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There is a reason that crackers have holes in them

Posted on 05/12/2018 1:35:10 PM PDT by SamAdams76

People like to eat crackers and crackers have little pinholes in them. There is a reason for that. For without these little holes, the crackers will not bake correctly.

The holes allow steam to escape without bubbling up and exploding during the baking process.

Consider the Cheez-it cracker. It has a solitary hole in the middle of each little cracker. See how it bulges all around? But remember, the edges of the Cheez-it cracker are full of holes because Cheez-it crackers are baked in large sheets that are then cut along the perforated edges.

So it's not really the one hole in the center but holes all around each cracker on those perforated edges.

The process of putting holes in crackers is known as "docking" and with a larger surface area, crackers need more docking to successfully bake in a commercial environment.

The first cracker was made in 1792 by somebody named John Pearson. Pearson was from Newburyport, Massachusetts, a sea-faring town that was full of sailors who liked to go to taverns and drink lots of ales and cider. Pearson was looking to make a type of biscuit that would last longer than traditional sailor’s biscuits without spoiling. He eventually mixed just flour and water, baked it, and called it “Pearson’s Pilot Bread”. This later became known as “hardtack” or “sea biscuit”. This type of biscuit became incredibly popular among sea-fairing folk due to its long shelf life without spoiling. If you have a box of saltines that have been sitting in your pantry for a few years, go ahead and open a sleeve. You will still find them crisp and fresh!

Then you have the Graham cracker. The Graham cracker was invented by a stern man named Sylvester Graham, who was very much against masturbation because he felt that the quality sperm in a man's body was finite and that excessive ejaculation of that sperm would result in inferior children. For married men, he only wanted them having sex with their wives once a month so as to maintain the quality of the sperm. So he invented a cracker made from unrefined flour so as to curb sexual desires in a man. This ended up being the graham cracker that we still find in supermarkets today. But I think that Sylvester would greatly disapprove of making sandwiches of them with melted chocolate and marshmallows.

Still, even Graham crackers had to have those little holes in them.

Then you have the Ritz Cracker, a buttery round cracker made by Nabisco during the Depression to give people a "taste of the good life". But even the Ritz crackers had to have holes in them. See the holes in the Ritz cracker? There are many recipes even to this day that call for Ritz crackers.

There are many other popular crackers out there that have holes. Like Goldfish crackers. See, they have holes too. But their holes are disguised as an eye and a smile. A goldfish smile. But not all the way through holes like in the other crackers. As a result, Goldfish crackers are much bulgier and not as flat as many of the others.



TOPICS: Food; History; Reference; Society
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1 posted on 05/12/2018 1:35:10 PM PDT by SamAdams76
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To: SamAdams76

Could be the Cracka was walkin’ on the South Side of Chicago?


2 posted on 05/12/2018 1:38:22 PM PDT by MIchaelTArchangel
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To: SamAdams76; LS; BenLurkin; SunkenCiv

Yes. Without holes, US white crackers down here have trouble eatin’, drinkin’, an’ makin’ merry. And makin’ more Mary’s.


3 posted on 05/12/2018 1:38:55 PM PDT by Robert A Cook PE
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To: SamAdams76
crackers have holes in them

Caught in crossfire at Waffle House.

4 posted on 05/12/2018 1:41:13 PM PDT by MUDDOG
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To: SamAdams76

I identify as a cracker.


5 posted on 05/12/2018 1:41:29 PM PDT by US_MilitaryRules (I'm not tired of Winning yet! Please, continue on!)
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To: SamAdams76

This article is incomplete without the cracker recipes. Grade: I.


6 posted on 05/12/2018 1:43:08 PM PDT by jonrick46 (Trump continues to have all the right enemies.)
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To: SamAdams76

Cloudy with Showers in San Diego...
I need a small dog.


7 posted on 05/12/2018 1:44:43 PM PDT by Big Red Badger (UNSCANABLE in an IDIOCRACY!)
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To: SamAdams76

I still never figured out why White Castle hamburger patties have holes in them and Kyrstal burgers don’t. They’re about the same size.


8 posted on 05/12/2018 1:45:09 PM PDT by Hillarys Gate Cult (When words can mean anything, they can also mean nothing.)
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To: SamAdams76

It’s crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide.


9 posted on 05/12/2018 1:45:52 PM PDT by HartleyMBaldwin
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To: jonrick46

Recipe: Go to Store. Buy Crackers.


10 posted on 05/12/2018 1:45:59 PM PDT by bigbob (Trust Sessions. Trust the Plan.)
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To: SamAdams76

Let me guess - to cook more evenly?

That’s what the guy with White Castle discovered early on.


11 posted on 05/12/2018 1:47:47 PM PDT by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Federal-run medical care is as good as state-run DMVs.)
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To: Hillarys Gate Cult

To make sure you get an onion in every bite.

To allow steam to heat the onions nd top bun while they cook.

To allow even cooking for a fast food burger!


12 posted on 05/12/2018 1:48:39 PM PDT by GRRRRR (Make America Greater Than Ever Before!)
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To: Hillarys Gate Cult

To cook them evenly and faster. That’s why White Castle did it. Same as the crackers. I was right. :-)


13 posted on 05/12/2018 1:52:33 PM PDT by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Federal-run medical care is as good as state-run DMVs.)
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To: All
Heh, y'all beat me to it... But my first thought at seeing the title was:

"It must be an article by a #BlackLivesMatter operative, talking about a certain class of white men."

Actually an interesting article; I had no idea, but it makes sense.

14 posted on 05/12/2018 1:53:04 PM PDT by LegendHasIt
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To: SamAdams76

Fascinating!! Thanks for the article! :D


15 posted on 05/12/2018 1:54:13 PM PDT by GOP Poet
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To: SamAdams76

I love a post where I learn almost nothing but am nevertheless delighted.


16 posted on 05/12/2018 1:55:45 PM PDT by golux
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To: SamAdams76
There is a reason that crackers have holes in them

That was interesting but how do they make the necessary holes?

17 posted on 05/12/2018 1:55:50 PM PDT by MosesKnows (Love Many, Trust Few, and Always Paddle Your Own Canoe)
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To: the OlLine Rebel

Seen that explanation. But Krystal burgers don’t need the holes and end up cooked about the same and just as fast. I think that they’re better than WC.


18 posted on 05/12/2018 1:56:14 PM PDT by Hillarys Gate Cult (When words can mean anything, they can also mean nothing.)
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To: SamAdams76
There is a reason that crackers have holes in them

That was interesting but how do they make the necessary holes?

19 posted on 05/12/2018 1:56:49 PM PDT by MosesKnows (Love Many, Trust Few, and Always Paddle Your Own Canoe)
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To: Hillarys Gate Cult

White Castle burgers aren’t grilled, they’re steamed. They stack a pile of onions on the grill,
then put 30 patties (exactly the number in a Crave Case!) on top. The steam travels through the
onions and cooks the burgers, while the holes in the burgers let the steam get inside and through
the patties. This ensures an even cooking surface across the patties and eliminates the need to
flip the burgers (remember, they are being steamed). It also means they need to spend less time
on the grill — and they can get out faster.

Kyrstal Burgers are grilled.... different cooking method.


20 posted on 05/12/2018 1:57:07 PM PDT by deport
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