Last week, when I was editing my podcast, my younger brother came into my room and asked me what I thought the best piece of Chex Mix was. Honestly, the question threw me for a loop. There was an obvious answer to the question that my brain froze for a second. “Does my brother not know what the best piece of Chex Mix is?”
But of course, my worry was for naught because we both agreed that the best piece in a bag of Chex Mix is the rye chip. There is no contest.
You see, there are four different components in Chex Mix that everyone knows: the Chex pieces, the pretzels, the breadstick, and the rye chip. Each of them are coated in a thin layer of salt and bring different textures to the snack. And there are two different kinds of the Chex pieces and pretzels, which bring a different and dynamic mouth feel and plays on the theme of “variety” that Chex so craves from its consumers.
Beauty in a bowl.
But even though all the Chex pieces are great, there is one piece that I always save for last because the texture and flavor are that much different from the other pieces.
If you wanted to know my ranking for each of the Chex pieces, here it is:
1. Rye Chip
2. Pretzels
3. Chex Pieces
4. Breadstick.
Tl;dr, this is my definitive list and there is nothing that you can do to change my opinion on that matter. Of course, this is an opinion piece, so if you were to have a different (wrong) list, then I wouldn’t really blame you. Everyone is entitled to their own (wrong) opinions. But, I will include my justifications for this list anyways because I know that people will argue about this with me at some point in my life.
Breadstick
Does anyone really like the breadstick piece in Chex Mix? Honestly, I don’t hate it. I don’t hate any part of Chex Mix, but I’m not going to go out of my way to eat a bag just because of the breadsticks. I believe that it is included in the mixture because of its aesthetic appeal.
The bland stick of disappointment.
I won’t deny that the piece has some dynamic movement to it that intrigues people into eating it, but it feels like a trick. Just because it looks appealing to eat, doesn’t mean that it is going to satisfy you in anyway. I really couldn’t care less about this piece, and if it is your favorite piece of Chex Mix, I would beg you to think with your taste buds and not your eyes.
Chex Pieces
Now, this piece does get some extra points due to the variation that it has. On first glance, there seems to be no difference between the two different kinds of Chex pieces, but upon closer inspection, you can see that they are different colors and thickness of each other. The different textures compliment each other and bring a more fulfilling mouthfeel, which is what the snack is trying to achieve.
They also trap the salt coating in a way that brings out the best of the flavors and textures, and they have a perfect crunch when you demolish it with the roof of your mouth. This is really the only way to eat these pieces.
Delightful pockets of air.
The only reason that they aren’t placed higher on this list is because this is not my preferred way of eating Chex pieces. If I wanted that mouthfeel with more flavor, I would choose Muddy Buddies which is the perfect way to eat Chex pieces. Those pieces are covered in a sugar amalgamation, and because of the thick coating, you are able to suck out the powder off and end with a satisfying crunch… I should really go and pick up a pack of those soon.
Pretzels
This one might just be a personal bias. I love pretzels, and I always will. I mean, it really is just the perfect snack. It has that satisfying crunch. It has salt baked into the bread. It comes in those fancy little shapes. It was a really tough call between pretzels and Chex pieces because while I do think that the Chex pieces are more dynamic, there is just something so classic about pretzels that I can’t pull myself away from.
I am a sucker for pretzels.
Maybe one day, I’ll be able to pull myself away from the pretzels tempting pull, but for now, I will concede with my own emotions and place the pretzels above the Chex pieces.
Rye Chip
This is the piece de resistance. The crème de la crepe. The apple of my eye. The rye chip. I might have an unhealthy obsession with this particular chip. I always, always reserve the rye chips until the end of the mix. It is the reason why I think that the cheese flavored Chex mix tastes like trash; there is no rye chip in the bag, so what’s the point? What. Is. The. Point.
The love of my life.
It has the best flavor. The best texture. It meshes with the coating so well. And I think I just really like rye bread as well. Ultimately, this is the best part of the Chex mix. I’ve been waiting so long for them to mass produce the rye chip in bags. I know that there is a bag that just has the rye chips, but they aren’t the same… And they are too expensive for my shallow pockets.
Conclusion
This is my list. I can be persuaded to switch the pretzels and the Chex piece around, but I will never change my opinion on the first and last pieces on the list. And yes, this was an excuse for me to eat a whole bag of Chex Mix by myself.
Fight me.
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