Sometimes snacks get stale before you have finished the container. Especially if you live in a house with teenagers who never fully close the container! You can bring them back to an edible state by heating them in the oven. This works wonderfully for snacks like crackers, Chex mix, tortilla chips, pretzels and even whole loaves of bread. (If you have stale sliced bread you are better off making toast, crostini or bruschetta.) Spread the stale snacks out on a cookie sheet and place in a 350o F oven. Let them bake for about 10 minutes and then remove from the oven and let cool completely. Once cooled the snacks should be crispy and refreshed.
You can use this method with fresh nuts like almonds, peanuts, walnuts, etc. However, because nuts have a high unsaturated oil content, they can oxidize quickly on exposure to heat, light and air which creates rancidity that makes them smell and taste bad. Roasted, chopped, and ground nuts go rancid much rapidly than whole raw ones. Always smell nuts before you eat them or add them to recipes to be sure they are fresh. (I store nuts in the freezer until I need them.)
