Why Tortilla Chips At Home Never Taste As Good As A Restaurant's

There's nothing like sitting down to a big bowl of warm and crispy tortilla chips at a Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurant. Dipped in salsa or guacamole or just nibbled straight, those triangles of perfection make for a tasty appetizer. Have we filled up on them before the main course arrived? Of course! But that's the thing about restaurant tortilla chips... they're irresistible, and Yara Herrera from Mexican-American restaurant Hellbender NYC knows why they taste so much better than chips at home.

Herrera spoke with Daily Meal on the topic and says, "Chips taste best freshly fried, and that's usually why they taste better at restaurants. The shelf life is shorter as there are no additives." When was the last time you fried your own tortilla chips at home? Exactly. Most of us buy a bag of tortilla chips at the grocery store, and while they're still good, they just can't compete with the freshness of restaurant-quality chips. Another factor can be the kind of corn used.

If you're interested in making corn tortilla chips at home, Yarra Herrera has just one recommendation. "The only tip I have here, and I can't say this enough, use real heirloom corn. You will taste the difference." Heirloom corn comes from seeds that have been passed down for generations, carefully preserved by farmers for the best flavor and quality. Unlike the hybrid corn that makes up 98% of U.S. crops, heirloom corn is 100% farmer-owned and not part of large-scale commercial farming. It's grown for taste, not mass production, making it a true culinary ingredient rather than a commodity.

If you're really keen, you can buy the ingredients needed to make homemade tortillas, then cut and fry them into chips. You can find heirloom corn masa in stores or online. For crispy chips at home, simply cut the tortillas into wedges and deep fry them until golden and crunchy. You can also buy the soft tortillas pre-made to make the chips.

If you have any leftover chips, Herrera says, "You can keep them fresh longer by allowing them to cool down completely before storing them in a tightly sealed container and keeping them in a dry place." Although, if you do find they lose their crunch, you can revive them in the microwave by heating them on paper towel or re-crisp them in the air fryer.