A self-proclaimed crisp enthusiast thought she had stumbled upon a genius hack to elevate the flavor of her beloved salt and vinegar crisps. But her culinary experiment quickly turned into a tale of regret. Taking to Reddit, she shared a picture of her Co-op Irresistible Hand Cooked Sea Salt and Chardonnay Wine Vinegar Crisps, alongside a caption that promised a taste sensation: “I have finally found a way to make these even better,” she declared, “Pop them in the fridge for a couple of hours.” However, her excitement quickly faded, as she lamented: “I’ve managed half a bag, and I am done. My mouth is ruined.”
Her post resonated with a community of fellow crisp lovers who had also dared to try the intense flavor boost. One user recounted their own experience: “I had an entire bag of these once on a Friday night with a wine, I’m pretty sure I had actual scar tissue in my mouth for a good week. But worth it.” Another quipped: “It’s not proper Salt and Vinegar if your mouth isn’t bleeding.” The consensus seemed to be that the chilling method, while brutal, delivered an undeniable flavor punch.
However, not everyone shared the same enthusiasm for fridge crisps. Some Reddit users were aghast at the very notion. One user expressed their disbelief with a simple yet powerful: “Fridge crisps?” followed by a more emphatic: “FRIDGE CRISPS? It’s lucky for you the prisons are full, otherwise I’d be on here saying you deserve jail time.” Another echoed the sentiment, proclaiming: “I’m all for some food experimenting, but fridge crisps just doesn’t really interest me. Freezer crisps, on the other hand…”
A third individual bravely tried the method for themselves, only to be disappointed by the lackluster results. They reported: “Someone was on about fridge crisps a while ago so I went out and bought a bunch of different types and stuck them in the fridge and ate them over the next week as an experiment. I was curious to discover a new culinary revelation. The result was… they don’t taste a whole lot different to room temperature crisps and definitely not worth wasting fridge space on.”
While the Reddit post revealed a diverse range of opinions on fridge crisps, a study conducted by AEG in 2022 shed light on the surprising reality that 5% of Brits, and up to 10% in London, actually store their crisps in the fridge. However, food industry experts in the same year cautioned crisp enthusiasts to consider the freezer instead of the fridge for optimal storage. According to experts at the life hacks blog Lifehacker, the freezer is the ideal place to store crisps, whether they’re Walkers or Pringles, to extend their shelf life for a few more months. The low water content in crisps means that the freezer’s temperature won’t have the usual freezing effect on the snack. This means the crisps will simply become cold, but not frozen, allowing them to retain their texture and crunch.
So, while the debate on the merits of fridge crisps continues, it seems the freezer is the undisputed champion when it comes to extending the life of your favorite crunchy treats.
