Keep-Crisp Box

Warm, humid weather quickly sogs out crispy foods like potato chips, crackers, and cereal, which is where the Brisker Elite comes in. This stainless-steel box promises to banish moisture by maintaining temperatures in the high 90s inside using an electric heater. We compared two sets of opened bags of snack foods, putting one on the counter, sealed with clips, and the other in the Brisker. While the humidity wasn’t very high in the test kitchen, it took only a few days for popcorn on the counter to turn soggy, while popcorn in the Brisker was good for longer than a week. Graham crackers, cereal, potato chips, and cookies on the counter went south in seven days but stayed crispy and fresh-tasting for more than three times that long in the metal box. Pretzels, however, fared for the worse in the appliance’s heat; losing the small amount of moisture they contain led them to turn brittle after nine days. A $149 price tag is high for protecting snack food, though it might be worth it if you live in a very humid environment. When we measured the Brisker’s energy efficiency with a wattage monitor, we found it uses only half the electricity of an average light bulb, so the Brisker won’t run up the electric bill and can save money on wasted food over time.