Taste Test: Store-bought tortilla chips

            In Texas, chips and salsa is a nearly-ubiquitous combination, and inevitably, whenever our family has guests, there’s a little basket of chips on the counter and a not-so-little bowl of salsa is right next to it. But whenever I peruse the pretty large selection of chip brands at HEB, I have the same question: what the heck makes a decent store-bought tortilla chip? Unsatisfied with the usual method of selection (buying whatever’s on sale), I decided to run a very small-scale test.

            I opted to try three chips that were labelled “restaurant-style," as I wasn’t sure what that meant. Are they supposed to be fresher? Thinner? Just all-around better? I had no idea. I grabbed a generic brand, a classic brand, and a bit of an off-the-wall contender. I, my parents and my brother all tried them at different times. I couldn't really conceal the brands from myself (they looked too different), but I kept them in the dark by putting each brand in a basket. Here's how they fared.

HEB Restaurant-Style Tortilla Strips

            We were split on the strip shape. I don't care for it. My parents were ambivalent at first, but eventually said they also thought the traditional shape was a little more appealing. My brother, who is 14 and in his “I’m so random” phase, preferred the strip shape because it was “different.” Take that as you will. My dad and little bro did mention that the longer, thinner style would be ideal for dipping into any sized bowl.

            They were relatively thick, which isn't what I expect from chips in a Mexican restaurant, so that surprised me. These had a decent amount of salt, which was predominant, because despite the grainy texture, the corn flavor was barely detectable.

Mission Restaurant-Style Tortilla Triangles

            My family had almost nothing to say about these except that besides the shape, they looked

and tasted just like the HEB kind.

            For the most part, I agreed- same thickness, same texture- but they were very light on salt and had a bit more of a corn taste. I liked that the chip itself had a stronger flavor, but thought more seasoning was needed.

On the Border Café-Style Tortilla Chips

            These looked substantially different- everyone noted how yellow they were in comparison to the other two very white chips. My mom preferred this, saying that even though it was a little artificial looking, it was appealing. They were the biggest of the three- so maybe not the best for dipping- and everyone mentioned that they were definitely the saltiest. While not overpowering, it was noticeable.

            Texture-wise, they were puffier and lighter, and I suspect they wouldn’t hold up well to heavy dips- they had the most broken chips in the bag. We tested them out with my salsa verde, though, and they do just fine with normal salsas. 

            Overall, we couldn't decide whether we preferred the Mission or HEB brand- they were too close to call. However, four out of four tasters agreed that the small batch of homemade chips I brought out afterwards, which I allowed to cool for hours in order to be fair, were leagues ahead of the packaged contenders—and this is despite the fact that they were unevenly cooked and oversalted (oops). They were crispier, had way more flavor and variation, and “just taste real,” according to my mom. The takeaway: if you have a few extra minutes to throw some tortillas in oil, short of burning them to a crisp, it’s pretty much guaranteed that your guests will like them way more than the average store-bought kind.