Budget Chips Outshine Luxury Brands

0:00It's March 23rd. Welcome in. This is Sydney News Today, where local news meets AI. A food writer puts 17 brands of plain salted potato chips to a blind taste test, buying them all from everyday supermarkets like Aldi, Coals, All's, and Woolworths. These range from budget packs under $3 to gourmet ones over $10 for similar sizes. The goal was simple, judge color, crunch, salt balance, and potato flavor without knowing the brands. Price is varied wildly, with all the options as low as $2.69 for over 200 grams, while fancy imports hit $6.50 for four tracks, just 130 grams. Some chips were thin and delicate, others thick like hash browns, all crinkle cut or kettle cook styles. The tester trashed the worst ones hard, like a gourmet Italian chip that tasted like bleach and scored negative 20 out of 10. Shopper favorites like Smith's got ding for being too intense and overcooked, landing near the bottom despite their popularity.

1:02In a big upset, Aldi's blackstone gourmet sea salt took first place with an 8.5 out of 10, praised for its bubbly texture, even gold, color, and perfect salt to potato balance at just $2.99 for 175 grams. Runners up included Keele's Irish chips, natural chip co, Red Rod Deli, and Chappies, mixing cheap and pricey in the top five. This showdown proves budget buys can crush high in hype, reminding us the best crunch often hides in the simplest aisle.