Storing Cool Ranch Doritos In The Freezer Is A Game Changer

Doritos: The beloved triangle-shaped snack of college kids, road trips, and Taco Bells all across America. Doritos have a long history, beginning as a way to use stale tortilla chips following a joint venture between Disneyland and Frito-Lay (via Insider) to being advertised across Earth and deep space (via NewScientist). Needless to say, Dorito's being marketed as "crazy" and "bold" may not be standard canned PR slogans — these chips have a bit of a story behind them!

Whether you're eating Nacho Cheese or getting Cool Ranch dust on the couch, it's likely you eat them only one way — straight out of the bag. Just tear that bad boy open and grab a fistful. While this is a tried-and-true method for eating Doritos, many chefs, both amateur and professional, have found other uses for them. Gordon Ramsay once ate Cool Ranch Dorito Sushi with Jimmy Fallon (per Eater). Plus, have you ever had Taco Bell's Doritos Locos Tacos? Yum. As long as you have a bag of Doritos and some free time, the sky's the limit as to what you can make.

But what's this talk about putting them in the freezer? Can you actually do that with Doritos and, if so, why?

Okay, we know what you're thinking — "Who in the world wants an ice-cold Dorito?" While we admit it is an unconventional pairing, considering that the only cold sensation one associates with Doritos is the taste of an ice-cold soda, many have vouched that putting a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos in the fridge adds to the snacking experience.

According to chef PJ Calapa (via Food & Wine), cold Cool Ranch Doritos not only stay crunchier than un-chilled Doritos, but also have a delightfully cool texture to them that only adds a sharper crunch. It isn't just Calapa who can attest to the wonders of the frozen Dorito as several others have taken to proclaiming its virtues as well.

"Stick your favorite bag of Doritos in the freezer for a while, then eat them," advises one user on Reddit, adding "The coldness of the chip enhances its flavor." The Fancy Boys Club was also rather colorful towards frozen Doritos, describing the sensation as "an entirely new experience, yet so familiar" and "like embracing a loved one after many years."

None of the reviews, however, explained the point behind freezing Doritos. Some say it's the texture, others say it's the cold sensation mixed with the spice of the chip, and others believe it enhances the flavor, much like letting a stock sit overnight in the fridge. Whichever way you look at it, something about cold Doritos works.

If you're interested in frozen Doritos, you may be asking yourself, "If these people can freeze Doritos, can I freeze other chips too?" Maybe you have a bag of Lay's lying around or some Cheetos you want to see if you can make as cool as Chester Cheetah. Surely Doritos aren't the only chips you can enjoy cold.

According to The Week, there seems to be a case for cold Pringles. The Week describes biting into a cold Pringle chip as being akin to "noticing the first autumn briskness in a breeze at the end of summer." The usual thin lightness of the Pringle potato crisp seems to be enhanced by the sudden sensation of coldness, something cool and refreshing on the tongue followed by the expected saltiness. 

One TikToker, while experimenting with putting foods in the freezer, was asked to put Lays in the freezer under the suggestion that "they taste way better." After freezing the chips for five and a half hours, she discovered, much to her surprise, that the chips were actually much better than the room-temperature kind.

Another user on Reddit also raved about the delights of the frozen Cheeto, claiming that it's something of a blessing and a curse. The extreme chill of the frozen puffed snack gives way to the heat of the hot Cheeto, which the user describes as being something of a wonderful combination of pain and pleasure. To each their own.