Kellogg’s corn flakes have been a breakfast staple for over 100 years. The crunchy toasted flakes are enjoyed in bowls around the world drowned in milk or eaten by the handful straight from the box. But despite their popularity, many people wonder about how corn flakes are actually made. Specifically, some question whether corn flakes are fried during production or if they are toasted or baked in some other way. Let’s take a closer look at the Kellogg’s corn flakes manufacturing process to get the answer.
The History of Corn Flakes
It all started back in 1894 when John Harvey Kellogg and his brother Will Keith Kellogg accidentally stumbled upon the process for creating flaked cereal. At the time, John Harvey Kellogg ran the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan which emphasized nutrition and health. He and Will were experimenting with different grain mixtures to create easily digestible foods for patients when they created what we now know as corn flakes.
One day they left some cooked wheat sitting out and it dried and flattened. When they ran it through rollers, it came out as thin flakes. Intrigued by the flaking process, they continued to experiment and eventually tried using corn instead of wheat. They discovered that corn flakes were light, crispy, and delicious. Patients at the sanitarium loved the new breakfast cereal and word of the crunchy flakes quickly spread.
In 1906, Will Keith Kellogg officially launched the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flakes Company (which later became the Kellogg Company) to sell corn flakes to the public. Thanks to clever marketing that touted corn flakes as a healthy, convenient breakfast, the cereal became extremely successful. Today, Kellogg’s produces millions of boxes of corn flakes each year that are sold globally.
How Are Kellogg’s Corn Flakes Made?
Contrary to what some may think, Kellogg’s corn flakes are not deep fried or cooked in oil. Rather, they undergo a process of grain cleaning, cooking, tempering, rolling, toasting, and drying to achieve their signature crisp texture and taste. Here are the main steps involved:
Cleaning the Corn
It starts with whole kernel corn that first gets thoroughly cleaned. This removes any dust, dirt, or debris on the corn. Clean corn is essential for ensuring high quality flakes.
Cooking
Next, the clean corn goes into large pressure cookers where it is cooked with water at high heat. Cooking helps gelatinize the corn starch within the kernel so that it will flake properly next.
Tempering
The cooked corn is then tempered or steeped to gently reduce the moisture content. This needs to happen slowly so the corn doesn’t harden too quickly. Proper moisture levels are vital for flaking.
Rolling
The tempered corn moves on to roller mills that press it into thin flakes. The corn first goes through coarse rollers to crack it open and then through fine rollers that reduce it to thin flake form.
Toasting
Once flaked, the corn travels into large rotating ovens where it gets lightly toasted at temperatures around 400-650°F. This brings out the corn flavor and gives the flakes their signature crunch without deep frying or frying in oil.
Drying
The final step is drying the toasted flakes to reduce moisture so they stay crisp. The flakes get tumbled around in large dryers until their moisture content is below 3%.
After drying, the flakes move to packaging where they are filled into boxes and bags for shipping to grocery stores. All together it takes about 5 hours for the corn to transform into the crispy flakes we know and love.
The Frying Misconception
So where did the myth around frying corn flakes come from? One source may be confusion between corn flakes and another popular breakfast item – doughnuts. Doughnuts of course are deep fried in oil during production which gives them a crispy, flaky texture when fresh. Some people mistakenly assume corn flakes get fried in a similar way.
Another possibility is that people assume that toasting corn flakes requires frying. While toasting does use dry heat, deep frying or pan frying in oil is not involved. The toasting ovens give corn flakes their signature crunch and golden brown color without oil.
There may also be confusion between corn flakes made at home from scratch and Kellogg’s corn flakes specifically. Some homemade corn flake recipes do involve frying the grains briefly in oil or butter before toasting. However, this is not the approach used by Kellogg’s in their commercial flaking process.
Lastly, people may associate frying with any food preparation method that creates a crunchy, crispy texture the way frying does. So when they taste the satisfying crunch of corn flakes, their mind jumps to frying as the cause.
Reasons Kellogg’s Does Not Fry Corn Flakes
Here are some of the main reasons Kellogg’s does not fry their corn flakes:
| Reason | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Flavor | Frying would impart an oily or greasy flavor that would overwhelm the natural corn taste people expect. |
| Texture | The flakes need to stay super crisp and light. Deep frying would make them saturate with oil and get too dense. |
| Freshness | Without frying, corn flakes stay crisper longer after being packaged. Fried food tends to go stale faster. |
| Health | Fried foods absorb more fat and calories which goes against the “better-for-you” image the brand promotes. |
| Cost | Frying on a mass production scale would require massive amounts of hot oil, increasing manufacturing expenses. |
In the end, frying is simply not needed to toast corn flakes and would actually ruin the delicate crunch that makes them so appealing. The carefully controlled flaking and toasting process gives Kellogg’s corn flakes their signature texture and taste that so many know and love.
Nutrition Facts for Kellogg’s Corn Flakes
Since they are not fried in oil, Kellogg’s corn flakes have a pretty clean nutrition profile. Here is the nutrition information for a 1 cup (29g) serving of plain Kellogg’s Corn Flakes cereal:
| Nutrient | Amount | Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 110 | 6% |
| Fat | 0.5g | 1% |
| Saturated Fat | 0g | 0% |
| Trans Fat | 0g | 0% |
| Cholesterol | 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium | 290mg | 13% |
| Carbohydrates | 24g | 9% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 2g | |
| Protein | 3g |
As you can see, a serving of corn flakes is low in calories, fat, and sugar. It also contains no cholesterol and provides some enrichment with vitamins and minerals. The nutrition stats reflect the simple, unfried ingredients – corn, sugar, salt, malt flavoring, and vitamins and minerals for enrichment.
Ingredients in Kellogg’s Corn Flakes
Speaking of ingredients, here is the full ingredient list printed on the Kellogg’s corn flakes cereal box:
Ingredients: Milled corn, sugar, malt flavoring, salt, BHT for freshness.
Vitamins and Minerals: Iron, niacinamide, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), folic acid, vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B1 (thiamin hydrochloride), vitamin A palmitate, vitamin B12, vitamin D.
As you can see, the primary ingredient is simple milled corn. No oils or frying agents are listed. The flakes get their color from caramelized corn sugars that form during toasting, not from frying oils. The vitamin enrichment helps bump up the nutrition.
Cooking and Serving Tips
While best enjoyed crunchy right out of the box, there are lots of tasty ways to enjoy Kellogg’s corn flakes too:
Cereal and Milk
The classic way to enjoy corn flakes is with chilled milk and your choice of fruit, nuts, or other toppings. The milk slightly softens the crunchy flakes while still allowing their texture to shine.
Over Yogurt and Fruit
Sprinkle corn flakes over yogurt and fresh fruit for added crunch and corn flavor.
In Cookies and Bars
Chop or crush corn flakes to coat cookies or incorporate into baked bar recipes. They add fun flavor and texture.
As Breadcrumbs
Use crushed corn flakes in place of traditional breadcrumbs to coat chicken, fish, chops, and more before baking or frying.
In Milkshakes
Blend a handful of corn flakes into milkshakes for extra thickness and malty flavor.
Conclusion
So are Kellogg’s corn flakes fried? After investigating the manufacturing process and nutrition information, it’s clear that Kellogg’s corn flakes are not deep fried or pan-fried during production. They achieve their signature crispiness and golden color through cleaning, steaming, flaking, and toasting the corn. While homemade corn flake recipes sometimes involve frying, Kellogg’s keeps their classic flakes light and crispy through gentler toasting. So you can enjoy that satisfying corn flake crunch knowing it didn’t come from a fryer!