking about it. However, if you're looking to crush the entire bag (mood), this is not the bag for that.
And it's the cheapest option per 100 grams on the list, which you love to see!
Price: $1.47 for 200 grams
Price per 100 grams: $0.74
Rating: 3/5
Irresistibles old-fashioned potato chips sea salt and vinegar
150 grams of Irresistibles old-fashioned potato chips sea salt and vinegar for $2.99.
I'm into these chips from Irresistibles. There's a good snap in the chip and a somewhat mild but still flavourful salt and vinegar flavour that imparts the tastes you're looking for without overwhelming the palate.
No complaints here!
Price: $2.99 for 150 grams
Price per 100 grams: $1.99
President's Choice kettle cooked sea salt and malt vinegar flavour
200 grams of President's Choice kettle cooked sea salt and malt vinegar flavour chips for $3.49.
And in first place, we have President's Choice! These chips are kettle-cooked, so not only are they thicker, but they also have a much more intense crunch than the other options which somehow makes them feel more satisfying.
As well, they have the best balance of salt-to-vinegar ratio without either flavour edging the other out. If price weren't a factor, these would absolutely be the option I'd pick up and they'd be equally at home on a fancy charcuterie board or stuffed by the handful into one's mouth.
Price: $3.49 for 200 grams
Price per 100 grams: $1.74
So, if you're looking for the cheapest amount of chips compared to size, you'll want to pick up either the Compliments or Great Value chips, which come in at $0.75 and $0.74 respectively per 100 grams.
If you're willing to shell out about $1.00 more, the President's Choice takes the winning place in terms of crunch and taste, but it does come at a marked increase at $1.74 per 100 grams.
One interesting thing to note is that my two favourites on the list — President's Choice and Irresistibles — both use malt vinegar instead of malic acid, which the other three brands use, so perhaps that's a factor in the flavour.
If you are looking to add some chips to a charcuterie board, I recently made a fancy little setup for my partner and me for our weekly date night and it only cost $17. Using unexpected items like a handful of chips or items from Bulk Barn such as pretzels, dates and candies helps to keep the cost of your receipt relatively low so you can splurge on pricier products like nice deli meats or a fancy cheese.
As well, if you're looking for a bottle of vino to add to it, I recently checked out some of the cheapest bottles of wine available at the LCBO (because times are tough and sometimes you just need a bottle under $11) and found that there were three options I'd buy again: the Mare Di Sirena Pinot Grigio, Alianca Vinho Verde and Toro Bravo Verdejo Sauvignon Blanc.
Now go forth, and may the snacking be ever in your favour!
These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.
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