Taste-Off: The best canned diced green chiles — and the duds

From Ortega to Hatch, La Victoria and more, who makes the best canned chiles? We taste tested 11 brands to find the very best ones -- and found four so terrible, you need to back away from the supermarket shelf.

It may be the brand Mom always used or the one listed on the recipe, but is that popular brand of diced green chiles really the best?

Diced green chiles, not to be confused with spicy, pickled jalapenos, are typically Anaheim, Poblano or Pasilla peppers that have been roasted, peeled, diced and canned — and ready for use in everything from green chile stew to eggs, casseroles, soup or rice. You can find canned Hatch chiles, the prized mild peppers grown in New Mexico’s Hatch Valley, in some markets, too,

Even though the ingredients in every can of diced green chiles are essentially the same, the differences between brands are vast. Some have peppers cut in a 0.75 to 1 cm dice, plump and almost crispy. Others are 0.5 cm or less, and so mushy that the canning liquid has turned to green gravy.

Good diced green chiles are made with ripe peppers that have been expertly roasted and meticulously processed to remove the tough skins and seeds. They are juicy and have such huge pepper flavor that they’re every bit as good as a roasted pepper just off the grill. Bad canned chiles range from bland to tin-flavored. The worst are so poorly processed that hunks of papery skin, stem fibers and seeds make them nearly impossible to swallow.

Here are details on the tender bits of roasted chile pepper that will add a blast of flavor to any dish — and the duds to avoid. Nutrition info refers to 2 tablespoons of chiles.

Hatch Mild Diced Green Chiles

These saucy peppers pack a punch of heat and lots of rich pepper flavor. The dice is uneven, but the flavor is a huge win. 10 calories, 120 mg sodium, 1 g sugar. $2.49 for 4 ounces at Whole Foods. (4 stars)

Ortega Mild Fire Roasted Diced Green Chiles

Thick, almost crunchy bits of fully roasted pepper — complete with bits of char — make this ubiquitous, go-to brand a stellar choice. 10 calories, 110 mg sodium, no sugar. $1.69 for 4 ounces at Target. (4 stars)

O Organics Diced Green Chiles

Ripe, flavorful peppers and great attention to preparation make these a solid choice. They are free of seeds and skin and have a deeper pepper flavor than most. 5 calories, 45 mg sodium, no sugar. $1.29 for 4 ounces at Safeway. (3½ stars)

La Preferida Organic Mild Green Chiles

A blast of pepper goodness and a touch of heat make these notably fine, tender bits pantry worthy. These would work especially well in delicately flavored foods such as eggs or cheese tamales. 5 calories, 45 mg sodium, no sugar. $2.49 for 4 ounces at Whole Foods. (3 stars)

First Street Fire Roasted Diced Green Chiles

While these don’t have nearly as much flavor as the top picks, they are a decent option for the price. It’s interesting to note that consistency may be an issue, as the peppers in the 28-ounce can have much more roasted flavor than those in the small can. 10 calories, 35 mg sodium, 1 g sugar. $1.09 for 4 ounces at Smart & Final. (2½ stars)

La Victoria Fire Roasted Diced Green Chiles

Flavor-wise, these smoky flavored chiles are delicious, but it’s hard to forgive the sloppy preparation. There are so many seeds in the mix that they get stuck in your teeth. 10 calories, 100 mg sodium, 1 g sugar. $2.49 for 7 ounces at Safeway. (2 stars)

Raley’s Mild Diced Green Chiles

The light-colored bits of pepper in this can aren’t bad, they’re just decidedly bland. They taste more like bell pepper than a Mexican chile pepper. 10 calories, 95 mg sodium, no sugar. $1.48 for 4 ounces. (2 stars)

Sunny Select Diced Green Chile Peppers

Avoid these. They taste more like tin than chile peppers. 10 calories, 120  mg sodium, 1 g sugar. $1.67 for 7 ounces at Foodmaxx. (1 stars)

Signature Fire Roasted Diced Green Chiles

If Gordon Ramsay served these in a blind taste-test, no one would be able to name that food. These have shockingly little aroma and even less flavor. 10 calories, 120 mg sodium, 1 g sugar. 99 cents for 4 ounces  at Safeway. (1 star)

Rio Luna Organic Diced Green Chiles

Yikes. The fiber in these chiles is just too much. It’s literally hard to swallow. 5 calories, 45 mg sodium, no sugar. $2.49 for 4 ounces at Whole Foods. (½ a star)

Market Pantry Mild Fire-Roasted Diced Green Chiles

Bits of pepper that taste like the can, mixed with inch-long swaths of skin that are as delightful as bites of plastic wrap, make these the worst excuse for diced chiles on the shelf. 10 calories, 120 mg sodium, 1 g sugar. 99  cents for 4 ounces at Target. (No stars)

Reviews are based on product samples purchased by this newspaper or provided by manufacturers. Contact Jolene Thym at timespickyeater@gmail.com. Read more Taste-off columns at www.mercurynews.com/tag/taste-off.