How Do Rice Krispies Pop?

From corn flakes to granola, there is a breakfast cereal to fit anyone's taste, but most of them have one thing in common - they are quiet cereals. These cereals only release their sound when you chew, but there is one that likes to greet you when you first pour your milk on and they are Rice Krispies (or their equivalent). Kids smile, even adults smile, when the cereal starts its morning song. But how does those little grains make such a racket? It is all science in now they are made. In 1927, Eugene McKay developed the rice cereal product for the Kellogg Company and since then (it was introduced to the public in 1928) this cereal has become one of the most well known and popular cereal brands today in the states and around the world. Even generic brands are popular and still have the same sound and crunch. Today there are many different flavors, but the most popular remained the original and chocolate. There have also been other versions such as berry flavor and coming with miniature marshmallows that did not fare as well and are not no longer made (Source: Wikipedia).

So, now that we have all had a little history lesson, just how does one little piece of cereal make such an odd sound? Well, Corey Binns of Live Science (www.livescience.com) likens the rice cereal kernel to a piece of glass, both fragile and when broken, both will shatter. Making the familiar sound as well as tiny pieces. The kernel gets its glasslike properties when it is processed. The rice is cooked, dried and then toasted into its familiar shape. Because of such high temperatures used during the process it helps holds the starches together. Because of this process, it creates tiny tunnels and caves of air inside. When milk is poured, it is absorb into the kernel, which pushes the trapped air out. Because of the thin walls, they collapse which gives off the distinctive sounds. Further, due to the variations of trapped air in different size pockets, it creates different tones and volumes. The sounds will also comes and random times and at different volumes and speeds until the milk has pushed the trapped air out (resulting is soggy cereal).

Rice Krispies are popular throughout the world and have been reinvented, flavor wise, with each passing year and it is one of the few cereals that has spawned its own treats and desserts with just a few simple ingredients and is now being massed produced on its own. So enjoy your breakfast and let it talk to you to help greet your morning.