replying to Bill Wright, tahrey wrote: It baffles me that it took until about my 36th year to hear about / figure out the trick, but it comes down to ... even the crispiest chips can be rapidly rendered soggy by having wet stuff put on them. If you must have mushy peas, curry sauce or gravy with them, insist on having it in a separate little pot instead of slathered all over. If you're taking them home, refuse the offer of vinegar (salt is OK) and only add it once you've got the food on your plate. If you're a real stickler and it's more than a few minutes from chippy to home, set the oven to preheat to a bit over 100'C, with plates sitting on a low shelf, and shove the opened wrap in there for a couple of minutes whilst allowing the removed plates to cool slightly, which will warm them up without the sogging effect of the microwave and will drive off a little of any moisture accumulated along the way.
Chip quality has improved immensely since I got clued in to this, and you can't really taste the vinegar they put on at the shop anyway. Just wish I'd known whilst my Nan was still alive and I was regularly taking her a fish supper once a week, she suffered so many needlessly soggy chips...