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See why.Mild Jarred Red Salsa
Piquant jarred salsas can add a little spice to any occasion. But what do mild salsas have to offer?
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Salsa ranks among America’s favorite dips—and nothing beats the jarred varieties for convenience, especially during the winter months when it can be hard to find high-quality fresh tomatoes to make salsa from scratch. But, jarred salsas can often be disappointing: mushy, bland, and overcooked. In the past, we’ve struggled to find medium and hot versions that we liked, though we’ve always managed to uncover a few good products. Still, many people prefer their salsa to be less fiery. Could we find a mild salsa that got the ratios of heat, salt, acidity, and sweet tomato flavor just right?
To find out, 21 America’s Test Kitchen editors and cooks tasted seven top-selling mild salsas—first plain and then with tortilla chips. One problem emerged almost immediately: Some of the mild salsas weren’t mild at all. In fact, two were deemed too hot when eaten on their own. A little heat wasn’t entirely unwelcome, though; the very mildest salsas came across as bland. With or without chips, however, tasters preferred salsas that had more moderate heat levels. Our top brand had a bit of a kick but didn’t overwhelm more sensitive palates.
Tasters were looking for balance in their salsas. Heat aside, sweetness was critical—brands that had 2 grams of sugar per serving (likely due to the use of tomato concentrate or puree) tended to rate higher than those that had 1 gram or less. But acidity was just as important, if not more so. Six of the seven salsas used vinegar to boost the brightness of their tomatoes; salsas that lacked enough of a sour counterpunch were considered “stale” and “too sweet.” Salt levels didn’t matter to testers unless they were significantly low; while the other salsas averaged about 217 milligrams of sodium per serving, a salsa that had only 65 milligrams was dismissed as “flat.” Salsas with flavors that seemed “off” were rejected, as were those overladen with herbs, which imparted a “marinara-like” or “chemically tasting” flavor. Tasters preferred salsas in which the tomato flavor was dominant but still allowed them to “taste the different elements” of the onions and peppers.
The biggest problem was texture. Freshly made salsa weeps vegetable juice as it sits; we found this to be an issue with these jarred salsas, too. To get a better sense of the composition of the salsas, we strained a cup of each overnight in an attempt to separate the solids from the liquids. One jarred salsa that tasters found “runny” shed 17 teaspoons of watery fluid overnight, almost a third of its total volume. Other brands overcompensated for the seepage issue, adding thickeners that kept liquid in but made the salsas “slimy” and “viscous”; one...
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Recommended
- Heat Level: 2 stars out of 3.
Our winning salsa was praised for its “hint of heat,” “good balance,” and “sweet,” “satisfying tomato flavor.” But with a “thick,” “smooth” base fortified with concentrated crushed tomatoes and studded with “crunchy,” “ideal-size chunks” of vegetables, it was the salsa’s texture that really won over our panel. Chi-Chi’s also produces our favorite medium-heat salsa.
Recommended with reservations
- Heat Level: 2 stars out of 3.
There was nothing wrong with the salsa—a few tasters thought this “chunky,” “balanced,” “mellow” salsa with “a decent amount of spice” was “just right.” But there was little to distinguish it, either. Overall, we found it “generic,” “unremarkable,” and “not deeply exciting,” especially when eaten with chips. As one taster said: “Solid, but not much X-factor.”
- Heat Level: 3 stars out of 3.
“Surprisingly spicy” on its own, this salsa was “better with chips,” where tasters generally noted only “a little heat” and found the salsa’s “high ratio of chunks to liquid . . . good for dipping.” While we liked its “vibrant” color and “very tomato-y” taste, many tasters thought this salsa was “very acidic,” marred by a “pickle-y,” “vinegary” flavor.
- Heat Level: 2 stars out of 3.
This salsa had “nice tomato flavor” and “tang” but a “soft,” “soupy,” “cooked” base. Worse, tasters consistently found it “too oniony.” Indeed, it was the only salsa to use both fresh and dehydrated onions, which may have imparted “canned” or “chemical” overtones—and after straining the salsa, we saw that more than half the solids were unevenly cut onions that our tasters found “tough” and “raw.”
Not Recommended
- Heat Level: 3 stars out of 3.
The only product to include serrano peppers (instead of the milder jalapeños favored by the other six companies), this salsa had a heat that “kick[ed] you in the face.” Eighteen of our 21 tasters were incredulous: “This is mild?” Although a few liked this salsa’s “fresh,” “bright” flavor, most disliked its “thin,” “runny” base, which made “dipping a challenge.”
- Heat Level: 1 stars out of 3.
Although “visually appealing” with large, vegetable chunks, this salsa lost on flavor. Tasters found the cilantro in this salsa to be “weird,” “bitter,” “harsh,” and “chemically,” characterized by “a detergent aftertaste.” With only 65 milligrams of salt per serving and not enough acidity, this salsa was also deemed “flat” and lacking in “liveliness.”
- Heat Level: 1 stars out of 3.
Thickened with cornstarch, this salsa had a “slimy,” “gelatinous,” “viscous” consistency. Flavorwise, the salsa’s “bland,” “tomato-y,” “too sweet” taste prompted comparisons to “baby food,” “children’s spaghetti sauce,” and “Chef Boyardee.”
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