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Mission Tortilla Triangles, $2.69 for a 13-ounce bag at Kroger.
The rundown: These come in a brown paper bag with a clear window that allows you to see the chips. Each 1-ounce serving — about 10 chips — contains 140 calories, 7 total fat grams, 3 grams of saturated fat, 150 milligrams sodium. Ingredients include ground corn treated with lime, water, vegetable oil and salt.
Upside: These sturdy chips easily stand up to chunky guacamole. They have a good mild corn flavor. If you want to make nachos that won't get soggy quickly, Mission chips work nicely.
Downside: Much too salty. The texture is too coarse, making them hard.
Bottom line: We'd bag these chips.
Xochitl Totopos de Maiz salted Mexican style stone-ground corn chips, $3.99 for a 12-ounce bag at Publix.
The rundown: Pronounced "so cheel," these triangle-shaped tortilla chips are packaged in a brown paper bag with a clear window similar to the Mission chips. Each 1-ounce serving contains 135 calories, 6 grams total fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 55 milligrams sodium. Ingredients listed are stone ground corn, water, lime and one of the following: organic palm super olein, non-hydrogenated expeller-pressed canola oil and/or safflower oil and/or cottonseed/corn/palm olein oil and sea salt.
Upside: Super thin, delicate chips with a subtle corn flavor. These crisp tortilla chips really let salsa and other dips shine while offering up plenty of crunch. Totally addicting. And since they're razor thin, one serving nets you a lot more chips.
Downside: Because they're so thin, there's more breakage in the bag. They also snap if your guacamole is thick and chunky.
Bottom line: Simply the perfect tortilla chips.
Trader Jose's salted tortilla chips, $1.99 for 16 ounces at Trader Joe's.
The rundown: Like the others tested, Trader Jose's considers 1 ounce a single serving. Each serving contains 130 calories, 4 grams total fat, .05 gram saturated fat and 45 milligrams sodium. Contains stone ground yellow corn, sunflower or corn oil, sea salt, water and a trace of salt.
Upside: Less fat and fewer calories than the other two brands tested. They have a rich gold tint, mild flavor and a short, straightforward list of ingredients. Although Trader Jose's contains less sodium than Mission and Xochitl, they don't taste as if they lack salt. Less expensive than the other two tested.
Downside: These are similar in flavor and texture to the Mission chips and don't resemble or taste like the ones served in better Mexican restaurants.
Bottom line: Basic, not fabulous tortilla chips.
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