Why Rice Krispies snap, crackle and pop

by Nick Vagnoni, Posted Apr 25th 2006 @ 8:06PM

That infamous snap, crackle and pop that Rice Krispies make comes from air escaping from the tiny puffed grains of rice, according to a brief article posted yesterday on LiveScience.com. When the rice grains are toasted at high temperatures, they expand, creating lots of little air-filled pockets. When the milk hits the cereal, it puts pressure on the puffed rice, thus forcing the air out. At least, that's the theory. Surprisingly, no one has ever actually funded a study. The cereal science buffs out there may also remember a post about why Cheerios floating in milk tend to cling to one another. LiveScience covered that one as well.

Filed Under: Science, Ingredients
Tags: breakfast, cereal, crackle, dairy, grains, krispies, milk, noise, pop, puffed, rice, snap, why