In Our Salsa Face-Off, Only One is Good Enough for the Super Bowl
People often jump at the chance to bring salsa and a bag of chips to a Super Bowl party. Why? Because they think it's the simplest thing in the world: There's no prep work, no time-intensive, complex recipe to wrestle with, and it travels well.
More from The Stir: This Tortilla Chip Scored the Big Win in Our Taste Test
Unfortunately, it's exactly this brainless, "always looking for the easy way out"-type of thinking that leads to such tragedies as bland, watery salsa and cardboard-tasting chips and threatens to ruin even the best game day parties. People, this must be stopped!
In fact, there's an art to choosing the perfect salsa to feed a hungry crowd of football fans. That's why we decided to taste and compare some of the top supermarket brands of jarred salsa to prove that not just any salsa will do.
One salsa in particular stood out from the rest -- can you guess which one it was?
For our official salsa taste test, we blindly sampled the following brands and chose the best based on taste, spice level, and consistency:
Tostitos Chunky Medium Salsa
Old El Paso Thick & Chunky Medium Salsa
Paul Newman's Chunky Salsa
Chi-Chi's Fiesta Medium Salsa
Green Mountain Gringo Medium Salsa
And now ... the results you've been waiting for:
It was a close race between Chi-Chi's and Green Mountain for the top spot, but in the end, Chi-Chi's Fiesta All Natural Medium Salsa emerged as our tasters' favorite brand. Across the board, tasters agreed that it stood out from the rest for having the perfect amount of spice and heat. Here were some of the other positive comments about this salsa direct from the mouths of our tasters: "Taste is fresh -- with a kick!" "Just spicy enough." "Bright and a little sweet." "Good heat." "Chunky with just a bit of fire."
More from The Stir: 3 Awesome Super Bowl 2012 Highlights for Non-Sports Fans
If you happen to be passionate about Green Mountain Gringo Salsa (which many people actually are), you'll be pleased to know that our tasters appreciated this one, too, particularly for its "Nice chunkiness and good spice," "Freshness and perfect consistency," and "Well-balanced spiciness."
It just goes to show, the type of salsa you choose for your party requires just as much thought as any other snack.
Looking for the perfect chip to go with your perfect salsa? Check out the results from our Tortilla Chip Taste Test.
More from The Stir:
Mango Corn Salsa: Meals With Mileage Leftovers
Salsa and Guacamole: Dip at Your Own Risk
What do you think of our taste test results? What's your favorite jarred salsa?
Image via Kim Conte
Written by Kim Conte on CafeMom's blog, The Stir.
More from The Stir:
Cherkees: Where Beef Jerky & Potato Chips Join in Blessed Union
Anderson Cooper Admits He's a Picky Eater
Is It Ever Okay to Snack on Your Groceries Before Buying Them?
Dancing Squid Dish Freaks Out Diners (VIDEO)
