FavorFlav tests ridged crisps from supermarket own brands: ‘Don’t eat these during a film, they crunch like crazy’
Gin and tonic, Bassie and Adriaan, parties and crisps. Some combinations are such classics that you shouldn’t change a thing. With one variation: where do you buy those crisps? And do you serve own-brand crisps in bowls when you’re throwing a party? At the FavorFlav editorial office, we tested own-brand ridged crisps, all of which are ridiculously cheap. ‘I wonder why I always buy Lays, even the ones from Vomar are delicious.’
Testing ridged crisps really isn’t easy. Before you know it, you’ve eaten half a bag, and then there are still five bags to go, so it’s no simple task. Tasting crisps makes you e-nor-mous-ly thirsty, especially because today we’re only trying regular crisps, so they’re very salty.
But most of all: they really do look incredibly similar. We even wonder whether they all come from one big secret crisp factory somewhere on a remote industrial estate, making anonymous ridged crisps for all the major supermarkets. That’s how much they resemble one another. But during the second tasting round (it’s a matter of perseverance), we do notice some differences.
You can’t really go wrong
At the same time, that’s the main conclusion of this crisp test: it doesn’t matter where you buy your ridged crisps, because they’re all perfectly good. No brand gives us a real wow moment, there are no crisps worth making a special trip for, and not a single crisp is below par or even unpleasant. Good to know: you can’t really make a bad choice when it comes to ridged crisps.
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- Lidl – 0,99 euro voor 250 gram. ‘Lijken wat dikker, zijn lekker knapperig.’ Beste getest door De Telegraaf.
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- Dirk – 0,77 euro voor 215 gram. ‘Nummer één, zetten ze op de zak. Zou best kunnen kloppen.’ Opvallend: lijkt iets zouter dan de andere chips.
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- Vomar – 0,77 euro voor 215 gram. ‘Komt goed mee met de rest. Geen topper, maar gewoon prima chipje.’
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- Plus – 0,85 euro voor 215 gram. Vermoeden van gek nasmaakje, maar zo subtiel dat je de hele zak moet leegeten en dan nog niet zeker weet of je het nou proeft of niet.
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- Jumbo – 0,99 euro voor 250 gram. ‘Kun je zo op een verjaardag neerzetten, niemand heeft door dat het huismerk-chips zijn.’
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- AH – 1,09 euro voor 250 gram. ‘Kraken als een gek.’ Vetter dan de andere chips.
A kilo of crisps
When we compare the prices, we do notice some small differences. The bags from Plus, Jumbo and Vomar are just as large as those from AH, Lidl and Dirk, but they contain fewer crisps: 215 grams instead of 250 grams. That’s still two or three handfuls of crunchiness you miss out on with those skimpy bags. The ridged crisps from Appie are the most expensive when converted to a price per kilo (to account for the difference in weight): €4.36 per kilo, €1.09 per bag. By comparison, the cheapest crisps cost €3.58 per kilo, and you can buy those at Vomar or Dirk.
During the film
The ridges from Albert Heijn are the crunchiest. ‘You can’t eat these during a film or a series,’ says Bo. ‘They’re also the oiliest: they contain 35 percent oil, while the others contain only 30.7 percent.’ The Plus crisps seem slightly less salty, but they have a somewhat strange aftertaste, which becomes noticeable as we crunch our way through yet another crisp. It can’t be that bad, though, because the bag empties easily. The ridged crisps from Lidl are also nicely crisp, and they seem to be cut a little thicker.
Green crisps
Less tasty crisps? There actually aren’t any, but Lauretta chewed on a green crisp from the Jumbo bag (she was the only one): ‘Apparently, every now and then there’s still a potato in there that isn’t quite right.’ The crisps from Dirk seemed slightly saltier – although that can’t be found on the label, by the way – and Vomar, which sometimes falls short in other taste tests, holds its own perfectly well with its ridged crisps. We don’t really have a favourite, but if we have to choose, it’ll be Dirk’s ridges. ‘Funny, they put on the bag that they’re the tastiest crisps, and it turns out to be true,’ says editor-in-chief Sharon. But are we all going to make a special trip to Dirk to buy ridged crisps now? Nah.
Not very exciting
In short: all the ridged crisps are perfectly fine, with little excitement to crunch into. If you’re watching your budget, don’t go to Albert Heijn. And if you like thick ridges, choose the crisps from Lidl or Jumbo. Rik: ‘I really wonder why I always buy Lays, because they’re all incredibly tasty.’
