When food is left out unsealed why do crunchy thing go soft while soft things get hard?
In: Other
Crunchy things are crunchy because starches have formed hard bonds almost like crystals. The lack of water allows this.
Breads are spongy because they contain water to soften those bonds.
Because crackers are dry, they suck up extra water. This softens up the bonds.
The opposite happens for breads. They contain softer bonds with more water. The water escapes, causing a more cracker-like bond where the starches sort of crystalize. However, it happens in a less controled way, making it undesirable in most cases.
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