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Nabisco starting calling them saltines in 1969 but they had been selling them since the 1800's as soda crackers. ' In 1876 at a county fair in St. Joseph, Mo., the blue ribbon for excellence went to a soda cracker later christened 'Premium,' beginning a century-long tradition as America's No. 1 selling saltine cracker. A saltine or soda cracker is a thin, usually square cracker made from white flour, shortening, yeast, and baking soda, and lightly sprinkled with coarse salt. You can safely substitute one for the other. Soda crackers and saltine crackers are different names for the same food. In the United States, they are most commonly called saltines, while they are called soda crackers in the United Kingdom. Saltines are thin, crunchy crackers that are square-shaped with a perforated surface and salt sprinkled on top.
Substitute saltine crackers for bread crumbs to make delicious, pan-fried or baked breaded chicken. By crushing the crackers into fine crumbs and adding spices, you can make a simple coating for chicken breasts. Since the crackers already have a high sodium-content, you don't need to add salt to your recipe. Pan-fry the saltine cracker chicken in oil to make a crispy crust or bake the chicken for a lighter meal.
Preparation
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Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap.
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Use the flat side of a meat mallet to flatten the chicken breasts until they are approximately 1/2 inch thick.
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Place the saltine crackers in a plastic storage bag and seal. Crush the crackers with a rolling pin until the crumbs are fine.
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Calories In Saltine Soda Crackers
Add 1 tbsp. black pepper and 1 tsp. chili powder to the cracker crumbs. Shake the bag to mix the spices and crumbs together.
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Coat the chicken breasts in flour. Dip the floured breasts in evaporated milk.
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Place the damp chicken in the plastic bag. Shake the bag to coat them with cracker crumbs.
Baking
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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Arrange the chicken on a baking sheet and place in the oven.
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Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, which is the standard safe temperature set by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Pan-Frying
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Heat 1/4 cup oil in a frying pan at a medium-high heat.
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Place the chicken in the pan and cook both sides are golden brown and the internal temperature is 165 degrees F.
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Remove the chicken from the pan with kitchen tongs. Blot excess oil from the chicken with paper towel before serving.
Tip
Substitute your favorite herbs for the pepper and chili powder, if desired. Do not salt the chicken before cooking.
Warning
Use caution when removing the baking sheet from the oven and when handling the hot oil.
Alternative names | Soda cracker |
---|---|
Type | Cracker |
Place of origin | United States |
Main ingredients | Flour, yeast, and baking soda |
A saltine or soda cracker is a thin, usually square cracker made from white flour, yeast, and baking soda, with most varieties lightly sprinkled with coarse salt. It has perforations over its surface, as well as a distinctively dry and crisp texture.
Some familiar brand names of saltine crackers in North America are Christie's Premium Plus (Canada), Nabisco's Premium (U.S.), Sunshine Biscuits' Krispy (U.S.), Keebler's Zesta (U.S.) (both owned by Kellogg's), and Noel's Saltín (Colombia). Unsalted tops as well as whole grain saltines can also be found.
Uses[edit]
![Soda Crackers Vs Saltines Soda Crackers Vs Saltines](/uploads/1/2/6/9/126907736/368676008.jpg)
Saltines are commonly eaten as a light snack, often with cheese, butter, peanut butter or other spreads. They may also be dipped or crumbled in soups, chilis, stews, and eaten with, or crumbled into salads. Typically they are sold in boxes containing two to four stacks of crackers, each wrapped in a sleeve of waxed paper or plastic. In restaurants, they are found in small wrapped plastic packets of two crackers, which generally accompany soup or salad. Cracker meal, a type of coarse to semi-fine flour made of crushed saltine crackers, may be used as toppings for various dishes; breading for fried or baked poultry, fish or red meats; or as a thickener for meatloaf, soups, stews, sauces, and chilis.
As a home remedy, saltines are consumed by many people in order to ease nausea and to settle an upset stomach. Saltine crackers have also been frequently included in military field rations (Meal, Ready-to-Eat, or MRE) in the United States. For some children in parts of the eastern United States, saltines are traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve.
History[edit]
Soda crackers were described in 'The Young Housekeeper' by Alcott in 1838.[1]
In 1876, F. L. Sommer & Company of St. Joseph, Missouri started using baking soda to leaven its wafer thin cracker. Initially called the Premium Soda Cracker and later 'Saltines' because of the baking salt component, the invention quickly became popular and Sommer's business quadrupled within four years. That company merged with other companies to form American Biscuit Company in 1890 and then after further mergers became part of Nabisco in 1898.[2][3][4]
In the early 20th century, various companies in the United States began selling soda crackers in Puerto Rico and referred to them as 'Export Soda'. Rovira Biscuit Corp. of Puerto Rico also started selling their soda crackers with the same name. The term 'Export Soda' became a generic term in Puerto Rico for these crackers. In 1975 Keebler Co. was refused a trademark for the term because it was 'merely descriptive'.[5]
In the United States, Nabisco lost trademark protection after the term 'saltine' began to be used generically to refer to similar crackers (see generic trademark for how this occurs). The name 'saltine' had been placed in the Merriam Webster Dictionary in 1907 with a definition of 'a thin crisp cracker usually sprinkled with salt”.[6] In Australia, Arnott's Biscuits Holdings still holds a trademark on the name 'Saltine'.[7][8]
They were made in the United Kingdom by Huntley and Palmers, and also in Australia and New Zealand under the brand name Arnott's Salada.
Baking process[edit]
Saltines have been compared to hardtack, a simple unleavened cracker or biscuit made from flour, water, and sometimes salt. However, unlike hardtack, saltines include yeast as one of their ingredients. Soda crackers are a leavened bread that is allowed to rise for twenty to thirty hours. After the rise, alkaline soda is added to neutralize the excessive acidity produced by the action of the yeast. The dough is allowed to rest for three to four more hours, to relax the gluten, before being rolled in layers and then baked.
Flat saltine crackers have perforations on their surfaces. During baking, the outer layer of dough hardens first, restricting out-gassing of evolved gasses. The perforations connect the top surface to the bottom surface to prevent the cracker from pillowing as a result of these evolved gasses.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
![Soda crackers vs saltines butter Soda crackers vs saltines butter](/uploads/1/2/6/9/126907736/710907220.jpg)
- ^Alcott, William Andrus (1838). 'The Young House-keeper: Or, Thoughts on Food and Cookery'.
- ^'Soggy Cracker House Needs Some Help'. St. Joseph News-Press. 15 April 2008. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
- ^'Biographical Sketch of F. L. Sommer, St. Joseph, Buchanan County, MO'. USGenWeb Archives. Retrieved 2013-03-27.
- ^'Michigan State University Libraries - Special Collections - Little Cookbooks: The Alan and Shirley Brocker Sliker Culinary Ephemera Collection'. Lib.msu.edu. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
- ^'KEEBLER CO. v. ROVIRA BISCUIT CORP'.
- ^'Nabisco Premium Saltines The Snack That Takes You Back'(PDF). SaigeFalyn. Retrieved 2013-03-27.
- ^'Trade Mark Details - Full - Trade Mark : 214303'. ipaustralia.gov.au. Retrieved 2013-10-29.
- ^'Trade Mark Details - Full - Trade Mark : 98208'. ipaustralia.gov.au. Retrieved 2013-10-29.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saltine crackers. |
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