I Love Potato Chips!

Supermarket Standoff: Potato Chips

By Julia Bainbridge, Bon Appetit

Photo: Julia Bainbridge

We have embarked on a taste test tour of supermarket foods. We nibble, we score, and we share the results to help you avoid the paralysis of Brand Choice Overload. Today's topic: potato chips.

Bon Appetit's editorial headquarters is moving from Los Angeles and joining the small-but-sturdy web staff here in our New York office. Why is this important to you? We had double the amount of taste testers on the job last week for this supermarket standoff.

And we needed them. Eleven brands of potato chips is a lot of salt on the tongue. We only tested brands that are available nationwide (sorry, no UTZ), and stuck to straight-up fried chips. No baked versions, no wonky flavors; just potato chips. While we crunched and munched, dietitian Sandra Frank pored over nutrition labels, calculating which brands are the best--well, least bad--for you. Find both our winners for taste and Frank's picks for health after the jump.

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Our Favorites for Flavor

#1 Zapp's Potato Chips

Nutrition: One serving (1oz/28.3g) = 150 calories, 8g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 50mg sodium, 17g carbs, 0g sugars, 2g protein, 0% vitamin A, 8% vitamin C, 0% calcium, 2% iron.

Ingredients: Select potatoes cooked in peanut oil or a blend of peanut oil and canola, corn, safflower or sunflower oil, salt.

Cost: $1.99 for a 5.5-oz bag at the Greene Grape in Brooklyn, NY.

Blind Tasting Notes: "Perfect little chip"; "Like the bubbles from frying"; "Good heft and crunch"; "Gold star!"; "Best deep-fried flavor. Binge-worthy!"; "You can taste the potato but also nice brown notes".

#2 Dirty All-Natural Potato Chips

Nutrition: 1 serving = 130 calories; 2.5 g total fat; 22 g sugars

Ingredients: One serving (1oz/28.4g) = 150 calories, 8g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 85mg sodium, 17g carbs, 0g sugars, 2g protein, 0% vitamin A, 10% vitamin C, 0% calcium, 4% iron.

Cost: $2.79 for a 5.5-oz bag at Whole Foods in New York City.

Blind Tasting Notes: "Yummy--greasy but good"; "Good flavor and color"; "Oily looking but not tasting".

#3 Wise All Natural Potato Chips

Nutrition: One serving (1oz/29g) = 150 calories, 10g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 160mg sodium, 14g carbs, 0g sugars, 2g protein, 0% vitamin A, 10% vitamin C, 0% calcium, 2% iron.

Ingredients: Potatoes, vegetable oil (contains one or more of the following: corn, cottonseed, sunflower, soybean or canola oil), salt.

Cost: $3.79 for 10-oz bag at King Kullen in Manhasset, NY.

Blind Tasting Notes: "Light and flaky--nice"; "Thin, salty, crispy"; "Tastes like what I think of a potato chip tasting like"; "The classic".

Nutritionist Sandra Frank's Picks

#1 Terra Yukon Gold Original Potato Chips

Nutrition: One serving (1oz / 283g) = 130 calories, 6g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 80mg sodium, 18g carbs, 1g sugars, 2g protein, 0% vitamin A, 0% vitamin C, 0% calcium, 2% iron.

Ingredients: Yukon gold potatoes, canola oil and/or safflower oil and/or sunflower oil, salt.

Cost: $2.99 for a 5-oz bag at Whole Foods in New York City.

Frank's Comments: "Lowest in calories and fat; second lowest in sodium."

Our Assessment: This came in dead last. We don't care if this brand it the healthiest, these chips were "not salty enough," "dry," and had a "hollow crunch." One participant said, "These hardly count as chips."

#2 Zapp's Potato Chips

Nutrition: One serving (1oz/28.3g) = 150 calories, 8g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 50mg sodium, 17g carbs, 0g sugars, 2g protein, 0% vitamin A, 8% vitamin C, 0% calcium, 2% iron.

Ingredients: Select potatoes cooked in peanut oil or a blend of peanut oil and canola, corn, safflower or sunflower oil, salt.

Cost: $1.99 for a 5.5-oz bag at the Greene Grape in Brooklyn, NY.

Frank's Comments: "Lowest in sodium and tied for second place in the low fat category."

Our Assessment: Hooray! This was our #1 pick for flavor.

#3 Dirty All-Natural Potato Chips

Nutrition: One serving (1oz/28.4g) = 150 calories, 8g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 85mg sodium, 17g carbs, 0g sugars, 2g protein, 0% vitamin A, 10% vitamin C, 0% calcium, 4% iron.

Ingredients: Potatoes, peanut oil or a blend of peanut oil and canola, corn, safflower or sunflower oil, sea salt.

Cost: $2.79 for a 5.5-oz bag at Whole Foods in New York City.

Frank's Comments: "Third lowest in sodium and tied for second place in the low fat category."

Our Assessment: Double hooray! This was our #2 pick for flavor.

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