Best Tortilla Chips
Do you love tortilla chips?
Tortilla chips are a triangular, deep fried snack made from corn tortillas. They may be baked instead of fried. The tortillas are made from corn of course, plus water, salt, and vegetable oil. Tortilla chips are most commonly made with yellow corn. However, some brands of tortilla chips use white, blue, or red corn instead. Other brands of tortilla chips are made with wheat flour.
Tortilla chips may be seasoned with a variety of flavors in addition to salt, and they are typically served with a dip.
Let’s find out about some of the most popular tortilla chips currently available on the market today:
Barcel Mini Takis – Crunchy Rolled Tortilla Chips
These tortilla chips are nicknamed takis. They are crunchy rolled and fried corn tortilla chips, and their flavors are intense. They have the perfect shape for dipping.
Their Fuego and Nitro chips come in hot and spicy seasonings like hot chili pepper and lime, or habanero and lime. Other flavors to choose from include Spicy Buffalo and Ranch, Spicy Seasoning, or Seriously Satisfying Guac.
A case of these tortilla chips includes 25 individual snack packs, just enough bags for an entire classroom of kids or your soccer team. They are ideal for lunch bags, backpacks, and snacking on the go. If you don’t want just a snack, there are also the fiesta and party sizes.
These corn chip snacks have a satisfying texture, with a loud and proud crunch, and they are delicious. They are for the brave and daring among us, who savor an extreme taste. Think of them as combining the flavors of fire and lava in every bite, for maximum taste intensity.
One drawback is some users have found the chips make their children break out in hives. Maybe try one or two chips at first instead of downing the entire bag – until you know there is no allergy or sensitivity. Also, some people think they are too salty.
Pros
- Crunchy rolled and fried tortilla chips, the perfect shape for dipping
- Intense flavors like habanero and lime, and hot chili pepper and lime
- Loud and proud crunch
- Different sizes such as snack, fiesta, and party size
Cons
- Expensive
- Some people may experience sensitivity or allergy
- Too salty?
Fresh Gourmet Tortilla Strips, Santa Fe Style
Bring the great flavor of the Southwest into your home. These tortilla chips have a zingy Santa Fe taste. They also come in lightly salted and tri-color flavors. They are made from whole grain corn masa flour, sunflower or safflower oil, and seasonings.
Toss them on your salad, vegetables, and more, to get that crunch and taste you will love. They are also a wonderful accompaniment to salsa and dips. And they are a very convenient replacement for noodles if you are making soups.
They are not your typical triangular shaped tortilla chips. Rather, they are small and rectangular, which makes them perfect for sprinkling on top of your favorite dishes. They are about an inch long and a quarter inch wide.
As an added bonus, the bag is re-sealable. After enjoying, simply seal the rest back in the bag and store them in the fridge for maximum freshness. One case comes with a pack of nine 3.5 ounce bags of tortilla chips.
The only drawback mentioned is some users find them to be quite oily – although, isn’t that the norm with tortilla chips?
Pros
- Different from traditional triangular tortilla chips – these are thin and rectangular
- Toss on salad, in soups, or use as traditional accompaniment to salsa and dips
- Southwest, Santa Fe flavor
- Also available in lightly salted and tri-color flavors
- Bag is re-sealable
Cons
- Chips are quite oily
REAL FOOD FROM THE GROUND UP Cauliflower Tortilla Chips
These tortilla chips are a little different in that they are not made of corn. Instead they are made with cauliflower and other vegetables, and cassava flour. They are a good choice if you are on the paleo diet or some other special diets. Some people on low carb diets also find them useful, although they do contain cassava which is a carb.
They are the perfect healthier, dippable, and scoopable snack – great for any occasion. They are lightly fried and come in nacho flavor and number of other varieties. They are delicious, and every bit as good as corn tortilla chips.
These chips are vegan and gluten-free. They are also grain-free, dairy-free, and verified to not contain GMOs.
There are six bags in a case.
One drawback is, a number of users think these chips are keto friendly when in fact they are not. They are made with cassava and thus contain carbs. Also, there are not enough chips in the bag, and they are rather salty.
Pros
- Made of cauliflower and other vegetables
- Vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free
- Verified not to contain GMOs
- Taste is just as good as with corn tortilla chips
Cons
- Not enough chips in the bag
- Salty
Tostitos Bite Sized Tortilla Chips
These tortilla chips come in their own little plastic box, similar to what you might find at the movie theater. Hence, the package is called a theater kit. Now you can make your own theater nachos at home. This is perfect since we’re all staying in a little bit more these days and not necessarily venturing out to the actual theater.
These tortilla chips give you big flavor. Simply heat them up and then add your favorite toppings, sliced jalapenos, and cheese. They are a great snack for lunch bags and backpacks. You can also use them at dinner time to make walking tacos.
They are Celiac-friendly. Also, they do not have too much salt. They are baked instead of fried, for another healthy benefit.
They come in a case of 20 theater kits.
One drawback is, if you leave them around too long after opening, the chips will get soggy or stale. This means you can’t easily just eat a few and put the rest away for later. On the other hand, if you tend to eat too much when you have a large bag of chips, this theater kit may be the perfect size for cutting down on snacking.
Pros
- Chips come in little plastic box/tray similar to what you would find at the movie theater
- Simply heat up and add your favorite toppings
- Great snack for lunch bags and backpacks
- Also can use at dinnertime to make walking tacos
- Celiac-friendly and not too salty
Cons
- Chips get stale if left in opened package too long so cannot easily put them away for later
Trivia about tortilla chips
So you’ve learned about some of the most popular tortilla chips available on the market today but do you know your tortilla chip trivia?
About tortillas
The word ‘tortilla’ means ‘round cake’ in Spanish. Tortillas are unleavened pancakes or flatbreads made of wheat or corn flour, vegetable shortening, water, and some salt. They are the ‘folder’ you use to surround a variety of delicious fillings.
Corn tortillas have been around since 10,000 years B.C. During Mayan times, peasants would make them for the king. They were originally made of native corn with dried kernel. Eventually the Spanish introduced them to the New World, and they also invented flour tortillas at this time. A Mexican family of four eats about two pounds of tortillas every day.
Tortillas are very popular in America and they are not just for Mexican food anymore. You can find everything from meatballs to tuna melts served up in a taco nowadays.
Wheat flour tortillas are the fastest growing product in the entire grain products industry.
History of the tortilla chip
Rebecca Webb Carranza is historically known as the person who popularized the triangle-shaped tortilla chip. She and her husband used an automated tortilla making machine at their Mexican deli and factory in Los Angeles. Every now and then the machine would reject misshapen tortillas. She would take these, cut them into triangles, fry them, and sell them as a snack.
These snacks were a hit, and eventually Carranza shifted the focus of her factory to concentrate entirely on making tortilla chips. In 1994, she received the Golden Tortilla award for making this lasting contribution to the food industry in Mexico. Today, tortilla chips are the third best-selling salty snack in America, after crackers and potato chips.
In 2003, the state of Texas made tortilla chips and salsa its official snack. This works well with its official state pepper, the jalapeno, and its state dish, chili.
Nachos are a Mexican and American snack made of tortilla chips served with melted cheddar cheese, chilies, and other toppings such as refried beans, salsa, chopped onions, sour cream, etc. Nachos were invented in 1943 by Ignacio Anaya, a restaurant worker in Mexico. His nickname was Nacho. Once, when guests arrived at his restaurant and his chef did not, he went to the back and chopped up tortillas, added cheese and jalapenos, and named the dish ‘Nachos.’
Doritos were popularized in 1961 by Archibald Clark West, who was VP of marketing at Frito-Lay. While on vacation in Disneyland, he noticed some leftover chips at a restaurant affiliated with Frito-Lay, and the chef seasoned them with a special blend of spices. These were being sold to the public. When West discovered these, he loved them so much that he found funding to create a prototype. Doritos chips were introduced nationally in 1966. Doritos were the most popular tortilla chip in America in 2015, followed by Tostitos.
One popular fast food chain that specializes in tortilla chips, nachos, and other Mexican-inspired foods is Taco Bell. The company was established in 1962 by Glen Bell. Today there are more than 6300 Taco Bell establishments worldwide.
Other fun facts about tortilla chips
- February 24 is National Tortilla Chip Day
- Your average bag of tortilla chips (13 ounces) contains 1042 calories, 50 grams of fat, 140 grams of carbohydrates, 897 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of protein, and two grams of sugar.
- Tortillas are gluten-free!
- Blue corn tortillas have less starch and more protein than white corn tortillas, making them healthier.
- In 2015, Moe’s Southwestern Grill created and smashed an electric guitar made from tortilla chips.
- In the animated movie Despicable Me 2 (2013), Gru’s sombrero was made of tortilla chips.
- In 2012, Brewers Fayre restaurant baked the UK’s largest tortilla chip, at 110 pounds and 32 square feet.
Well there you have it, everything you ever wanted to know about tortilla chips. And you have an idea of the most popular tortilla chips on the market, including some that are made of alternative ingredients like cauliflower. Have a wonderful time enjoying America’s third favorite salty snack (it should really be first)!