Published June 1, 2006. From Cook's Country.
Are the corniest chips the best?
Several "upscale" brands sold in supermarkets promise authentic Mexican-style chips. How does this new style of tortilla chip compare with traditional supermarket offerings? To find out, we held a blind tasting of nine brands of tortilla chips.
As a group, the boutique brands lived up to their promise of good flavor: Tasters commented on the "authentic" taste: "Like chips I've had in Mexico," said one. These chips were consistently rated as having the most corn flavor. Each is made with stone-ground corn, resulting in a coarser-textured chip.
But despite their corny flavor, most of the boutique chips were ultimately rejected by tasters as being "too thick" and "stale." In contrast, the finer-textured chips (several of which are made with corn flour, not stone-ground corn) were described as "thin and crispy" and were perceived as being fresher.
In the end, it seems that the secret to a great tortilla chip isn't all that complicated. Just create finer-textured chips, whether made from corn flour or stone-ground corn, and add plenty of salt.
Santitas Authentic Mexican Style White Corn Tortilla Chips
Tasters liked the "mild and salty" flavor and "sturdy" texture of these winning chips, whose "great crunch" topped the crispness charts.
