I Asked 3 Mexican Chefs To Name the Best Tortilla Chips—They All Said the Same Thing
It's a Chicago-based brand known for its outstanding corn tortillas.
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Whether you’re whipping up a big batch of chilaquiles for Sunday brunch or putting out a bowl of guacamole for a late summer BBQ, buying high-quality tortilla chips can make all the difference. Chips that are too thick, too oily, or easily breakable can greatly affect the crunch and flavor of dishes and dips, but with so many brands out there, it can be hard to decipher just which bag to buy.
I spoke with a number of Mexican chefs to get the inside scoop on what brand of tortilla chips they use both professionally and in their home kitchens. While most of the chefs I spoke with make their own tortilla chips whenever possible, it turns out many of them share the same favorite brand.
The Tortilla Chip Experts I Asked
Iliana De La Vega: James Beard Award-winning chef of El Naranjo restaurant
Laura Muller: Content creator, chef, and recipe developer at Food Deals by Laura
Alejandra Graf: Cookbook author and creator of the award-winning blog AleCooks
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The Best Tortilla Chips, According to Mexican Chefs
Among the chefs I spoke with, there was some variation in their answers, but one clear winner rose to the top: El Milagro Tortilla Chips. Some editors at Simply Recipes are already big fans of the brand, and thus cheerfully applauded the consensus.
El Milagro is a Chicago-based tortilleria that has provided the local community (and now the entire country) with fresh tortillas, tostadas, and chips since 1950. Fried from day-old tortillas, El Milagro uses this traditional method to produce perfectly crunchy chips packed with tons of flavor and made with just four ingredients. The chips are extra large, making them an ample vessel for heaps of cheesy beans, pozole, or pico de gallo.
“I’ve been on a mission to taste various tortilla chip brands,” says Chef Laura, “and the one that stays true to authentic Mexican flavor is El Milagro.” With so many brands adding preservatives or filler ingredients to their chips, she truly appreciates its commitment to quality and genuine taste. Furthermore, when it comes to texture, Chef Laura finds that these chips “offer a delightful crunch that’s perfect for making chilaquiles or dipping in salsa.”
Even though at Chef Iliana's restaurant, El Naranjo, she "buys good quality corn tortillas and fry them in-house daily,” she always opts for El Milagro tortilla chips when it comes to store-bought: “I’ll often use them at home.”
Chef Alejandra agrees with the other two chefs. She says that along with their top-notch tortillas, El Milagro makes “tasty chips that are very good.” She explains, “A good tortilla chip should have that unmistakable corn tortilla flavor, giving you a taste of authentic Mexican cuisine in every bite.”
Read the original article on Simply Recipes.
