Taste & Tell

Buy the best: we put supermarket potato salads to the taste test

Our judges have spoken: here's where to head to pick up a delicious ready-made side dish for your next braai

22 September 2019 - 00:00 By Hilary Biller
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From left: potato salad from Woolworths, Pick n Pay, Checkers and Spar.
From left: potato salad from Woolworths, Pick n Pay, Checkers and Spar.
Image: Christoph Hoffman

HOW WE CONDUCTED OUR TASTE TEST

It's free and fair!

We eat with our eyes, we all know that, but add branding and packaging and one's opinion of a product is often swayed before they've even tasted it. So to ensure our tastings are free and fair, all packaging is removed before products are presented to our panel of judges.

The products are also numbered and, if required, prepared exactly to package instructions. Food expert Jenny Kay is on hand in the kitchen to ensure fairness while this all happens.

Our judges are then asked to rate each product on a score-sheet according to appearance, aroma, taste — and whether they would buy it or not.

Auditor Jade Craig oversees the whole process, collates all the scores and draws up a report. 

THE RESULTS

FIRST PLACE: WOOLWORTHS

Deli-Style Potato Salad

Price: 1kg for R59.99

What the judges said:

  • Chantel: Good visual appeal, love the red onion which gives it a sweeter taste. Good texture.
  • Candice: Interesting presentation - colour from onion and herbs. Skin on potatoes, mayo a little bland.
  • Ewan: Liked the skin-on potato appearance, good flavour but more salt and pepper needed. Great texture.
  • Sergio: Delicious, good texture, very well balanced flavours.

SECOND PLACE: PICK N PAY

Potato Salad

Price: 500g for R34.99

What the judges said:

  • Marina: Well balanced salad, will complement a braai spread.
  • Siyabulela: Flavour ok, looked ok.
  • Cale: Lacks seasoning and some potato undercooked.
  • Brandon: Real potato salad taste, smells good. Nice.
Kabelo Segone talks flavours with a fellow judge during our taste test.
Kabelo Segone talks flavours with a fellow judge during our taste test.
Image: Justin Barlow

THIRD PLACE: CHECKERS

Potato Salad

Price: 650g for R39.99

What the judges said:

  • Kabelo: Overpowering smell of egg and onions.
  • Candice: Slightly weird texture, potatoes hard and waxy. Mayo too thin, bland flavour.
  • Lynda: Tastes better than it looks.
  • Devon: This salad needs seasoning.

FOURTH PLACE: SPAR

Green Salad Range Potato Salad

Price: R62.99 per kg

What the judges said:

  • Chanel: No visual appeal, no flavour, bland. Mayo is not good and potatoes waxy.
  • Ewan: No tastebud tickler, lacks appeal.
  • Sergio: Very bland looking and tasting. Needs something green to make it look appealing.
  • Marina: Way too tangy and tastes "mass produced".

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