# Home Made Potato Chips - storing



## petey (Jan 25, 2007)

I've been making home made potato chips in my deep fryer and was wondering if i can make batches and store them in large Ziploc bags to consume later in the week. Is this possible? Or will they go bad?


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## kitchenelf (Jan 25, 2007)

Make sure they are completely cool.  I would keep them in a ziplock bag.  If you think they are a big greasy just put a paper towel in the bottom of the bag.  Part of me would also want to keep them in the refrigerator.


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## petey (Jan 25, 2007)

kitchenelf said:
			
		

> Make sure they are completely cool.  I would keep them in a ziplock bag.  If you think they are a big greasy just put a paper towel in the bottom of the bag.  Part of me would also want to keep them in the refrigerator.



Refridgerated chips dont sound too appetizing

What do potato chip companies do to stabilize their chips?


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## amber (Jan 25, 2007)

I would just eat them right away and not store them.  Stores use preservatives to keep their product fresh, but I assume the idea behind making home made chips is to eat them right away.  I dont know how one would keep them crisp without preservatives.


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## kitchenelf (Jan 25, 2007)

LOL - I'm sure you can keep them out on the counter.  I often keep crackers and chips in the refrigerator.  But the counter will be just fine.  I really don't know what the stabilizer is in chips.  The most important thing is completely cooling before bagging.


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## Andy M. (Jan 25, 2007)

There are no preservatives in potato chips other than salt.  At least , not in Lay's.  I believe they fill the bags with nitrogen gas before sealing but I don't know if that's to preserve freshness or for another reason.  

I think the only concern would be keeping them away from humidity so they'll stay crispy.


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## skilletlicker (Jan 25, 2007)

I like my chips fresh from the fryer.  Andy's comparison to Lay's is understandable only if one has never made homemade chips.


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## Andy M. (Jan 25, 2007)

I wasn't comparing Lay's to homemade.

I was simply saying that store bought chips did not have added preservatives.


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## skilletlicker (Jan 26, 2007)

Well Andy, I don't know how to store my homemade chips, if I don't eat them all at once, I will put the leftovers in an air proof container, but that is less than satisfactory.  How do you store yours?

I think the technology for storage of chips is well known in the food industry but it is either unavailable or unacceptable at home.


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## karadekoolaid (Jan 26, 2007)

I'd say - stick 'em in a ziploc and leave them for two weeks - then try them!


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## petey (Jan 26, 2007)

Ok, I just remembered that i have the Foodsaver Vacuum machine and they sell canisters to use with the air tight system. Tey are asking $25 for a 6 quart canister......Question is  ....Do i want to spend $25 on it? Hmmmmm 

The canister can be seen here: FoodSaver®, America's #1 Selling Brand of Home Vacuum Packaging Systems


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## Candocook (Jan 26, 2007)

Look on Amazon and see how much it might be there.


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## candelbc (Jan 26, 2007)

cliveb said:
			
		

> I'd say - stick 'em in a ziploc and leave them for two weeks - then try them!


 
I love your technical method... I will forever call this the CLIVE test.. Seems like the best method to me... 

-Brad


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## Andy M. (Jan 26, 2007)

skilletlicker said:
			
		

> Well Andy, I don't know how to store my homemade chips, if I don't eat them all at once, I will put the leftovers in an air proof container, but that is less than satisfactory. How do you store yours?
> 
> I think the technology for storage of chips is well known in the food industry but it is either unavailable or unacceptable at home.


 

I think an airtight container is the best you can do.  Of course, you could just open another beer and finish them off...


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## kitchenelf (Jan 26, 2007)

Petey - the Food Saver canister sounds perfect!!!


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 26, 2007)

My homemade potato chips don't last long enough to store - lol!!  But I also make them in very small batches using a Martha Stewart recipe.  You slice the potatoes paper-thin on a mandoline & then shallow-fry them in about 1/2" or so of extra-virgin olive oil.  Remove, drain, sprinkle with a little salt, & then go to town.

I've had people actually standing over me waiting to burn their hands on the hot chips as they came out of the skillet - lol!!!!


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## shpj4 (Jan 26, 2007)

I would eat the Home Made Potato Chips and not store them.


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## petey (Jan 26, 2007)

Candocook said:
			
		

> Look on Amazon and see how much it might be there.




Thanks for the suggestion. Amazon has it for half the price !


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## petey (Jan 26, 2007)

shpj4 said:
			
		

> I would eat the Home Made Potato Chips and not store them.




Question is......do you want to lug out the deep fryer, wash and slice the potatoes & wait for the oil to heat up , cook them , and then clean the deep fryer everytime you want chips on the fly? And thats assuming that you have potatoes on hand. Dont get me wrong, I prefer fresh chips as much as anyone else but then there's the convenience factor .


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## Michael in FtW (Jan 27, 2007)

Skipping over commercial processing techniques for frying, grease removal and cooling to get straight to storage:

Chips that go into bags are preserved by the bags being filled with nitrogen gas - nitrogen is inert and slows down the oxidation of the oil which cause them to go rancid. It also works as an air cushion which prevents the chips from being crushed in transportation and handling.

Chips that go into cans, like Pringles or Lay's Stax for example, are protected from crushing by the "can" - so they are preserved by vacuum sealing to remove the oxygen.

Both of these techniques also help remove humidity from the package which would lead to loss of crispness and staling. 

Storing your chips in a ziplock bag might be good for 1-2 days ... but the vacuum cannister sounds like a better solution.


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## ShellBob65 (Jan 27, 2007)

*The Lazy Person's Method of Obtaining Homemade Chips*

1.  Get into car
2.  Drive 5 miles to nearest Zaxby's restaurant (wings & things kinda chain restaurant.....here in the South, but not sure of their borders....)
3.  Order basket of homemade chips......then think better and order another
4.  Eat one box of the still warm chips in the car on the way home
5.  Be thankful you had the insight to buy Box #2


Of course, this method won't work for everyone, nor will it work all the time for even those of us within 5 miles of a Zaxby's, but it suuuuure works in a pinch!


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## bgan10 (Jan 28, 2007)

*Should be a problem*

I would ziplock and refridgerate them. I know people are probably saying, what refrigerate, but all you need to do is that them out some time in advance and they should be just like new. Make sure and let me know how they turn out if you try it!


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## bevkile (Jan 28, 2007)

I don't know about homemade potato chips, but the commercial kind can be stored in the freezer. Yes, the freezer. Try it, you might be suprised.


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## YT2095 (Jan 28, 2007)

it might be an idea to see if you can hold of some silica gel dessicant packets, they come in all sorts of things and I keep all of mine just for such things.

at a push you might be able to put some ordinary salt in some cheese cloth and tie it up, then put it in the ziplock baggy, it should absorb Some of the moisture and maybe buy you an extra day or 2.


EDIT: if you wanted to get Mega-Technical, you could always go to a welding supplies shop and buy a bottle of Argon gas, it`s just as good as Nitrogen.


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