How does your favourite stack up? MailOnline reveals how much air is in popular crisp packets

By William On Jul 15, 2023

Whether it’s a spicy Dorito or a crunchy NikNak, chips are officially one of the UK’s favorite snacks.

When breaking open a package, there’s nothing more annoying than encountering a puff of air and a disappointing pile of crumbs.

The gas in the packs is nitrogen, which helps keep your chips crispy and prevent them from spoiling too quickly.

But which brands have the worst air-to-crisp ratio?

To find out, MailOnline conducted its own experiment, with shocking results. So how does your favorite rank?

How does your favorite score? MailOnline reveals how much air is in popular chip packs

MailOnline conducted its own experiment, with shocking results. So how does your favorite rank?

How much air is in a pack of your favorite chips?

Hoops – 20%
Wotsits – 24%
Monster Munch – 26%
Doritos – 33%
Hikers – 37%

For the experiment, we tested the amount of air in packets of five of the nation’s favorite chips: Pickled Onion Monster Munch, Tangy Cheese Doritos, BBQ Beef Hula Hoops, Walkers Cheese and Onion, and Wotsits.

These were all purchased from Tesco Express for £1.

To find out the volume of these sealed packets – including chips and air – we filled a jug with 1,150 ml of water before dipping the packets in one at a time.

After these initial measurements were recorded, we decanted the chips into empty vacuum packs (somehow we resisted the urge to eat any of them), before using a vacuum machine to suck out all the air and resealing the pack .

At this stage, our chips looked very squashed and sad, but we went ahead and put the packets back in the water, which allowed us to see the volume without air.

With a bit of quick math, we could then calculate the percentage of air in each packet of chips.

When breaking open a package, there is nothing more annoying than being confronted with a whooshing air and a disappointing pile of crumbs

The results showed that the BBQ Beef Hula-Hoops had the least amount of air in their package, with only 20 percent of the bag being taken up by gas.

This was followed by Wotsits (24%) and Pickled Onion Monster Munch (26%).

In contrast, Walkers Cheese & Onion were found to contain the most air (37 percent), followed by Tangy Cheese Doritos (33 percent).

Before you feel screwed, there’s an important caveat to note.

PepsiCo UK, the maker of four of the five tested chips (except Hula Hoops), explained to MailOnline that it fills its packages by weight rather than volume.

It also uses state-of-the-art technology to ensure that each pack contains the correct amount of chips.

“To keep our chips fresh and crispy, we blow a little bit of air into the package just before we close it,” says a spokesman.

“This also cushions and protects the chips in the package as they make the journey from our factories to retailers across the country, and eventually into people’s homes.”

Our test comes shortly after scientists revealed the best chips for crispy sandwiches.

Dr. Stuart Farrimond, a food scientist, looked at the flavorings in popular sandwiches and crisps in a study conducted at the University of Chester on behalf of Subway and Walkers.

His findings suggest that the sweet and sour and umami flavors in a Chicken Tikka sandwich are perfectly enhanced by the salty spices in Ready Salted chips.

Dr. Farrimond said, “Sandwiches are a much-loved lunchtime staple, but flavor pairing theory and consumer testing have enabled us to discover new ways to take this well-known meal to the next level and enhance both texture and taste.”

Chocolate side up or down? Scientist Reveals the Best Way to Eat a Chocolate Digestive

With their crunchy cookie base and luxurious chocolate topping, Chocolate Digestives have been a favorite of cookie lovers since their launch in 1925.

But one question has been much debated about the biscuits: In which direction should they be eaten?

Now researchers at Oxford University think they’ve settled the debate, claiming that you should pick up the cookies chocolate-side up, but flip them before eating them.

The experts say this method allows the brain to register the chocolate coating, while flipping before eating maximizes the “oral-somatosensory experience” of chocolate melting on the tongue.