Which salsa is the best

I needed their level heads to rightfully judge the bowls of tomatoes and onions and chiles in front of them. I came away victorious, with a clear favorite, but there were several that we liked for various reasons, which I'll outline below.

But first, the fine print:. We chose only jarred, shelf-stable tomato salsas that were labeled "mild" by the manufacturer—nothing from the refrigerated section, though there are good options out there should you decide to seek them out. Salsas were tasted blind, at room temperature with an assortment of classic restaurant-style and yellow corn Tostitos tortilla chips.

We chose to taste mild salsa because we think it's the most versatile for using in a recipe, such as this three-bean chili.

We wanted a basic one with tomatoes, onion, garlic, chiles, and maybe some lime or cilantro. Of course there were variations on these ingredients some advertised "roasted tomatoes," or other herbs and spices , but we didn't include anything with corn, black beans, mango, pineapple or any similar variations abounding on market shelves.

Our winner had a good amount of spiciness—not too powerful, but present. In fact, there are probably better salsas out there for dips too. This salsa autentica is good with salty corn chips but also sunnyside eggs, hash browns, and a cheesy quesadilla that calls for a subtle drop of heat. As one of the more popular thick salsas, Tostitos Medium Chunky Salsa Dip has attracted both critics and loyal fans.

The dip gets most of its heat from the mild chili that also brings notes of freshness that we really enjoy. The two products really balance each other out, so we understand the loyal following. Fans of chunky salsa will defend their go-to bottle at all costs, but a lot can go wrong with a textured sauce. Tomatillo salsas call for some acid to complement the green tomatoes, but this one teeters on the verge of sour. The Texas-based brand has a range of dips that come in a few different heat levels and it's also dairy-free, nut-free, and gluten-free.

World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Taylor Tobin. Although many chefs make their own salsas, sometimes they use the jarred stuff you find at the store.

Two chefs told Insider that they love salsa from the brand Frontera. One of the chefs gave Whole Foods' store-brand salsa high marks. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. This chef said he usually buys Frontera's Roasted Habanero Salsa. Frontera is also this chef's go-to brand of salsa, but he prefers the jalapeno-cilantro flavor.