And now, from the "Oh my! IT'S SCIENCE!" files and Yahoo! News...

Sudiegirl sez: Cheerios aren’t this complicated. That’s why they are my cereal (or “breakfast food”, as dear ol’ Dad would say) of choice. Cheerios are also good dry, or sprinkled inside a peanut butter sandwich. What I really like to do with MY Cheerios is sprinkle them throughout a cup o’ yogurt. Yes, folks, even though I hate to cook, I can do incredible things with “raw” Cheerios. Just don’t ask me to make a soufflé unless I can put Cheerios in it. Onward and upward, my victims – er, I mean – readers…






Why Rice Krispies Go Snap, Crackle, Pop!
(Because they’re a damned Kellogg’s product, and between the prizes and all the noise the Krispies make, it’s a wonder anyone in the grocery store gets any peace! Well…it’s a theory, anyway.)

Corey Binns
Special to LiveScience
LiveScience.com
Mon Apr 24, 10:00 AM ET

There’s a bumper sticker out there that reads, “I do whatever my Rice Krispies tell me to.” Before taking orders, you might want to consider that no one really knows how the crispy cereal gets its commanding voice. (My guess is professional training – incorporating proper breathing and support from the diaphragm.)

In fact, we may never understand the full story behind the snap, crackle, and pop, because finding money for experiments on cereal noises isn’t easy. (Nor is it feasible.)

”I have not seen anyone fund this,” said food scientist Ted Labuza of the University of Minnesota. “It’s not rocket science.” (Well, you know…can’t some things be better off as NOT KNOWN? I mean, my to-do list has certain things intentionally left off it, such as “Remind D that I’m fully capable of changing the litter boxes because I WANT to do it” and “Ponder the origins of the snap/crackle/pop noises of Rice Krispies”. I’m not that hard to work with, y’all…)

However, over the years Labuza and other cereal scientists have come up with some pretty good suggestions to explain where the noises come from. (Well, since my interest has been piqued, let’s see what Rancho Sudiegirl Labs can contribute: how about tiny little armpits all sounding off in unison? No? OK…how about this…ah, I got nothin’.)




Shattered glass
(A good movie with Hayden Christiansen, BTW – even if the character is so ingratiating that you want to chop his HEAD OFF!!!)

A Rice Krispie behaves like a piece of glass. (I didn’t know inanimate objects behaved. Shoot – coulda knocked me over with a feather on that one.) If you hit it hard, it’ll break into a puzzle of a million pieces that, if you had the patience, you could put back together again. (How many people have been documented as doing this? I would really like to know. Also, if you wanted the Rice Krispie to stay together, what would be the universal solvent? Super Glue/epoxy would be toxic. I’m not sure…)
The high temperature at which the cereal’s cooked creates extremely strong bonds that hold the rice’s starch molecules together. The strong bonds make the rice act like glass.
During the cooking process, each piece of rice expands and a network of air-filled caves and tunnels form inside. (This would fascinate D…he loves caves and tunnels. I like malls.)


Under pressure
(Ah…I remember that Queen/David Bowie collaboration from my junior high days – ye gods, has it been that long?)

When you pour milk into your breakfast bowl, the cereal absorbs the milk. As milk flows into the crispy kernel, the liquid puts pressure on the air inside and pushes it around. (Well, maybe the Rice Krispie shouldn’t put up with that! That’s bullying. Someone should form a task committee on this…)

The air shoves against each pocket’s walls until they shatter, forcing out a snap, or a crackle, or, as you, know, sometimes a pop. (Amazingly, it’s never a “Bite Me” or “Your mother dresses you funny”. Just snap, crackle or pop. I’d like a little more versatility in my breakfast cereal, thanks.)

You can also see tiny air bubbles escaping to the surface. (Now there’s guilt entering the picture…they’re DROWNING!!!!!)

The race is now on. (Oh great…now there’s competition with this whole talking breakfast cereal scenario.) Because once the rice is wet enough, all the air pockets have burst, the sounds stop, and you're left in peace and quiet to eat soggy cereal. (Oh YAY…the incentives for eating it now are astounding.)

Other articles:
Cereal Science: Why Floating Objects Stick Together
(DUH! It’s called the buddy system…didn’t you go to DAY CAMP!?)

The Surprising New Science of Splashes
(Scientists get paid for doing stuff like this? Sign my a$$ up!)

The New Mystery of Water
(You mean it’s not wet?)

OK…overall, this article has reaffirmed my faith in the fact that I was much better off NOT majoring in sciences, since I’m not so psyched about the origins of snap/crackle/pop. It happens, I’m cool, that’s that.

Sudiegirl
The non-curious (about breakfast food, anyway)