Cornflakes

Cornflakes are flakes of corn that are eaten as a breakfast cereal. They are prepared by treatment of corn or maize.

Kellog’s is the most famous brand of Cornflakes, and was the one to invent cornflakes in 1894. A green colored rooster has been the symbol used in most of the packaging over the years. Kellog’s now also offers a range of other products besides cornflakes.

Post Toasties is another brand of cornflakes which is quite popular. It was started by a former patient of the same hospital where Kellog’s elder brother was superintendent, namely Battle Creek Sanatorium, by the name of C.W.Post. He started a rival company and the brand of Post Toasties is a huge brand in the United States.

Skippy is an Australian brand of cornflakes. There are many other generic brands and manufacturers of cornflakes in different countries across the world.

History of Cornflakes:

Kellog’s was granted patent for cornflakes in 1896. It is known to have made the product accidentally. Will Keith Kellog was the inventor of cornflakes and the founder of W.K. Kellog Foundation. In 1894, he was trying to prepare a nutritious diet for hospital patients, for which he boiled wheat in order to prepare a supplement for bread that was easy to digest. He accidentally left the pot of wheat to stand, and returned to see that the wheat had softened. When he allowed it to dry after rolling it, being as he was on a tight budget at that time, the grains of wheat took the form odd flakes, which turned out to be good in taste as well.  The flakes became a popular food with the patients at the hospital, and Kellogg, along with his elder brother, tried the process with several other grains including corn. Will Keith Kellogg wanted to introduce corn flakes to the mass market, and added sugar to the flakes to make them more acceptable in taste to the masses. This caused a rift between him and his elder brother, De Kellogg. He also offered Funny Jungleland Moving Pictures Booklet free with the purchase of two units of his corn flakes. This offer was made for a period of 22 years. Kellogg also kept experimenting with different types of grains, and one such product, ‘rice krispies’ is a popular one among a range of products offered today by Kellogg’s.

 Ingredients in Kellogg’s Cornflakes

The principal ingredients of regular plain flavored corn flakes are as follows-

• Corn: Corn is a grain widely grown in America. It is found in numerous varieties and finds extensive use in various food preparations across the globe.
• Sugar: It is crystalline sweetening agent usually prepared from sugarcane juice.
• Malt flavoring: Flavoring of malt, a substance produced by germinated and then air dried grain.
• High fructose corn syrup: A corn syrup that has been treated with enzyme to convert some of the glucose to fructose for producing the desired sweetness.
• Salt: Used for taste.

Cornflakes Recipes

Besides being eaten as a breakfast cereal, cornflakes are used for a range of mouth watering cornflakes recipes. Here are some of the popular cornflakes recipes-

• Cornflake cookies: These cornflakes recipes are available in various flavors like coconut and chocolate. Cornflakes are usually mixed with the rest of the ingredients before baking for such kind of cornflakes recipes.
• Crushed cornflakes: Cornflakes are often crushed to a coarse powder and used for coating dishes like baked chicken. The crushed cornflakes provide a delicious crispiness to the dish. For these cornflakes recipes, cornflakes are usually crushed by putting them in a zipped bag and crushing them by a rolling pin.

Serving Cornflakes

Cornflakes are usually served for breakfast with milk.

Other Corn Foods

Besides corn flakes and cornflakes recipes, corn is extensively used as a food item in other forms. It is often eaten boiled, steamed or roasted, or an ingredient in other dishes. Boiled or roasted corn with a coat of mayonnaise and seasonings of salt, pepper, chilli, etc. is called ‘corn on the cob’ and eaten on a stick as a popular street food. Sweet corn is boiled and flavored and eaten as an any-time snack. Corn starch is used extensively in culinary science as a thickening agent. Corn is also used in different kinds of salads and main course dishes as an ingredient.

Health and Nutritional Information about Cornflakes

Corn, the main ingredient of cornflakes, is beneficial for health besides satisfying the taste buds. Corn flakes carry the same nutritional value as cooked corn.  It is an excellent source of minerals, dietary fiber and vitamins.

Corn is rich in folate, which helps in formation of new cells. It helps prevent birth defects, colon cancer and heart diseases. Thiamin contained in corn is good for metabolism of carbohydrates in the body, and hence for energy production in the body. Fiber content helps in improvement of bowel movement, as well as for lowering cholesterol and preventing colon cancer. Corn is also considered good for cardiovascular and renal heath. It is also healthy for the lungs and prevents lung cancer.