Or, is it justchili?
All I know is that chili is delicious, and I love it.
Many peoplemake their own chili, but some don’t have that kind of time or know-how.
Photos: Amy’s, Campbell’s, Gardein, Hormel, Marie Callender’s, Pacific Foods, Skyline, Wolf Brand Chili. Design: Eat This, Not That!
It’s right there in the name:chilipeppers.
Real peppers provide a depth of flavor that simple pantry spices just can’t match.
Another factor is a deeply scientific and precise metric that I completely made up called soupiness.
Robby Haynos for Eat This, Not That!
Soupiness is the ratio of broth to meat and beans present within the chili.
What I want is a high amount of pepper and spice flavor with a low amount of soupiness.
Chili that’s mostly broth isn’t chili, it’s just beef soup.
Robby Haynos for Eat This, Not That!
Mostly, I want beans and beef to be in my bowl when I look down.
Then, Ijudged every one based on appearance and taste.
So far, beef has been more of a suggestion than a reality.
Robby Haynos for Eat This, Not That!
The 15-ounce can cost me $3.29.
The Look:From a pure eye test, this is a home run.
What I want chili to have is meat, and a good amount of it.
Robby Haynos for Eat This, Not That!
This delivers with flying colors.
There’s more beef than broth.
Yet, from the moment I opened the can, I was both happy and disappointed.
Robby Haynos for Eat This, Not That!
On one hand, I saw beans and beef galore.
On the other hand, the smell was a little funky.
Not bad, just funky.
Robby Haynos for Eat This, Not That!
I expect to smell spices and peppers when I smell chili, but really all I smell is beef.
The Taste:The actual flavor of this chili is great.
The problem is the texture of the beef.
Robby Haynos for Eat This, Not That!
The meat has give where it should hold, and it holds where it should give.
I truly have never experienced anything even vaguely similar.
Why is there barley?
Robby Haynos for Eat This, Not That!
Why are there black beans?
I have no problem with barley, or with black beans, they just aren’t normal chili fixtures.
It also just presents like soup.
Robby Haynos for Eat This, Not That!
And, you were right.
This is not near the bottom because ittastes bad.
It’s near the bottom because it isn’t chili.
Robby Haynos for Eat This, Not That!
Gardein Plant Based Chili
Thisplant-based chili from Gardeinhas no beans.
If we’re going plant based, why are we taking out the tastiest of plant-based ingredients?
Anyway, this chili cost $5.99.
Robby Haynos for Eat This, Not That!
The Look:Not good.It looks sort of like cat food.
It comes out of the can like cat food too.
The Taste:It’s fine, but it could be so much better.
Robby Haynos for Eat This, Not That!
I am here, once again, to beg you chili makers for spices.
But a good chili needs spice, and without spice, it’s not good chili.
For one thing, it’s often served over spaghetti of all things!
Robby Haynos for Eat This, Not That!
I picked up this one for $3.99 at my local Harris Teeter.
The Taste:Not bad.Idid not think I would like this.
But, it’s better than expected.It is pretty sweet.
Robby Haynos for Eat This, Not That!
I detect hints of cinnamon and maybe allspice in there.
It tastes a littlelike a gingerbread cookie in chili form.
It’s got some acidity, too.
Robby Haynos for Eat This, Not That!
But, most importantly,ladies and gentlemen, we have spices.Finally!
Perhaps now Amy’s can bounce back withthis spicy-labeled red bean chili, which cost me $4.29.
I can tell you that it’s microwaving as I write this, and it smells amazing.
And it looks dramatically less watery than some other contenders in this little series.
Overall, a lovely presentation from Amy’s here.
The Taste:“Spicy” might be a stretch.
It certainly has spice, but it’s hardly detectable amid all theother flavors going on.
Aside from that, this tastes pretty solid.
But, finally, we have peppers!
Bell peppers, it turns out, but peppers nonetheless.
The added depthof flavor that even a bell pepper can bring to a chili cannot be understated.
In short: there is too much chili in this container.
Don’t dip your spoon haphazardly into a chili like this.
The Taste:Pretty good.
Can I make better chili?
Can you make better chili?
But, in the canned/prepackaged department, this is far better than I was expecting.
But, I digress.
Chili needs more thanjust your everyday table spices.
It’s there, but it’s not there in nearly enough quantity.
Let’s see if this supposed food brand currently gaslighting me can make a good chili.
For $2.99, it’s at least chili at a good price.
It also presents like a chili, with beans and beef poking out of the top.
The Taste:Really good.
It’s rich and fatty, and that permeates through each bite you take.
The presence of trans fats also gives me pause.
Overall, though, a very solid chili with a few health risks.
A can sells for $4.99 at my local grocery store.
Notably, though, it smells wrong.
The Taste:Impressive!
This is a great chili.
I get pepper flavor, good texture on the beans, and maybe a hint of cinnamon.
Give full credit to the Wolf.
You drastically exceeded my canned chili expectations.
