Leftovers that go stale don't always need to be tossed out — if you know what to do with them.
A mom and chef recently took to TikTok to share a key hack in reusing leftover tortilla chips from a Mexican restaurant.
The scoop
Lauren Bower (@cooklikeamother) revealed she walked into her kitchen one day to discover leftover chips from Qdoba that had gone stale.
@cooklikeamother For real tho 😭 #GonnaKnow #mexicanfood #kitchenhacks #cookingtips #learnontiktok #lifehack #airfryer #qdoba #thefoodrenegades ♬ Backyard Boy - Claire Rosinkranz
But instead of throwing the chips away, she tossed them in the air fryer for three minutes at 350 degrees.
After throwing a bit of salt on the chips and dipping them with salsa, she was left more than impressed.
"Oh, my gosh, do not throw away your old chips from Mexican restaurants," Bower said. "This is better than when it comes out fresh."
How it's helping
One of the easiest ways you can help the environment is by reducing the enormous amount of food wasted across the country every year.
By reducing personal food waste, you can cut down on your individual impact on the environment, as well as save some cash. Research has found that households can save $75 every year by reducing food waste just 10% — all by managing leftovers better.
Generating even less food waste can provide even more savings, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture has estimated families can save up to $370 per person annually.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that in 2019 alone, around 96% of food waste ended up in landfills, combustion facilities, or even in sewer systems. This waste then contributes to massive amounts of air-warming pollution released from these facilities.
In addition to reusing leftovers and composting, we can also help restaurants and businesses reduce food waste through organizations like Too Good To Go that sell leftover but perfectly good food items at a discounted rate.
For other creative ways to reduce food waste, check out The Cool Down's guide on how to save leftovers that would otherwise be tossed.
What everyone's saying
Dozens of foodies raved over the hack, with one TikTok user saying they wanted to see if it would work with other leftovers.
"Omg I'm going to try this with French fries," they said.
"Oooooo imma try this but maybe with cinnamon and sugar," another wrote.
A third chimed in saying, "Such a good tip!"
"You should make chilaquiles with day-old tortilla chips," another recommended. "You won't regret it."
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