Doritos Tangy Cheese Tortilla Chips, 180g

Doritos are tortilla chips, triangles of corn cooked crisp, and Tangy Cheese is the orange, cheese dusted flavour. This 180g sharing bag is the size for a table of people, a film night or a plate of loaded nachos. The full product name on the pack is Tangy Cheese Flavour Corn Chips, and the label divides the bag into six servings of 30g.

Corn, not potato

The first thing on the list is corn. According to the published pack listing, the chips are made from corn (maize), rapeseed oil, a tangy cheese flavour seasoning and antioxidants (rosemary extract, ascorbic acid, a tocopherol rich extract and citric acid). Corn gives a tortilla chip its sweet, toasty flavour and a firmer, glassier crunch than a thin potato crisp, and the triangle shape is strong enough to scoop a dip.

What makes it tangy

The seasoning lists whey powder, flavouring (containing milk), salt, buttermilk powder, cheese powder, tomato powder, onion powder, potassium chloride, sugar, garlic powder, colours (paprika extract, annatto bixin and plain caramel), acidity regulators (citric acid and lactic acid), milk protein, spices, skimmed milk powder and a flavour enhancer, disodium 5'-ribonucleotide.

The tang in the name comes from three places. Buttermilk powder has a natural sourness. Lactic acid, the acid that gives yoghurt and aged cheese their sharpness, adds more. Citric acid brightens the finish. Behind them, the whey, cheese and milk powders make the flavour rich and cheesy, while tomato, onion and garlic give it the savoury depth of a cheese sauce rather than a plain cheese.

The flavour enhancer

Disodium 5'-ribonucleotide is a flavour enhancer made from two compounds, guanylate and inosinate, which strengthen savoury taste. It works best alongside the natural glutamates in the cheese and whey here. The pack does not list monosodium glutamate for this flavour.

A sharing bag in numbers

Per 30g serving the label gives 144 kcal, 6.6g of fat, 0.7g of saturates, 18g of carbohydrate, 1.1g of sugars, 1.7g of fibre, 2g of protein and 0.27g of salt. That serving is about 7% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake and 5% of the salt. Per 100g it is 480 kcal, 22g of fat, 2.2g of saturates, 61g of carbohydrate, 3.7g of sugars, 5.5g of fibre and 0.89g of salt. On the UK front of pack scale fat is high, saturates and salt are medium and sugars are low.

Tortilla chips carry a different balance from potato crisps. For comparison, a Walkers Cheese and Onion crisp carries 29g of fat per 100g on its label, against 22g here, and the chips carry more carbohydrate and fibre, which reflects the corn.

Reading the colours

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 22g is coloured red, since anything above 17.5g is high. Saturates at 2.2g are amber. Sugars at 3.7g are green, below the 5g line. Salt at 0.89g is amber, in the lower half of its band. For one 30g serving, the salt comes to 0.27g.

Allergens and diet

The published ingredients highlight milk, in the whey, flavouring, buttermilk, cheese, milk protein and skimmed milk powder. The allergy advice says the chips may contain cereals containing gluten and soya. The pack says they are suitable for vegetarians and made with no artificial colours or flavours. They are not vegan, because of the milk, and no gluten free claim is made. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

How tortilla chips are made

Tortilla chips start as a corn dough, pressed into thin sheets and cut into triangles, then cooked in oil until the water has gone and the chip is crisp through. The seasoning is tumbled on while the chips are warm, so the oil holds it. The pack names Walkers Snack Foods Ltd as the maker.

Why a triangle

The triangle is a practical shape. It has a point to lead into a dip and a broad base to hold what it scoops, and it stacks flat in a bag so fewer chips break on the way. Break a few in half before serving if the dips are thick; smaller pieces are easier to eat without the chip snapping in the bowl.

Serving the bag

Tangy Cheese is the Doritos flavour for loaded nachos: spread the chips on a tray, scatter grated cheese and sliced jalapeños, grill until the cheese melts, and finish with salsa, soured cream and guacamole. Straight from the bag, they suit a film night or a party bowl, and a cool dip such as soured cream and chive balances the tang. Pour half into a wide bowl and keep the rest clipped.

After opening, and other sizes

The pack advises storing the bag in a cool, dry place and eating it within three days of opening. The same flavour comes in a five bag multipack of 30g bags. In the same 180g size we stock Doritos Chilli Heatwave, Cool Original and Mexican Beef Taco, and for a hotter Doritos there is Doritos Extra Flamin Hot.

Sizes of Doritos Tangy Cheese Tortilla Chips we stock

Figures as published on each pack's label.

The published listing gives the United Kingdom as the country of origin. The tasting notes on this page are our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description.