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.
You have the most interesting posts. I always look forward to them.
If you have a “ping” list, I would like to be included.
Thanks.
Those stale crackers add their aged flavor to a hot bowl of tomato soup. A nice toasted cheese sandwich with an edge dipped in the soup makes for a nice lunch.
Didn’t you use to be Cliff Clavin on Cheers?
Cheese Nips are not nearly as good. I once thought those 2 were about the same, but they’re not. That was when we experimented with some snacks to see what our toddler son would eat. (BTW, I love the “character”/theme CIs even better - the hardness from the pinched embossed pix makes it even better!)
And I love the new flavors for CI. Just wish they would make smaller boxes of each type.
Yeah, disagree with that. Maybe it’s the “modern” packaging.
In a year they will be a bit clay smelling/tasting. May be just as crisp, but the taste turns.
Yeah, I think they’re only for Tomato Soup but the “Its” are clearly much better.
I think I found them for 89-99 cents a box so I got a half-dozen or so over a couple of trips.
Yeah, you get what you pay for....
Saltines are much better if you put them in the oven (about 250 degrees) for a bit,......even better with a dab of butter on top.
How It’d Made:
Sandwich Crackers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYB3H7lJnUc
You can find ANYTHING (almost) on Youtube!
I miss Hi-Ho crackers (similar to Ritz). Can’t find them in Texas.
Krystal is only in the southeastern US and very similar to White Castle. Really big in Tennessee and Georgia. White Castle can be found in 11 Midwestern and Northern states. Krystal in 12 throughout the South. Even though they’re separate companies they show little signs of try to expand into each others territory. Only places they compete head to head are a few cities in KY, and Tenn.
I'm actually thinking of doing my next article on hardtack. During the Civil War especially, it was a staple and often got wormy due to improper storage (flies would lay eggs in it). Soldiers would soak the hardtack in coffee or whiskey to make the worms crawl out!
Keeps the peanut butter from sliding off...
Finally. Some news I can use.
BTW, my wife buys Saltines that have no salt.
knock-down-drag-out-fights...
Lol...
I think you’re the one leaving cracker crumbs on that train to Connecticut.
Cheezits (and goldfish etc) are just msg held together with poor quality wheat.
I only have the holes G-d gave me.
Oh, wrong Cracker. Sorry.
5.56mm
LOL, now we know...this is good! I love little bits of trivia like this.
Egg salad not grilled cheese ;)
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