Freezing chips?

I had lunch with a friend today and she told me that she freezes all her chips, potato, corn types, etc. Has anyone done this? I never even thought of freezing them. Costco has an excellent whole grain chip, but they come in huge bags. If I could freeze the rest, it would be great.

Karen, it seems to me I tried it with an unopened bag and it poofed up very tightly...something about trapped air in the bag freezing. However, I do not remember the outcome.

It's funny you should mention those chips. I love those chips!! and inadvertently left three quarters of a bag of them in our pantry in CA where we just returned. I opened the chip clip and gave them a whiff. (Heck, it was only five months...) Rancid, of course. I'll be interested in other's responses on freezing. I would think it would keep them fresh.

[Jenise]

This sounds insane. First of all, anyone who could buy a bag of potato chips and not eat all of them is certifiable in the first place. Secondly, it's ample proof that they simply couldn't like a potato chip well enough to know when the flavor and texture had been damaged by the ordeal of freezing.

And I'm joking but then I'm not. Just how picky is your friend? To me a degree or two of difference would be fatal. To someone else, possibly acceptable, in the same way that I won't eat reheated grilled/roasted meats because they taste 'off' and slightly spoiled, where lots of people happily chop up their leftover turkey, toss it in the gravy and serve it on toast. To me, inedible: to them, an annual treat.

Well, when there are only two people in the house, It takes a long time to finish a bag of chips. That goes for our house and my friends, as well. She says the chips do not freeze like you think they would. Ours actually go stale before we can eat them up. I'm going to give this a try. She also told me that if they buy two bags, one goes in the freezer until the other is finished. I think they may even buy the single serve on occasion, and it takes them a few days to finish that.

[Jenise]

Well, when there are only two people in the house, It takes a long time to finish a bag of chips. That goes for our house and my friends, as well. She says the chips do not freeze like you think they would. Ours actually go stale before we can eat them up. I'm going to give this a try. She also told me that if they buy two bags, one goes in the freezer until the other is finished. I think they may even buy the single serve on occasion, and it takes them a few days to finish that.

Well, like I said I was joking: remember, there are only two of us here too. But we never have chips in the house. We just don't eat that kind of food. And on the rare occasions we do, the potato chips call to me from the pantry and I will likely finish them off or throw the bag away to remove the temptation. Me and potato chips, we're just like that. Most of the rest of the chipworld I'd forget about.

So here's what I'm going to do: buy two bags of the same chip, freeze one, leave the other in the pantry (I hope) as a control bag. After a week, I'll thaw out the frozen chips and compare the difference. Shucks, maybe I should buy four bags, freeze two, then compare them after, say, one week and one month. That would be a good test, don't you think?

But honestly, from your further description, I'm actually more confused. Why does your friend freeze the second bag? They're plentiful, so no need to buy two at once especially if one doesn't finish them off quickly.

But honestly, from your further description, I'm actually more confused. Why does your friend freeze the second bag? They're plentiful, so no need to buy two at once especially if one doesn't finish them off quickly.

Because the store might be running a special "two-fer" sale. Duh.

I bought a box of Trader Joe's Gorgonzola Roasted crackers. When I brought them home and tasted I was rather unimpressed. The taste sort of grew on me. I decided to put them into the freezer. Today at lunch, I grabbed about five of them out of the box to have with my lunch and they tasted great. They don't freeze as you would think, and actually right out of the freezer were perfect to eat. Early this morning I put a bag of Kettle cooked Salt and Vinegar chips into the freezer. Just now I went out and took out one chip. Again, not frozen like one would think and eating it right out of the freezer was not as cold as I would expect. This is kind of a "blinding flash of the obvious" for me once again. I recall a friend telling me she uses her Food Saver to reseal their chip bags, bags of crackers, packaged salad bags, cereal bags, etc.
We always have chips in the house and some sort of cracker. Gene loves the chips with his lunch and while neither of us eat a lot of them, we want them, when we want them. I might have three to five chips with my lunch and it is enough for me. Plus when the grandkids come, we have them here. Now, with the freezing, they won't be stale.

Jenise, I really don't know why my friend does what she does buying two bags of chips and freezing one, etc. but I do know that she is a smart shopper, so maybe like Roberrt said, they were on a good deal. Your experiment sounds like fun and I anxious for your report.

This sounds insane. First of all, anyone who could buy a bag of potato chips and not eat all of them is certifiable in the first place.

I'm pretty much with you here, Jenise. For me, all potato chips come in single-serving containers. I very rarely buy a bag larger than 2 oz. or so because of this.

Actually, I think my lack of self-control makes me the certifiable one...

[Jenise]

Mike I feel your pain.

Bought potato chips yesterday to test. One of the control bags did not survive the trip to the freezer.

Well, the frozen chips are working out fine. Taste the same to me.....still the nice salt and vinegar flavor coming through. The good thing is they are out of sight and therefore out of mind. So that bag may sit there until Thanksgiving when the boys (really men) hit home and revert to the sweet, hungry boys they once were. I can't tell any degradation of flavor.

[Jenise]

Well, the frozen chips are working out fine. Taste the same to me.....still the nice salt and vinegar flavor coming through. The good thing is they are out of sight and therefore out of mind. So that bag may sit there until Thanksgiving when the boys (really men) hit home and revert to the sweet, hungry boys they once were. I can't tell any degradation of flavor.

What about texture? That's where I'd have expected the difference.

What about texture? That's where I'd have expected the difference.

Agreed. I would think that the thaw would redistribute the remaining moisture.

What about texture? That's where I'd have expected the difference.

Agreed. I would think that the thaw would redistribute the remaining moisture.

Texture is fine, crunchy, crisp, sharp flavor, same with the crackers. Kettle chips are extra crisp anyway...next time I buy a Lays type, I will give that a freeze test. Try you own test. If you are afraid of ruining the whole bag, take a few out, put into a freezer bag and test.