Name Brand vs. Store Brand: Instant Potatoes

Price Analysis

Brand	Price	Size (oz.)	Cost/oz.
Idahoan	0.50	2	$0.25
Great Value	2.50	32	$0.08
Idaho Spuds	1.58	13.3	$0.12
Betty Crocker	1.98	13.75	$0.14

First Impressions

The Idaho Spuds looked best when prepared—they looked fluffy, but didn’t smell as good as the others. The Betty Crocker potatoes were the thickest, but the Great Value potatoes were also very thick. The Idahoan potatoes looked like regular mashed potatoes.

Taste Results

1^st: Idaho Spuds—Tasted best (despite not smelling quite as good as the others), and were very buttery

2^nd: Idahoan—Very similar to the Idaho Spuds; only a slight difference

3^rd: Great Value—Tasted like they looked: thick

4^th: Betty Crocker—Similar to Great Value; meant to be eaten with gravy

Overall Opinion

The potatoes were all somewhat similar in taste; the biggest difference was in texture. The Idaho Spuds and Idahoan potatoes were very similar, as were the Great Value and Betty Crocker. The first two were pretty good on their own; the latter two weren’t as good, but would taste fine with gravy. Overall, if price is a big consideration, the store brand is fine as long as the potatoes will be eaten with something else (you could also add a bit more milk than the package suggests to alter the consistency of the potatoes). However, as the Idaho Spuds cost about the same amount per ounce, we think it’s worth it over the Great Value potatoes.