![]() ![]() Grains of rice don't naturally have sufficient moisture, but this is added (via steaming) during the manufacturing process for Rice Krispies, and the grains are then oven-popped to give them their unique texture. And the starch granules expand into the fluffy white globs we know and love. Heating up the kernels causes the starch granules to expand, thereby increasing the pressure inside the hard shell, which eventually explodes when the pressure gets high enough. The moisture percentage in particular must be just right. It's quite a bit like how popcorn pops, which depends on the moisture and starch inside the corn kernel, and the hard shell surrounding it. Eventually, of course, the cereal becomes saturated and soggy, and the signature sounds cease. ![]() This puts pressure on the air inside the pockets, causing the "walls" to shatter with a snap, crackle, or a pop. Add milk, and the cereal starts to absorb the liquid. Nonetheless, a food scientist named Ted Labuza at the University of Minnesota investigated the matter a few years ago and came up with a decent explanation for why these popular cereal crisps produce such a distinctive sound.ĭuring the cooking process, each piece of rice expands, creating a network of tiny air-filled pockets and tunnels inside the kernel. Vicious lies.)īut what is it about Rice Krispies that makes them go snap, crackle, pop? It's not microscopic sprites, although research on the topic has admittedly been sparse. (The sprites are known affectionately to Jen-Luc Piquant as Cric! Crac! and Croc! She categorically denies those tabloid rumors about one wild drunken night in Vegas with the Krispie Krew that ended with her being briefly married to Crackle. It's nice to know that the practice of onomatopoeia is universal. Memorable, right? That's why they are instantly recognizable to any American in fact, in 2002 a pollster found that most Americans can name the three elves but can't name any three of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices, who clearly need a catchy slogan.Įventually, Kellogg's went global with its marketing slogan: it's "Riks! Raks! Poks!" in Finnish "Piff! Paff! Puff!" in Swedish "Pim! Pum! Pam!" in Spanish and "Knisper! Knasper! Knusper!" in German. Kellogg's ingenious marketing strategy for the cereal certainly helped boost its enduring popularity, particularly the introduction of three cartoon elfin sprites, appropriately named Snap, Crackle and Pop, after the sound made whenever milk is poured over a bowl of the cereal. In the US, among the most enduring brands is Kellogg's Rice Krispies, introduced in 1928, which has its very own Website. Americans each consume about 10 pounds - that's 160 bowls - of cereal per person every year. My addiction might not be the subject of hard-hitting investigative journalism ("Tonight on Hard Copy: people who love their breakfast cereal too much!"), but I'm certainly not alone in my enthusiasm. Jen-Luc Piquant suspects the folks at Nature's Path have laced their cereal with crack, but if so, it's Certified Organic (TM) crack, delivered in a tasty, nutritious format. Occasionally I go "cold turkey" for a few weeks, just to prove to myself that I can quit any time. ![]() I monitor the "stash" in my pantry very closely, and get a bit jittery when the inventory starts to run low. In fact, I have to exercise considerable restraint not to down the entire box over the course of a single day by taking "just a nibble" here and there. As in, I eat the stuff straight out of the box, no accompanying soy milk, no nothin'. My name is Jennifer, and I am completely addicted to Nature's Path Flax-Plus brand of pumpkin/flax granola. ![]()
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