Salsa: Ratings of Sources
Total of 12 Sources
For an explanation of how we rank reviews, see our ratings criteria page.
Big Bite: Salsa
by Dorothy Krasowska
Our Assessment
Food editors at Rachael Ray's magazine try out 71 brands of salsa on a tasting panel, choosing winners in eight categories. Unfortunately, editors only tell us the winners -- the other varieties of tested… salsa are not disclosed. Brad's Organic, Rosa Mexicano Chile Pasillo de Oaxaca and Drew's Hot Organic are the top finishers in the mild, medium and hot categories, respectively. Pace Picante Mild is named "best of the big guns," while Desert Pepper Trading Co. wins in the best corn category and Santa Fe Seasons Tomatillo is the best green variety. This review scores for testing the largest number of salsas, but we wish they'd also identified the losers.
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The Healthiest and Tastiest Summer Salsas
by Denise Foley and Tanya Beers
Our Assessment
In this taste test, Prevention chooses the eight best salsas in eight different categories (after considering a field of 88), after trying them out with a variety of foods. Like the Rachel Ray review, this… review isn't as great as it could be, since only the winners are identified. Green Mountain Gringo, Herdez Medium Salsa Casera and Desert Pepper Trading Co. are named for best mild, medium and hot salsas, respectively, while Santa Barbara takes the top spot for green salsa and Newman's Own for black bean salsa.
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EatingWell Taste Test: Salsas Worth Scooping
by Carolyn Malcolm
Our Assessment
EatingWell tasters test 40 brands of salsa on a panel of six people, including one restaurateur. Again, a flaw is that editors don't tell us which didn't make the cut and why -- only the top salsas are identified. The top finishers are Desert Pepper Trading Co. Salsa Divino (for its "smoky, herby, well-balanced flavor"), Pace Chunky Salsa Mild and Wild Oats Mild.
4. Cook's Illustrated Magazine
Apr. 2, 2007
Bottled Supermarket Salsa
by Editors of Cook's Illustrated
Our Assessment
In this review, Cook's Illustrated takes on supermarket salsa, taste-testing four mainstream brands. While not that many brands of salsa are tested, at least Cook's Illustrated isn't shy about identifying the losers.
5. ConsumerReports.org
Sept. 2005
Salsa & Chips
by Editors of Consumer Reports
Our Assessment
After first narrowing down the field, Consumer Reports has a team of tasters sample eleven salsas, ranging from regional to national brands, both by themselves and accompanied by chips. Compared to some of Consumer Reports' other articles, this one is light on detail. Salsa is rated in order of preference.
6. Cook's Illustrated Magazine
Nov. 2, 2003
Tasting Lab: Supermarket Salsa
by Editors of Cook's Illustrated
Our Assessment
In this taste test, Cook's Illustrated rounds up 10 brands of jarred and refrigerated supermarket salsa, all in the "medium" spicy category. Four are recommended.
The Tangy Twelve: The Salsa National Championships
by Dan Kois
Our Assessment
In this amusing article, Dan Kois brackets 12 salsas (a la the NCAA Championships) and tests them on friends. In the championship match, Desert Pepper Trading Co. Corn, Red Bean, Roasted Red Pepper Salsa Medium bests Pace Chunky Salsa Medium, but Kois isn't too enthusiastic about either. A first-round loser, Emeril's Original Recipe Medium Salsa is likened to ketchup.
Jarred Salsa Taste Test
by Ed Levine
Our Assessment
In this taste test, foodie Ed Levine runs five salsas past the staff of Serious Eats. The top two finishers are Herdez Salsa Casera (which is watery and has very few ingredients, so it can be "improved"), and All Natural Tostitos Chunky Salsa (for its balanced flavor and lack of sweetness). Overall, though, the tasters vastly prefer making their own salsa from scratch.
Taste Kitchen: Supermarket Salsa
by Katie Johnston Chase
Our Assessment
Katie Johnston Chase tries out a half-dozen mass-market salsas on a panel of tasters; the winner is Old El Paso Picante Salsa, which is "far from adored" but the "least hated." Tostitos Medium doesn't do as well (one panelist says it tastes like shoe polish), while Imus Ranch is compared to insecticide. While only a few salsas were sampled, the review is certainly critical.
Muy Caliente
by Elizabeth Sanchez
Our Assessment
Reviewer Elizabeth Sanchez rounds up a half-dozen mainstream salsas and does her own tasting. The top finishers are Emeril's Original Recipe Salsa ("the ideal balance of spices") and Ortega Original Salsa (which is deemed thick and chunky, but a bit too spicy). Lowest rated is Tostitos Chunky, which would work as a "remarkable cocktail sauce."
Our Top Salsa Picks
by Ginny Temple
Our Assessment
Temple doesn't say how many brands of salsa were tried before Health.com picked these four winners, nor do they say who exactly did the tasting. The winners are Green Mountain Gringo Salsa, Desert Pepper Trading Co. Salsa del Rio, Salpica Mango Peach Salsa and El Paso Chile Co. Roasted Tomato Salsa. With more disclosure, we could have ranked this report more highly.
Best Bottled Salsa?
by Contributors to Chowhound.com
Our Assessment
As you might expect, posts in this discussion thread are all over the map, but a couple of jarred salsas receive positive mentions, including Herdez Salsa Casera and Green Mountain Gringo. Still, most respondents criticize supermarket salsas in general, saying they're blander than homemade.
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