The Best Potato Chip For French Onion Dip

The weather’s getting warmer and that means sitting outside on the porch (patio, stoop, deck, etc.). Someone may be at the grill getting ready for a late afternoon lunch, but luckily that’s not you. And you’re hungry now.

Enter potato chips and French onion dip, the GOAT of storebought summer appetizers, and what I always bring to the party to get out of cooking anything complicated.

For many years, I thought a baked chip with ripples was the right move, even though the bag is tiny and it’s expensive. Hey, it’s worth it, right? But with the price of eggs and gas and everything else out there, we need to economize without sacrificing the most important part of the chip’s job in this situation: delivering a quality amount of dip to your tastebuds.

Because I care about you, I decided to be very scientific about this project. I gathered a group of friends and forced them to try dipping with a variety of standard chip styles and vote on their favorite. No fancy flavors, no talk of oils, no debate about calories or health of any kind. Our mission was to find the best potato chip with the best crunch that is ALSO the most efficient in dipping and delivering the French onion dip. We looked at four styles: plain, rippled, wavy, and kettle.

Some people approached this experiment with certainty about their eventual choice, but I’m here to tell you they were all surprised at the results.

The clear loser in this game was the plain chip: didn’t hold up when dipped and frequently broke off in the container. No one wants a chip that forces you to go diving with your fingers to rescue the broken bits. Also, minimal crunch. Thumbs down in this situation.

The kettle chip was heralded as a solo chip—not a dipping chip. It had maximum crunch, but the folds made for a tricky and sloppy dip delivery. One can only wipe their hands on their shorts so many times without needing to run through the sprinkler and it’s not QUITE that warm yet.

The real battle here was between the rippled chip and the wavy chip. Both had good crunch, both held up to the force of the dip (that’s just physics), and both delivered a solid amount of dip. At the beginning, most people assumed the ripples would take the cake. But with 90% of the votes, the wavy chip was the clear winner. Almost everyone agreed it was the increased surface area that made the difference. The dip was able to settle into the waves, whereas it just sat on top of the tight ripples.

So, there you have it. When gathering your supplies for a summer backyard hang, be the person who brings the right, no-prep, storebought—and scientifically proven—dish to the party: French onion dip with a wavy potato chip. You’re welcome.