Popular Chips In Australia: What's On The Menu?

what are the popular chips in australia

Australia has a wide variety of potato chip brands and flavours. Smith's, Samboy, Thins, Red Rock Deli, Kettle, and Boulder Canyon are some of the popular chip brands in Australia. Smith's, Australia's most-loved chip brand, offers unique flavours such as chicken and Thai sweet chilli, in addition to the usual crinkle cut, thinly cut, and Maxx potato chips. Samboy, known for its catchy advertising taglines, offers original, BBQ, chicken, salt & vinegar, and a spicy atomic tomato flavour. Thins, a direct competitor to Smith's, offers flavours like chicken, original, salt & vinegar, and light & tangy. Red Rock Deli, Kettle, and Boulder Canyon are also popular brands, with Red Rock Deli's Thai Chilli & Lime flavour being limited edition. Australians also seem to enjoy Cheezels, although some reviews suggest that they can be stale and overly salty.

Characteristics Values
Popular Chips Smith's, Samboy, Kettle, Red Rock Deli, Thins, Cheezels, Doritos, Cheetos
Smith's Flavours Chicken, Thai Sweet Chilli, Cheese and Onion, Original
Samboy Flavours Barbecue, Chicken, Salt & Vinegar, Atomic Tomato
Kettle Flavours Sea Salt, Sea Salt & Vinegar, Honey Baked Ham, Chilli
Thins Flavours Chicken, Original, Salt & Vinegar, Light & Tangy
Red Rock Deli Flavours Sea Salt, Lime and Black Pepper, Thai Chilli & Lime
Popular Chip Characteristics Audibly Crisp, Spicy, Salty, Crunchy

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Smith's Chips

Smith's Snackfood Company is a British-Australian snack food brand that is owned by the American multinational food and beverage corporation PepsiCo. It was founded by Frank Smith and Jim Viney in the United Kingdom in 1920 as Smith's Potato Crisps Ltd. The company packaged a "twist of salt" with its crisps in greaseproof paper bags, which were sold around London.

In 1931, Mr. Frank Smith and his colleague George Ensor started making Smith's Chips in Australia. The company uses top-quality Australian potatoes and high oleic sunflower and/or canola oil to cook their chips, reducing saturated fat content by 75% compared to palmolein oil-cooked chips. Smith's offers a variety of chip cuts, including crinkle, thinly cut, Maxx, and oven-baked, as well as double crunch.

Smith's introduced its first flavoured chip, chicken, in 1961, which was very popular and influenced competitors to adopt similar variations. Other flavours released over the years include Original (Pre-Salted), Salt & Vinegar, Barbecue, and Cheese & Onion. These five flavours—Original Salted (blue packet), Salt & Vinegar (magenta packet), Chicken (green packet), Barbecue (orange packet), and Cheese & Onion (yellow packet)—have remained the brand's mainstay flavours since the 1980s. Smith's has also introduced limited-edition variants and unique flavours such as Thai sweet chilli.

Smith's was Australia's largest producer of salty snack foods in 1998, when it was acquired by Frito-Lay, the second-largest producer of salty snacks in Australia. Despite Australians using the term "chips" for crisps, Smith's labelled their product as "crisps" until as late as 2003. They are now known as Smith's Chips.

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Thins Chips

Thins is one of the largest brands of savoury snack potato chips in Australia. It is owned by Snack Brands Australia, which is a subsidiary of Intersnack. Thins was originally owned by Arnott's and was later sold to The Smith's Snackfood Company after Arnott's was bought by the Campbell Soup Company. Thins is known for its thinly-sliced variety of potato chips, which were the first of their kind in Australia.

The brand has undergone several ownership changes, and at one point, there were two competing lines of effectively the same product in the Australian market. This was due to Smith's producing a line of potato chips under the Lay's brand name, which shared similar packaging with Thins. Eventually, the Thins brand was returned to Arnott's, and Smith's rebranded their Lay's chips as Smith's Crisps.

Thins offers a range of flavours, including Chicken, Original, Salt & Vinegar, BBQ Ribs, Cheese & Onion, Sour Cream & Chives, and Light & Tangy. They are direct competitors to Smith's Thinly Cut chips, another popular thinly sliced variety in Australia.

In a recent Australian supermarket potato chip taste test, Thins received mixed reviews. Some praised the thinness of the chips, while others described them as "weak and cheap" and criticised their texture, calling them "brittle" rather than crispy. The original flavour was noted to be salty, and the sour cream flavour was more pronounced compared to other brands. Despite the divided opinions, Thins remains a popular and well-known chip brand in Australia, with a unique position in the market as the first and most prominent thinly sliced chip variety.

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Kettle Chips

The brand offers a variety of flavours, including the classic sea salt, sea salt and vinegar, honey baked ham, and chilli. The chilli flavour has received particular acclaim for delivering on its promise of a distinct chilli taste, in addition to the expected potato and salt flavours.

In comparison to other brands, Kettle Chips have been described as less oily and more crispy. They are also available in a variety of textures, including the standard crunch and the novelty double crunch.

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Red Rock Deli Chips

In a taste test conducted by The Guardian, Red Rock Deli Chips were likened to "human company" by one reviewer, who praised their audible crispness without being overly oily. Another reviewer expressed excitement upon biting into the chip, highlighting the distinct crunch and flavour.

Overall, Red Rock Deli Chips are a beloved Australian snack, delivering on taste, texture, and flavour, and are a go-to choice for those seeking a crunchy, flavourful, and indulgent chip experience.

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Cheezels Cheese

Cheezels are a popular Australian snack food, currently produced by Snack Brands Australia. They are made from corn and rice and are shaped like puffy rings. They have a strong, savoury cheddar cheese flavour and aroma, and are similar in texture to cheese puffs, American Cheetos, or Canadian Cheezies. Cheezels are also manufactured in New Zealand by Bluebird Foods Ltd, a PepsiCo company, but the New Zealand version is said to be less crisp and have a milder cheese flavour than its Australian counterpart.

In Australia, Cheezels are a well-loved snack option, with their unique shape, texture, and flavour. They are often enjoyed by people of all ages and are a common choice for parties, picnics, and everyday snacking. The combination of corn and rice gives them a light and crispy texture, while the powdered cheese provides a bold and tangy flavour.

While the classic cheddar flavour is the most iconic and widely recognised variety of Cheezels, Snack Brands Australia has also introduced other flavours to the market. These limited-edition or seasonal flavours offer a twist on the traditional Cheezels, providing consumers with new and exciting taste experiences. Some of these flavours include:

  • Barbecue: A smoky, savoury twist on the classic, often released during the summer months.
  • Pizza: With a blend of herbs and spices reminiscent of a pepperoni pizza.
  • Jalapeno: For those who enjoy a kick of spice, offering a tangy and mildly hot flavour sensation.
  • Sour Cream and Chive: A creamy and tangy variation, providing a refreshing change from the traditional cheese flavour.

Cheezels are an iconic part of Australian snack culture, and their unique flavour and texture have garnered a loyal following. They are a common sight at supermarkets and convenience stores across the country, and their bright packaging and distinctive shape make them instantly recognisable. Cheezels have become a beloved symbol of Australian snack food, offering a fun and tasty treat for consumers of all ages.

Frequently asked questions

Some popular chip brands in Australia include Smith's, Samboy, Thins, Kettle, and Red Rock Deli.

Smith's offers a variety of chip flavours, including chicken, Thai sweet chilli, cheese and onion, and salt and vinegar. They also have a range of novelty textures such as crinkle cut, oven-baked, double crunch, and thinly cut.

Samboy is known for its barbecue flavour, but they also offer other flavours such as original, chicken, salt and vinegar, and a spicy flavour called "atomic tomato."

Thins offer a range of flavours such as chicken, original, salt and vinegar, and light and tangy.

Kettle chips are known for using Australian potatoes and natural ingredients. Their flavours include sea salt, sea salt and vinegar, honey-baked ham, and chilli.

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