# French Fries and dessicants **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 20, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries-and-dessicants/365369 "2006-07-20T17:44:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries-and-dessicants/365369/1 "2006-07-20T17:44:32Z")
When you buy an order of French Fries to go from a restaurant, they usually get all soggy before you get home. The reason for this is obvious: the steam that rises off the hot fries is trapped within the container, gets re-absorbed by the fries, no more crunch. When you buy certain medicines, or maybe a pair of shoes, they might contain a small tablet or pouch labeled “dessicant” which I take to mean is meant to absorb ambient moisture so that the contents don’t rot. A thought: If a few of those dessicant tablets were placed in a wrapped order-to-go of French Fries, could those absorb the moisture and let you eat crispy fries when you get home? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries-and-dessicants/365369/2 "2006-07-20T18:09:12Z")
There’s an incredibly tiny amount of water vapor in a medicine bottle, or in the ambient air trapped within a show box. By comparison, tying to remove the soggy air from the fries with a desiccant would be like dehumidifying your house with a sponge. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries-and-dessicants/365369/3 "2006-07-20T19:03:05Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > There’s an incredibly tiny amount of water vapor in a medicine bottle, or in the ambient air trapped within a show box. By comparison, tying to remove the soggy air from the fries with a desiccant would be like dehumidifying your house with a sponge. That and isn’t that stuff toxic? ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries-and-dessicants/365369/4 "2006-07-20T19:05:46Z")
Well, obviously I’d use more of it than is in the medicine bottle. Like, say the French Fries are packaged in a polysterene clamshell-type container, the entire top of the container could be lined with that material. Maybe that wouldn’t be enough to absorb, in which case, my question is answered. Toxicity would certainly be a downer. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries-and-dessicants/365369/5 "2006-07-20T19:08:26Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > That and isn’t that stuff toxic? Only if you eat it. They use [silica gel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silica_gel). When you get home put them in a 400[sup]o[/sup]F oven for a few minutes to dry them out a re-crisp them a bit. Still not as good as fresh from the fryer but next best thing. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries-and-dessicants/365369/6 "2006-07-20T19:14:25Z")
As a matter of fact, that is what I usually do. I was just bouncing a technnical idea off you guys, but I do know how to deal with sogginess as a practical matter. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries-and-dessicants/365369/7 "2006-07-20T19:36:20Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > That and isn’t that stuff toxic? Then why would they put it in with medicines? > [@cmkeller](#): > > Well, obviously I’d use more of it than is in the medicine bottle. Like, say the French Fries are packaged in a polysterene clamshell-type container, the entire top of the container could be lined with that material. > > Maybe that wouldn’t be enough to absorb, in which case, my question is answered. I did assume you meant more than one, but why would any restaurant pay a really significant amount of money for you to take home a few french fries? An entire top of silica gel would certainly cost hugely more than the clamshell container. [http://www.jpscorner.com/Silica\_Gel\_Desiccant.htm](http://www.jpscorner.com/Silica_Gel_Desiccant.htm) > [@](#): > > Silica Gel > Description Price Quantity > > Single Pack $ .75 > 12 Singles $7.95 > 60 Singles $29.95 > 40 Gram $5.35 > 450 Gram $11.65 > 750 Gram $27.90 > 900 Gram $18.95 And I still don’t think it would work worth a damn, just as lining a wall in your house with sponges wouldn’t work either. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries-and-dessicants/365369/8 "2006-07-20T20:21:20Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > The reason for this is obvious: the steam that rises off the hot fries is trapped within the container, gets re-absorbed by the fries, no more crunch. It’s not so obvious to me. Do you really think lukewarm dessicated fries would be better than lukewarm soggy fries? Even if that were the case, I think it would be simpler to design a container that allows the moisture to escape. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries-and-dessicants/365369/9 "2006-07-20T22:16:24Z")
There are several different problems that all conspire to make this unworkable they are; -The amount of water vapour released by a portion of steaming fries is considerable -Dessicants (esp silica gel) typically expand as they take on water -The rate at which dessicants can absorb water is limited. So, I think most dessicants would be simply unable to absorb the water vapour fast enough to prevent the fries going soggy, but if they did, a small sachet might burst open from expansion (unless it was designed with slack, in which case the contents would still swell, perhaps turning from hard crystals into an unappealing gelatinous mass). Large sachets would work better, but would be more costly. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries-and-dessicants/365369/10 "2006-07-20T22:17:45Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > When you get home put them in a 400[sup]o[/sup]F oven for a few minutes to dry them out a re-crisp them a bit. Still not as good as fresh from the fryer but next best thing. I read this and thought you were talking about the silica gel packets. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries-and-dessicants/365369/11 "2006-07-20T22:17:53Z")
And of course the obvious answer that demand is not urgent enough; after all, you still eat the fries when you get them home, don’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries-and-dessicants/365369/12 "2006-07-21T00:54:46Z")
I guess their is a reason for super salty fries. Salt is a dessicant, so maybe those over salted fries don’t get as soggy. You know the ones, that you have to wipe off salt to eat. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries-and-dessicants/365369/13 "2006-07-21T00:58:57Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > I read this and thought you were talking about the silica gel packets. :smack: Actually you \*\*can \*\* do it with the silica gel to dry it out but I don’t know what temperature. Silica gel is also used for drying flowers, and you can reuse it after heating to dry. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries-and-dessicants/365369/14 "2006-07-21T01:24:45Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Only if you eat it. They use [silica gel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silica_gel). Well, I would think that if you used it for fries, you’d have a chance of it contaminating the fries. At the very least, you’d get a nasty aftertaste. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-fries-and-dessicants/365369/15 "2006-07-21T01:38:21Z")
Exapno, thanks for the prices…that would certainly be expensive packaging. And scr4, absolutely. Crunchy beats soggy any day.