I don’t know about you, but I absolutely hate it when I buy a bag of chips and they go stale before I can finish the bag.
Fortunately, I’ve found 7 good ways to keep chips fresher for longer.
This will save you money too — because you won’t have to go out and buy a new bag of chips when the other half bag goes stale!
#1 Keep chips in a separate container, rather than in the bag.
If you have a large plastic bowl with a tight lid, or even a jar with a lid that has a seal, transfer the chips there and they will stay fresher longer than in a non-airtight bag. Any airtight container will do.
#2 Use chip clips.
Chip clips are those chunky, oversized clips that are made just for the tops of chip bags. They clamp together in order to keep air from filling the bag and making your chips go stale. Just remember to press all the air out of the bag first, and then fold the top of the bag down to just above the chips before putting the clip on the bag. A couple of frugal alternatives are to use wooden or plastic clothespins or to secure the bag closed with a large paperclip — although those items usually don’t grip as strongly as chip clips do.
A bag re-sealer makes it possible to securely heat-seal chip bags over and over until you’re done with the chips. To keep re-sealing the same bag each time, simply press most of the air out of the bag first, then use the sealer to heat-seal it shut near the top of the bag itself. To access the chips, just use scissors to cut off the part that’s been heat-sealed, and re-seal it the same way after each use.
#4 Seal the bag closed with a Foodsaver without crushing the chips.
Keep in mind, you’re Foodsaver machine must have a “seal only” option. The idea is to use the Foodsaver to heat-seal the bag closed, rather than to vacuum-seal the air out of bag (because that would crush the chips). Simply remove as much air as possible before placing the top of the chip bag into the Foodsaver, and then press “seal”. In seconds, the bag is completely sealed shut and no more air can enter the bag to cause stale chips.
#5 Use a rubberband.
Simply press the air out of the chip bag first. Then, fold the top half of the bag around the bottom half of the bag and secure it in place with a large rubberband. This costs nothing — since you probably already have some rubber bands lying around the house.
#6 Try these new clips for chip bags.
The newest clip-type bag sealers are usually 2-part clips that hug the chip bag on one side and slide (or clamp) closed in order to grip the other side of the chip bag. An airtight seal is created by the tightness of the clamp itself.
And finally… drumroll please…
#7 Fold the chip bag this way.
There’s more than one way to fold a potato chip bag, you know!
This one is really clever… and it’s easy too!
First, press all the air out of the chip bag. Then, fold the top of the bag down until just above your chips. Finally, fold both sides inward and hold them there with your thumbs while unfolding the bag in the opposite direction (but downward rather than upward).
This video shows a similar way to fold a potato chip bag:
On a related note, do you cut off the top of the bag of potato chips each time?
If you like gadgets — like chip clips and new fangled ways to keep potato chip bags closed — then you’ll love these must-have kitchen gadgets that every home needs!
UPDATE:
Here’s another DIY chip clip idea – using a hanger:
BONUS TIP: If you don’t actually remove the clips from the hanger, then you can hang chip bags from the wire shelving in your pantry!
