Here is the dill.

If I could be a trendy food, I’d be pickles. Unlike its viral predecessors (smoothie bowls, butter boards, and blended cottage cheese, I’m talking about you), pickles are popular not only with trendy TikTokers, but also with kids and Gen X. Who doesn’t want to be appreciated by anyone and everyone?

Pickled cucumbers are so popular that their flavor is even used to flavor dips, chips, classic condiments, and even canned fish! But give me a good classic dill pickle and I’m a happy girl! That’s why I set out to find the best that’s available in the supermarket.

How I chose the dill pickles

I searched the refrigerated and spice aisles of various grocery chains for brands, choosing only those that I knew were widely available. They had to be labeled as “dill” in some way and had to be stick-shaped to be considered. No price point was considered “off limits” since this was, after all, a taste test.

This is how I tested and rated the dill pickles

I gathered my loyal tasters and we judged our pickled cucumber experience based on several factors. First, of course, was taste. It had to taste like a pickled cucumber, and good too. Second was crunch. We wanted that crisp crunch that was perfect bite after bite. Last came appearance. Did it look like a cucumber or some kind of weirdly colored alien food? To be fair, we enjoyed the pickles on unlabeled plates, taking sips of water between samples to cleanse our palates.

The best store-bought dill pickles, ranked

7th place: Mt. Olive Kosher Dill Spears

These pickles have a strange neon yellow color and no structure. Their limp appearance and confusing color got us wondering how exactly these pickles were made. Unfortunately, tasting did not improve their popularity. One tester took a bite and immediately said, “No!” Another was a little more open-minded and said, “It’s not that bad, it’s just not good.” It didn’t taste like a traditional dill pickle and lacked the strong vinegar flavor we were hoping for. Since it didn’t score well in any category, we ranked it last.

6th place: Dietz & Watson Kosher Pickle Spears

This chilled pickle seemed like a promising candidate. It looked like a cucumber and the pickles were a nice size. They were pretty crunchy, but something about the taste seemed off. They didn’t taste like pickles, they tasted like chemicals. One tester said, “They taste ‘weird.'” We all agreed. The good looks weren’t enough to convince us, so these came in 6th place.

5th place: Yee Haw No Frills Dills

They looked good and had a solid cucumber flavor with their lumpy and crunchy exterior. However, the inside was too soft, which no one liked. The flavor was bland overall and didn’t give us the cucumber kick we were craving. We put them in the “meh” category, which gave them 5th place overall.

4th place: Suckerpunch Snappy Classic Dill Spears

This was the darkest pickle of all and one tester asked, “Are these pickles OK?” Honestly, the color is probably due to the mix of spices (we spotted cloves) and seasonings they use. However, the texture was great and the pickles were crisp, which we all liked. As for the flavor, it’s not traditional. You definitely taste the garlic and a lot of warm spices, like the aforementioned clove. We agreed that we liked these, but they didn’t come close enough to the classic, so 4th place seemed appropriate.

3rd place: Vlasic Zesty Dill Spears

We were faced with another unusually colored pickle. The 1980s-style neon yellow color didn’t appeal to tasters, at least not at first. Ironically, the color was completely forgotten by the time we tasted the pickle. It was bright and had a nice, clean flavor. It seemed classic, reminding our older taste testers of childhood barbecues where similar pickles were served alongside hot dogs and hamburgers. They were relatively crispy, but could have scored better if they had a crisper bite.

2nd place: Grillo’s Pickles Classic Dill Spears

“It’s delicious!” exclaimed one of the tasters. It looked like a real cucumber and we loved the little “whispers” of fresh dill that clung to each cucumber. This cucumber was also the crispest and crunchiest when you ate it. It was the perfect cucumber and the flavor was convincing! We actually saw bits of dill – and tasted them too. They were fresh and fabulous and we ate our whole spear!

1st place: Claussen Kosher Dill Spears

It’s sometimes hard to pick a winner, and my tasters were a bit divided here, but Claussen narrowly beat out Grillo’s. Like Grillo’s, Claussen cucumbers are chilled and are “nice and crisp,” said one taste tester. We liked that about them, and the flavor felt familiar but also unique, with a bold acidity and tart flavor that made our mouths water. We all agreed that Claussen got it right! Big slices of cucumbers full of crunch and clean flavor! For those reasons, it’s our favorite.

Read the original article on All Recipes.