How We Review Chili Crisp

There are now hundreds of products being sold as chili crisp, chili oil, crunchy oil and related chile-based condiments.

So how do we decide whether one is actually worth eating? We open the jar.

At Chili Crisp Central, our reviews are based primarily on first-hand examination and tasting. We don't simply reproduce manufacturer descriptions, retailer reviews or ingredient lists. Those things are useful sources of information, but they don't tell us what the product actually tastes and feels like.

That's our job.

What We Look At

Every product is examined using a consistent framework. Not every category receives a numerical score, but the following characteristics form the basis of our evaluations.

1. Appearance

Before tasting, we look at what's actually in the jar.

We consider:

Color of the oil
Color and size of the chile pieces
Amount of visible solids
Garlic, shallot, onion or other vegetables
Seeds and nuts
Spices
Sedimentation
Overall consistency

Appearance can tell us quite a bit about how a product was made and what we can expect when we taste it.

2. Aroma

We pay attention to the aroma before tasting.

Is the dominant impression chile? Fried garlic? Shallot? Sesame? Sichuan pepper? Fermented black bean? Peanut? The oil itself?

A good chili condiment can be remarkably aromatic, and aroma is an important part of the experience.

3. Flavor

Flavor is the heart of the review.

We consider:

Chile flavor
Heat
Saltiness
Sweetness
Acidity
Umami
Spice
Fermented flavors
Garlic and onion
Nutty or toasted flavors
Overall complexity

Most importantly, we're interested in balance.

A product doesn't need a dozen ingredients to be complex, and a long ingredient list doesn't automatically make a better condiment.

4. Heat

We describe the perceived heat of each product and place it within our own relative scale.

Our heat assessment is based on the experience of eating the product—not simply the type of chile listed on the label.

That's important because actual heat can be affected by:

Chile variety
Chile quantity
Processing
Oil-to-chile ratio
Other ingredients
Serving size

We also distinguish between initial heat and lingering heat when appropriate.

5. Texture and Crunch

The word crisp is in the name of one of our favorite condiments, so texture matters.

We consider:

Crunch
Crispness
Chewiness
Particle size
Fried ingredients
Nut and seed texture
Soft versus firm chile pieces
Oiliness
How the solids behave after stirring

Some products are genuinely crunchy. Others are pleasantly chewy. Some are almost entirely oil.

None is automatically better—but the texture should match what the product is trying to be.

6. Solids-to-Oil Ratio

One of the things we find particularly interesting is how much actual "stuff" is suspended in the oil.

A jar can be mostly oil or nearly packed with solids, with many variations between those extremes.

We consider not only the quantity of solids but what those solids contribute. A large amount of fried garlic, for example, produces a very different experience from a large amount of chile flakes.

7. The Oil

Oil isn't merely the liquid that carries the chile. It affects aroma, mouthfeel, richness, heat extraction and the way other flavors develop.

We identify the principal oil or oils listed on the label whenever possible and consider how they contribute to the finished product.

Among the oils we commonly encounter are:

Rapeseed/canola
Soybean
Peanut
Sunflower
Rice bran
Grapeseed
Sesame
Olive
Avocado

8. Ingredients

We examine the ingredient list and call attention to ingredients that significantly affect the character of the condiment.

These may include:

Different chile varieties
Sichuan pepper
Garlic
Shallot
Onion
Ginger
Sesame
Peanuts
Fermented black beans
Doubanjiang
Tofu or fermented tofu
Mushroom products
Spices
MSG and other flavor enhancers

When an ingredient is particularly important to understanding a product, we'll explain what it is and what it contributes.

9. Saltiness

Salt is one of the easiest characteristics to overlook until there is too much—or too little.

Where nutritional information is available, we take sodium content into account. We also distinguish between the declared sodium content and our own perception of saltiness.

A high-sodium product isn't necessarily poorly made, but excessive salt can overwhelm chile, spice and other flavors.

10. Versatility

We also ask the practical question:

What can you do with it?

Some products excel when tasted straight from the jar.

Others really come alive when added to:

Rice
Noodles
Dumplings
Eggs
Vegetables
Meat
Seafood
Soups
Sandwiches
Pizza
Tacos
Marinades
Sauces

A condiment that works in ten different dishes has a different kind of value from one that is best enjoyed by the spoonful.

How We Classify Products

Not everything sold as "chili crisp" is necessarily what we'd call chili crisp.

We use several broad categories, including:

Chili Crisp — chile-based oil containing a meaningful quantity of crunchy or textured solids.

Chili Oil — primarily an infused or seasoned oil in which liquid oil is the dominant component.

Crunchy Oil — an oil-based condiment in which fried garlic, onion, shallot or other solids may be more prominent than the chile itself.

Taberu Rayu — Japanese "edible chili oil," often containing substantial quantities of garlic, onion, sesame and other solids.

Salsa Macha — a Mexican chile-and-oil condiment frequently incorporating nuts, seeds and other toasted ingredients.

These categories aren't intended to establish rigid culinary rules. They're simply useful ways for us to describe what we encounter.

Ratings

Our ratings are based on our overall impression of the product rather than a mathematical formula in which one characteristic automatically determines the final score.

We consider:

Flavor + Texture + Balance + Distinctiveness + Versatility + Value

A mild chili crisp can therefore score highly. So can a very hot one.

The question isn't whether a product conforms to one particular idea of what chili crisp should be.

The question is: Does it work?

What We Don't Do

We don't believe that:

The hottest product is automatically the best.
The longest ingredient list is automatically the best.
The most expensive product is automatically the best.
A famous brand is automatically the best.
"Authentic" automatically means delicious.
A product labeled "chili crisp" automatically deserves that classification.

We taste first and make our own judgment.

Our Reviews Template

We have developed a repeatable sensory evaluation system.

This is a sample standard template we use for reviews. Reviews will at a minimum contain this information:

Name of Product

We start with a short paragraph about how and where we came to obtain the reviewed product.

Following that, we include images of the jar and a sample spoonful of the actual product.

Main Flavor Elements

This list will contain several of the most forward flavors

Snapshot

Some things we think readers will want to know up front before they even consider buying the product.

Base oil(s): Soybean, canola, olive, etc.
Solids to oil ratio: Low, medium, high (i.e. how chunky is it)
Flavor Enhancer: Yes/No, and what kind
Potential allergens: Soy, wheat, peanut, sesame, etc.
Storage: e.g. refrigerate or store in cool, dry place

Our Impressions

These assessments are based upon consuming a small portion (about 1 teaspoon) of just the product itself. If we already have some of the product on hand and it's stored under refrigeration, we let it come back to room temp before performing a critical tasting. We initially report:

Heat level: Low, moderate, high, off the chart
Texture: Crunchy, chewy, muddy
Saltiness: Low, medium, high (Mg. sodium per serving)

Editorial Content

Next, we sum up our overall assessment of the reviewed product in a several paragraphs. We consider what we thought about the product as a whole, while at the same time focusing on the parts we liked best (or worst), including the ten parameters we've listed above.

Ingredients

Our best-effort listing of ingredients will come from either the package, the manufacturer's website or a vendor website. Sometimes we use Google Lens to translate Chinese and Japanese labels. Occasionally, manufacturers make changes we're not aware of. You should always rely upon in-hand product labeling before making decisions about consuming something new.

More Information

Brand: Who makes it
Style: What we consider it to be
Price paid: $ and oz.
Country of Origin:
Manufacturer website: If available
Social media: If available

We believe this structured format gives readers a better understanding than simply watching a video of someone tasting a product and making a few general comments about it.

A Note About Subjectivity

Taste is personal.

Our reviews are not intended to establish an objective scientific ranking of chili crisps. They represent our observations and preferences after examining and tasting the products.

That's also why we provide the underlying information—ingredients, oil, heat, texture, saltiness, price and other characteristics—rather than simply giving every jar a number.

Our job is to give you information. What you do with it is up to you.