While most people have never met a chip they didn’t like, tortilla chips do vary. Which kind is best?

Real Simple put 14 brands through their paces to see how they compared. Were they corny enough? Could they scoop enough salsa and remain crisp? Were they sturdy enough to take on guacamole and quicksand-thick bean dip?

In the end, only the strong survived, and the winner was Tostitos Natural Yellow Corn chips. This all-around supreme chip had a toasty corn flavor, a perfect hint of salt, and a crisp, nongreasy texture. The chip wasn’t too thick but was strong enough to hold its own when paired with even the chunkiest, heaviest salsa.

But what about the other chips we tested? How did they hold up under the demands of eating, scooping, and general dipping?

Many that were delicious when eaten plain couldn’t stand up to the pressure of our rigorous tests: Both Santitas White Corn Triangles and Bravos Crispy Rounds Tortilla Chips fared well until they were swiped through bean dip. (They crumbled on contact.)

And despite their smaller size, Bachman Chipitos Bite Size White Corn Tortilla Chips and Herr’s Bite Size Dippers were as salty as regular-size chips, leaving tasters gasping for water.

While Utz Restaurant Style White Corn tortilla chips held up well to all our dipping, they just didn’t taste like corn. Tostitos Gold chips were sturdy and naturally corny-tasting but were too oily and salty.

The panel gave natural chips a try, too: Kettle Organic Yellow Corn tortilla chips were surprisingly salty for a snack found at a health-food store, while Bearitos All Natural Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips were perfectly salted and had a pleasant but too gentle corn flavor that disappeared after dipping.

The closest thing to second place was Green Mountain Gringo Tortilla Strips; these chips had all the attributes of the winner but were ever so slightly blander.