Having won over the whole world effortlessly, we imagine potato chips sitting majestically on an iron throne on top of the globe. Okay, so that might be a bit of a stretch, but we do take our potato chips seriously.Branded as one of the most popular snacks in the world, potato chips were invented in the back of a resort kitchen, by sheer coincidence! According to the most famous version of its origin, in 1853, a customer at a resort kept sending his French fries back complaining they were too thick. The chef, George Crum, cut the potatoes as thin as possible and the customer loved it. Thus, potato chips were born.In the face of massive popularity of potato chips, we all sat down to accomplish the mighty task of selecting the best chips out there, this side of the world. It was a mammoth task, but our taste buds were a happy bunch that day.These chips were selected on the basis of ease of availability. We picked up chips that are normally obtainable in most shops, in the metros. For ease of comparison, we chose the most common flavor - plain salted. (More: Read your labels - Top 10 things to look out for)

The various brands that were tasted



Bingo YumitosKettle ClassicsHaldiram'sLay's ClassicOperaLay's BakedTyrrell'sUncle ChipsPringlesOur team blind-tasted these chips to avoid bias and pre-conceived notions. We also ensured that the chips weren't stored for long between the time of the purchase and the taste test. We had to individually rate them from 1-10, where 10 was the best score in the following categories -

The nine brands laid out for the blind taste test





Flavor

Consistency of flavor

Freshness

Crunch

Value for money

Saltiness

































This was the first brand that we tasted and we were getting warmed up to make our way through this fun, crunch-filled adventure. Bingo raked in an average score overall. We were neither disappointed nor enthusiastically thrilled.

Price : 59 gms for Rs 20/-





Brand 2 - Kettle Classics





This was the first brand that we tasted and we were getting warmed up to make our way through this fun, crunch-filled adventure. Bingo raked in an average score overall. We were neither disappointed nor enthusiastically thrilled.: 59 gms for Rs 20/-







The initial burst of flavor, or the lack of it.Is there a change of flavor when the fourth chip is consumed? Does it leave an aftertaste?Were the chips stale and flat? Do they make us come back for seconds.Did we hear that crunchy noise or were we disappointed by a soggy, damp squib?Overall, was that bag of chips worth the money you paid for it?Were the chips too salty or were we hoping for more salt?





Price

A bit bland to taste, maybe it was due to the type of potato used or the technique applied to create these potato chips. Our Indian palate isn't used to these bland wafers. Moreoever, most tasters found it left an aftertaste in their mouth and it could do with more salt.: 142 gms for Rs 325/-





Price:

Our top favorite! Overall, the chips were crunchy, tasty and satisfying. They had just the right amount of salt, the perfect crunch and no aftertaste! We couldn't keep our hands off this one.70 gms for Rs 20/-





Price

Most of us found this brand reasonably crunchy, it left no aftertaste but was very high on salt.: 56 gms for Rs 20/-





Price









This was one of those chips where the scoring varied widely. Made with olive oil, surprisingly, opera chips left the most grease on the plate. These yellow crisps were crunchy and left no aftertaste.: 60 gms for Rs 50/-





Price









There was no question that these were the healthiest chips on the shelf. They left absolutely no oil on the plate. Something in the flavor was missing. Each one of us felt it could have had more of a punch.: 65 gms for Rs 30/-





Price

These highly priced chips didn't make us love it like we hoped it would. Tyrrell's could have done much better when it came to saltiness and the overall flavor.: 150 gms for 260/-





Price

Another favorite was Uncle Chips, we polished off the packet completely. It was perfectly seasoned, had a mighty crunch and left no aftertaste.: 72 gms for Rs 20/-





Price

Some tasters found it too salty. Others felt it didn't offer anything memorable. Pringles has a solid fan base and it offers some of the best flavors out there. However, we weren't too thrilled about the plain salted one.: 37 gms for Rs 75/-

Which brand tops your list?All reviews are strictly personal opinion of the authors. The same should not be construed as the opinion or policy of NDTV. Always do your own research on products and companies before using a product you choose. NDTV, its affiliates and its management does not claim responsibility for any of the products/ or companies discussed on this site.