U.S. food writers discovered Canadian ketchup chips, what did they think?
One road trip and 13 brands later, American journalists weigh in on the snack food
Maple syrup, round bacon and poutine may be the best known Canadian exports, but our neighbours to the north are keeping more than national health care and Justin Trudeau all to themselves.
Ketchup potato chips have long been the national snack of Canada, but we can’t get them in the United States widely.
Yet we love ketchup and we love potato chips. So what’s the story, eh?
“In the ’70s, we were trying to mimic the taste of french fries and ketchup, and put it on a potato chip,” said Katie Ceclan, senior director of marketing at Lay’s in the U.S. “It’s almost a sweeter barbecue.”
The origin story of ketchup chips remains disputed, but Lay’s does make one of the bestselling brands.
So what are the chances we’ll get ketchup chips in this country?
“It has been on the list for many years,” Ceclan said.
“We just need something to push it over the edge, from our fans requesting it. If we hear it, we usually respond.”
After a family road trip earlier this summer, I brought back every brand of ketchup chips from the Greater Toronto Area that I could find; 13 in all. Eight Tribune journalists then assembled to taste the chips blind.
Here are the results, from worst to best. 13. Pringles “Is this a low-calorie ketchup Pringle?” Sade Carpenter wrote. “I thought excessive vinegar was the worst part of these chips, but the boring texture, lack of salt and flavour make this one a loser in my book.” 12. Selection “Bleh, too tomatoey. With an odd hint of cinnamon? WHY?” Grace Wong wrote. 11. Quaker “What is this B.S.?” wrote Nick Kindelsperger, who ranked these his worst. “Small, circular rice cakes taste like sadness.”
Joe Gray also ranked them worst. “Look like the surface of someone’s brain. Too sweet. Not much tomato at all, but at least salt is in there.” 10. No Name “So sour there must have been a vinegar accident at the plant,” I wrote about these chips that I ranked as worst.
Nick, shockingly, ranked them as a top three. “This one understands the balance of vinegar and sugar, which is the secret to ketchup’s power.” 9. Frank “These chips are the most like drinking ketchup straight out of the bottle,” wrote intern Natalie Wade, who ranked these worst. “That doesn’t mean I would recommend them.”
On the other hand, Tony Purcelli ranked them best. “This seems like it must be the classic ketchup chip. Good crisp ridges, strong standard ketchup flavour.” 8. Hardbite “These taste like stale Cheetos,” Tony wrote about these, which he ranked worst.
Joe thought they looked like cheese snacks too, but ranked them in his top three. “Cheetoorange dustings. Has a bit of smoke at the end. Like barbecue chips with a sweet edge. But not tomatoey.”
Grace liked them even more. “Tasty as heck,” she wrote, underlined three times. 7. Lay’s “Dark red and bursting with fine flavour of ketchup,” wrote Nick, who ranked these best. “It’s like dusting your chips in a vat of Heinz. Sweet and tangy. This is the only one worth keeping.”
Grace, though, a self-proclaimed condiment queen, was not a fan. “Again with the barbecue flavour. I’m not into it. Ketchup? BBQ.” 6. President’s Choice “Most ketchupy. Rich tomato flavour. My favourite,” wrote Stephanie Sokol, who ranked these best. “Tastes like what I’d put on fries!” 5. Neal Brothers “Full of folded chips!” I wrote about these, and ranked them as best. Potato-chip connoisseurs know folded chips are the most coveted because they’re super crackly.
Joe also ranked them best, noting however, “But no tomato.”
Nick ranked these high, too, but he suspected I’d thrown in a ringer. “Looks like an all-American barbecue chip. Extra crunchy and shockingly spicy. What the hell is going on? Is this a joke?” 4. Covered Bridge “The ketchup flavour is a little more subtle here. Since I prefer kettle chips, I also kind of prefer this texture,” wrote Natalie, who ranked these best, with a caveat. “It’s much crunchier, but tasted a little burnt.”
Sade ranked them low. “My first bite was like biting into a fried-green tomato, and I don’t know how to feel about that. Least favourite so far.” 3. Old Dutch “Neon red, almost radioactive red,” wrote Nick, who ranked these high. “These attack your taste buds with sweet ketchup flavour.
“Eats more like a vinegar chip than a ketchup chip,” wrote Joe, who ranked them high, noting the prominent vinegar flavour, with tomato in the background. 2. Great Value “Good balanced flavour, sweet, but not overly,” wrote Tony, who ranked these high. “Hints of maple syrup? It is Canada after all.”
Natalie, though, ranked them low. “I know ketchup has a lot of sugar, but these are too sweet. They’re also somehow simultaneously too bland? The texture wasn’t as crunchy as I would like either.” 1. Doritos The winner of our ketchup chip taste test? The limited-edition Doritos ketchup tortilla chips!
“I wish American Doritos had this much seasoning, but of a different flavour,” wrote Sade, who ranked these best. “Tangy and a little sweet, is this the defining trait of Canadian ketchup chips?”
Grace also ranked them best. “Sour and sweet, not very ketchupy, but I really like the corn pairing with it!”