McCoy's Flame Grilled Steak Crisps, 140g

Flame grilled steak is a flavour made entirely of suggestion, and this 140g sharing bag of McCoy's shows how. The published ingredients list no meat. What they list instead is a seasoning designed to taste of a charred, savoury steak, dusted onto a thick ridge cut crisp. The full product name on the pack is Flame Grilled Steak Flavour Potato Crisps, and the label suggests the bag serves four to five.

The seasoning, and why it tastes of meat

According to the published pack listing, the crisps are made from potatoes, sunflower oil and a flame grilled steak flavour seasoning. The seasoning lists lactose (milk), salt, dried onion, dried yeast extract, two flavour enhancers (monosodium glutamate and disodium guanylate), potassium chloride, flavouring (containing milk), maltodextrin, dried skimmed milk, citric acid and paprika extract for colour.

The savoury depth that makes people think of meat comes from glutamate, the compound responsible for the taste cooks call umami. Yeast extract is naturally rich in it, and monosodium glutamate adds more directly. Disodium guanylate is a second flavour enhancer that works alongside glutamate: together the two give a stronger savoury taste than either does alone, which is why they are so often listed as a pair. Dried onion adds the sweet, browned note of a grill, and the flavouring carries the smoky, charred aroma.

Why lactose comes first

Lactose, the natural sugar in milk, is the first ingredient in the seasoning. It is mildly sweet and dissolves easily, so it works as a base that carries the stronger flavours and spreads them evenly over each crisp. Together with the flavouring and the dried skimmed milk, it is also why this crisp contains milk, which matters for anyone avoiding dairy.

A sharing bag in numbers

Per 30g serving the label gives 157 kcal (656 kJ), 9.3g of fat, 0.8g of saturates, 16g of carbohydrate, 0.7g of sugars, 1.2g of fibre, 2.1g of protein and 0.45g of salt. That serving is about 8% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake and 8% of the salt. Per 100g it is 524 kcal, 31g of fat, 2.5g of saturates, 2.3g of sugars and 1.5g of salt. On the UK front of pack scale, fat is high, saturates are medium, sugars are low, and salt is medium, sitting right at the top of the medium band: 1.5g is the last figure before salt turns red.

The colours on the front

On the UK scale, per 100g, the fat of 31g is red, being well over the 17.5g line that fried crisps almost always cross. Saturates at 2.5g are amber. Sugars at 2.3g are green. Salt at 1.5g is amber, but only just: one step more and it would be red. That makes portion size worth watching with this bag, which is why the label's 30g serving is a useful guide.

Allergens and diet

The published ingredients highlight milk, in the lactose, flavouring and dried skimmed milk. The allergy advice says the crisps may contain cereals containing gluten, mustard and soya. The pack says they are suitable for vegetarians. 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.

Ridge cut, and why it suits a sharing bowl

McCoy's crisps are cut with a corrugated blade into thicker, ridged slices. In a sharing bowl that matters: thick ridged crisps break less under their own weight than thin ones, so fewer turn to crumbs at the bottom, and they are sturdy enough to scoop a thick dip. The ridges also hold more of this rich seasoning than a flat slice.

How the crisps are made

Washed potatoes are sliced with the ridged blade, rinsed of surface starch and fried in sunflower oil until the water has cooked out of the thicker slices and they set firm. The seasoning is tumbled onto the warm crisps. The pack says the bag is packaged in a protective atmosphere, which keeps oxygen away from the oil until you open it.

Serving the bag

A steak flavoured crisp belongs next to hearty food: burgers, a steak sandwich, a mixed grill, or a bowl of chilli. With dips, try something cool and creamy, such as a soured cream and chive dip or a blue cheese dip, which suits the savoury, beefy note. Pour half the bag into a wide bowl, and keep the rest sealed.

After opening

The pack gives specific advice here: store in a cool, dry place and, once opened, keep the crisps in an airtight container. A clip on the bag helps, but a lidded tub is better for anything left overnight.

Other sizes

The same flavour comes in a 45g single bag and a six bag multipack of 25g bags. In the same sharing size we also stock McCoy's Salt and Malt Vinegar at 140g.

Sizes of McCoy's Flame Grilled Steak Crisps we stock

Figures as published on each pack's label.

The published listing gives the United Kingdom as the country of origin and names KP Snacks as the maker. The published listing says the whole packaging can be recycled with bags at large supermarkets and should not go in home recycling. The tasting notes on this page are our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description.