Oven chips

Fries To Go  €1.89 for 270g, €7 per kg

Ready-to-eat straight from the freezer after less than three minutes in the microwave, this is the kind of 21st century food that would have really appealed to a 7-year-old Pricewatch. A considerably older one was not so enthused by their processed nature, but they actually didn’t taste half bad. They are nice and thin and crisp up well. We wouldn’t suggest you eat them every day but if you had some occasionally, they’d do you no harm. Although the same cannot be said about the damage they’d do to your pocket, as they are considerably more pricey than any of the others.

Verdict: Real fast food ***

McCain Oven Chips €3 for 1.5 kg, €2 per kg 

These are the market leaders, or if not, they are certainly the best-known and the longest- standing oven chips around. As such, a lot was expected of them, but they failed to deliver. They are not particularly potatoey and are a very long way from the DIY option. They left an aftertaste that was not particularly pleasant and while some of the chips lacked crispiness (yes, we mean soggy), others were a little too well done. On the plus side, they are low in saturated fats, are made with just potatoes and sunflower oil and were the cheapest of the shop-bought options we tried.

Verdict: Disappointing **

Aunt Bessie's Home Style Chips €2.09 for 1kg 

We have no idea who Aunt Bessie is but we like her style. These chips are by far the best of the processed options we tried and actually taste like they have been made with real potatoes. The are thick and they crisp up well. There has to be a price paid for all this crispy flavoursomeness and that can probably be measured in terms of the saturated fat content. These have 4.4g per 100g, a lot by any measure. The ingredient list also contains batter - which was nice – and at least one E number which displeased us.

Verdict: Nice but greasy ****

The DIY option 60 cent per kg

Using potatoes taken from a 7.5kg bag of Tesco market value potatoes which cost €3.99, this was the cheapest option by a country mile. Peel them, chip them, splash a bit of oil on them and chuck them in the oven and you’re all set. Easy and cheap and a lot better for you than any of the shop-bought options we tried. You also have total control and can have them thin or thick or long and short, depending on your fancy. They do take a little longer to get from cupboard to plate – a lot longer than the microwave chips – but it is time well spent by our reckoning.

Verdict: Cheap as chips and nicer too *****

Is there something you would like us to test?

E-mail suggestions to pricewatch@irishtimes.com