Chips are a popular snack food enjoyed by many. However, it’s easy to accidentally buy or make too many chips, leaving you with leftovers. So what should you do if you end up with more chips than you know what to do with? Here are some quick answers to common questions about dealing with excess chips:
What are some ways I can use up extra chips besides just eating them as a snack?
There are lots of creative ways to use up extra chips besides eating them plain. Here are a few ideas:
- Make crunchy chip coatings or toppings for casseroles, salads, soups, etc.
- Crush them up to make chip crumbs to use for breading chicken, fish, etc.
- Use them in place of breadcrumbs in recipes.
- Make homemade chip nachos by topping chips with cheese, beans, salsa, etc.
- Blend them into the crust for quiches or savory pies.
Getting creative with recipes can help use up even a large surplus of chips.
How can I best store leftovers to keep chips fresh and crispy?
To maintain freshness and crunch with leftover chips:
- Transfer chips to an airtight container or Ziploc bag, squeezing out excess air.
- Keep chips in a cool, dry place like the pantry.
- Avoid humidity which can lead to soggy chips.
- Eat within 1-2 weeks for best texture and taste.
Proper storage helps extend the shelf life of extra chips.
Can chips that have gone a little stale be revived?
Yes, there are a couple tricks for reviving chips that have lost their crunch:
- Place chips on a baking sheet and bake at 300°F for 5 minutes.
- Microwave chips in 30 second intervals until crisped up.
- Fry chips briefly in oil on the stovetop.
The gentle heat helps drive moisture out of the chips and restores their satisfying crispiness.
Are there any recipes that use up a full, unopened bag of chips?
Here are some great options for recipes that can use up a whole bag of chips:
- Sheet pan nachos
- Chicken chip crusted casserole
- Crunchy chip fish sticks
- Southwest chip salad
- Chip crusted mac and cheese
- Chip stuffed meatloaf
- Chip cookie bars
Getting creative with full bag recipes helps reduce waste and use up pantry surplus.
Typical Reasons for Having Too Many Chips
There are a few common reasons you may accidentally end up with more chips than you planned:
- Bulk purchases – It’s easy to get carried away when buying large bags or multi-packs of chips at the grocery store.
- Impulse buys – Chips displays near checkouts tempt people into picking up an extra bag or two while waiting in line.
- Stocking up for events – Holidays, parties, and game days often call for lots of chips, which can lead to overestimating needs.
- Unexpected change of plans – A cancelled party or having fewer guests than expected can leave many uneaten bags.
- Leftovers from serving sizes – Serving chips to guests can result in opened, half-eaten bags accumulating.
Being aware of these common pitfalls can help prevent ending up with too many chips in the future. Moderating purchases and estimating needs accurately helps reduce waste.
Creative Ways to Use Up a Surplus of Chips
Once you’ve found yourself with too many chips on hand, get creative about ways to use them up! Here are some innovative ideas:
Cooking and Baking
Chips can be incorporated into all kinds of dishes:
- Use crushed chips as the topping for a casserole
- Make a sandwich or wrap stuffed with chips
- Add chips to quick bread or muffin batter
- Blend chips into the crust for meat pies or quiche
- Top salad with crunchy chip croutons
Chips add fun flavor and texture when baked into breads, muffins, and scones as well.
Crunchy Coatings
Crushed chips make for excellent coatings for meats and veggies:
- Bread chicken breasts or fish fillets with crushed chips before baking
- Toss chopped veggies like cauliflower in chip crumbs before roasting
- Use chip crumbs in place of stuffing to coat the outside of a meatloaf
- Roll snackable food like nuts, pretzels or popcorn in chip dust
Panko breadcrumbs can easily be replaced with crushed chips for an extra crispy texture.
Snack Mixes and Bars
Chips add crunch and flavor when mixed into energy bar and trail mix recipes:
- Make homemade chewy granola bars using powdered chips
- Toss chips into a DIY trail mix with nuts, seeds, dried fruit, cereal, etc.
- Mix small pretzels or crackers with chips for a savory snack mix
- Create chocolate chip cookie bars studded with crumbled potato chips
Get creative mixing sweet and savory combinations for tasty homemade snack mixes.
| Dish | Ingredients | Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| Chip Crusted Chicken |
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| Cheesy Chip Casserole |
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Tips for Reducing Chip Waste
To help minimize chip waste in the future, here are some handy tips:
- Only buy chips when you have a specific upcoming event or use in mind
- Avoid impulse purchases at the register
- Measure out individual servings into plastic bags to avoid opening a new bag each time
- Share extras – pass along unopened bags to family, friends, or food banks
- Learn to make homemade chips from raw potatoes to control portions
- Freeze extras that won’t be eaten in time to prevent staleness
Being mindful about chip purchasing and storage helps reduce the chances of ending up with too many.
Using Up Stale Chips
Chips can lose their crunch after being open for too long. Here are smart ways to use up less-than-crispy chips:
- Crush them up into breading for chicken, fish, etc.
- Grind them into crumbs for coating meals or sprinkling on casseroles
- Make chip pancakes or waffles by mixing crumbs into batter
- Use them layered or mixed into chip dips for added volume
- Process stale chips in the food processor into flour for baked goods
- Crumble them up as the base for homemade snack mixes and granola
Stale chips still have great flavor for recipes where crispness isn’t necessary. Get creative with the ideas above to cut down on waste.
Conclusion
Finding yourself with an excess of chips is a common predicament. But armed with clever solutions for using extras, you can cut down on waste and enjoy their flavor in all kinds of dishes. Get the family involved in brainstorming fun new recipes. Set up a sharing plan with friends and neighbors to spread around unopened bags. And be mindful of bulk purchases to avoid accumulating too many bags. With a little creativity in the kitchen and some moderate buying habits, you’ll always have just the right amount of chips on hand.