I am seeking a reciepe to make breakfast cereal. Something like puffed rice (rice crispies) would work fine, and it cant be that hard, right? Others would be equally appreciated, so long as bananas arent a prime ingredient. Seems like I could save a bunch of cash making cereal, as 3 or 4 bucks a box gets old. Might be healthier, too, as packaging preservatives, etc could be left out. And I eat alot of cereal! Thanks in advance!

-- Kevin in NC (Vantravlrs@aol.com), May 04, 2002

Answers

Breakfast crunch 12 c.oatmeal 2 tsp.salt 8c.coconut 5Tbs.cinnamon 12c. cornflakes 1 1/2 c. honey 2 c. sunflower seeds 1/2c.brown sugar 2c. bran or wheat germ 1c.melted oleo 6c. puffed wheat 1c. walnut pieces mix all dry ingredients together. melt oleo and mix the honey and sugar with it.Pour over all and mix well.Toast at 200 deg.untill toasty golden.Raisins may be added after toasting.

Grape-nuts 12c. whole wheat flour 2Tbs.vanilla 5 1/2c.Brown sugar 1tsp.maple flavoring 1/2c.melted butter 1 1/2Tbs.sodadissoved in5c.buttermilk 2/3Tbs.salt 4c.Quick oats Put everything in a large bowl and mix well.Batter will be thick,more milk can be added,if too stiff.Bake in slow oven at 275 for 1 hour.Cool.Crumble or put through a grater.Put back in pan and toast at 250.Stirring untill golden brown.

-- Pam (pams65@hotmail.com), May 04, 2002.

Puffed rice, no recipe found, hope someone posts one, but found some history on it:

Puffed and popped rices are traditional breakfast cereals and snack foods (Juliano and Sakurai, 1985). Raw rice is traditionally popped by heating rough rice (13 to 17 percent moisture) at about 240°C for 30 to 35 seconds or at 275°C for 40 to 45 seconds or in an oil bath at 215 to 230°C.

Continuous explosion-puffing of brown rice, developed in Japan in 1971, uses a long heating pipe wherein grains are dispersed and conveyed by a high-velocity stream of superheated steam (Sagara, 1988). After the rice has been heated and dried within 3 to 10 seconds, it is discharged into the atmosphere through a rotary valve to explosion-puff. A brown rice expansion ratio of 5.4 is obtained at 6 kg/cm2 pressure and an outlet steam temperature of 200ºC.

There was one description of using a pressure cooker or hot sand to create puffed rice.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), May 04, 2002.

Found a site that might answer your inquiry about Rice Puffing, How things Work, http://www.howstuffworks.com/question393.htm and my search to find a recipe.

Also, Alexander Pierce Anderson in 1901 “was able to heat corn starch to a very high temperature and then cause it to explode. The tiny amount of condensed water in the granules flashed into steam during the explosion and tore the starch granules to pieces, thus turning the mass of expanded granules into a "porous puffed mass." And thus, puffed cereal was born.” “He immediately patented the process and eventually received 25 patents on the puffing process and the machinery used to manufacture it. A retort gun used in 1902 that demonstrated the process used for puffing rice is on display at the Goodhue County Historical Museum.” http://www.pressenter.com/~acis/history.html

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), May 04, 2002.

Kevin, I feel for you; 4 bucks for cereal hurts. I quit eating the stuff until we got a WalMart in town to compete with Krogers. Now averages $2 on sale, $2.67 regularly.

-- clove (clovis97@Yahoo.com), May 05, 2002.

Why not use rolled oats? One-minute oats if you're in a hurry. Or semolina, or polenta? Or even slow cooker on wheat grains or pearl barley? Or pasta?

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), May 05, 2002.

This granola recipe is a one I made, except that I added some salt (I didn't meaure the amount, maybe 1/2 tsp per 8 cups oats) and I didn't add the nuts and coconut until after the 2nd stirring.

Feel free to add any goodies that you like: raisins, dates, nuts, etc. The wheat germ gives it extra nutrition and texture.

8 cups old fashioned oats (not quick oats) 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar 1 1/2 cups raw sunflower seeds 1 1/2 cups wheat germ 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

1/2 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup honey 2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Heat oil, honey and vanilla in microwave on high for about 2 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Stir well and pour over dry ingredients. Stir vigorously until granola is well coated. Pour mixture on cookie sheets with high sides (we use jelly roll pans). Mixture can be piled high on the pans. Cook for about 15 minutes until granola is browned stiring after each 5 minute period.

Granola can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks in air tight ziplock bags.

-- Happy Future, Jim

-- Jim Raymond (jimr@terraworld.net), May 05, 2002.

Quick Oats or one minute type does not need cooking. I just eat it right out of the box. You can add other stuff, like raisins and nuts, for taste. If too dry, add water and eat like a paste. Great outdoors food and CHEAP. With practice you can mix oats and water in your mouth. Avoid sugar, if at all possible.

-- Joe (CactusJoe001@AOL.com), May 05, 2002.

egads, mr. joe, i did not know you were a goat! :0 [just joshing!!!]

-- bj pepper ,in central MS. (pepper.pepper@excite.com), May 08, 2002.

We eat "camp oatmeal" [cold water added, other goodies, not cooked} my youngest won't eat it cooked unless he is really hungery, and then he just picks at it, popped pop corn [I like hot air popped best for this} is really good with milk and honey,(or sugar if you chose)

I won't pay more than a $1 a package for cereal, so it isn't often in our house.

-- Thumper/inOKC (slrldr@yahoo.com), May 08, 2002.