Why Do Chips Soften But Bread Hardens When It Becomes Stale?

Bread hardens when it becomes stale because the starch molecules in the bread take water molecules from the bread itself and the surrounding air and begin to crystallize. Chips soften when when they stale because the water molecules in the air begin to bind with starch molecules in the chips and make them lose their crunch.

Bread and chips are two of the most beloved food items of the 21st century. Humans use bread as an ingredient in so many mouthwatering dishes (can you imagine a world without sandwiches!), not to mention our fascination with chips! Despite knowing that devouring a single packet of potato chips can add countless calories to our body (a 100-gram packet of potato chips adds almost 540 calories to our body), we just can’t get enough of them.

What’s the worst thing about them, apart from the ‘calorie aspect’?

they go stale meme

Both bread and chips become stale over a period of time. While chips get stale much faster than bread, they both face the same fate if left in open air conditions. Despite being very similar, chemically and structurally, the way they go stale is different; in fact, they are totally opposite of each other. Chips soften when they become stale, whereas bread hardens.

Why is that?

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