Tested: this is the tastiest frikandel roll from the supermarket (and the worst)

You smacked your whole-grain bread out of your lunchbox over the bin, because around lunchtime almost everyone spent their hard-earned newspaper-round money on frikandel rolls at the supermarket. Who didn’t eat them in secondary school? We’re testing them once again: where can you buy the tastiest frikandel roll, and which one is best left on the shelf?

We never expected there to be so much difference between the frikandel rolls from the various supermarkets. When you see them next to each other, it immediately stands out: Albert Heijn has lovely thin strips of puff pastry across the top, Jumbo’s roll is slightly flatter, while Dekamarkt’s roll has a large pocket of air where the frikandel could be. And we haven’t even taken a bite yet! Clearly, this is going to be an exciting test.

A frikandel roll is the sum of its parts

A frikandel roll is the sum of crisp puff pastry, a delicious spicy-salty-sweet sauce and a perfect frikandel. A successful frikandel roll is more than the sum of its parts: the different elements make one another even tastier. It’s a delicate balance, because overly sweet sauce can ruin a delicious frikandel and crispy puff-pastry jacket, while soggy pastry won’t be saved by sauce so good you could lick it off your fingers.

That’s where it goes wrong

Everything goes wrong with Lidl’s roll. Too little sauce, the puff pastry isn’t crisp enough, and that frikandel? ‘That’s just a sausage, not a frikandel,’ Robbert judges sternly. ‘No flavour, no crunch,’ says Rick. And the sauce is too sweet—it’s practically jam. This only looks like a frikandel roll, and is suitable only for people who have just got new dentures: lovely and soft, so you don’t have to chew it.

Chewy, not tender

Dirk’s frikandel roll suffers from a chewy sausage. ‘A frikandel should be lovely and tender,’ says Robbert. ‘This is more like a currywurst; they’re often this dry.’ The sauce doesn’t disappoint—it’s sweet and spicy as it should be, according to Arno. And Rick breaks off a piece of puff pastry and observes with satisfaction: ‘Crack. That’s how it should be.’

Where’s the sauce?

Aldi’s roll is a decent middle-of-the-road option, provided you choose one where all the sauce hasn’t dripped out during baking, because without sauce it’s just a dry mouthful. The same goes for Dekamarkt. ‘Did they bake these rolls upside down?’ Rick wonders anxiously. ‘All the sauce has oozed out.’

The colour of the sausage in Jumbo’s roll stands out: very dark brown. But don’t let its appearance distract you—it tastes good. Lovely and crisp, tasty frikandel, tasty sauce. Not the tastiest of all, because that is unquestionably Albert Heijn’s. And that’s because, Rick explains, of the superior ratio of puff pastry to sausage. ‘The strips on top are very thin, so they become really crisp when baked and you can taste the frikandel better.’

Read also:

• Forget high tea—go all out with a high frikandel
• Fucking hell, pineapple on your frikandel
• Snackspert tests: Lidl’s new frikandels are one big disappointment