Saltines: Hopelessly Square

[Smithy]

Oh my, yes to @BetD: thanks for bumping this topic up! So many good ideas, and several belly laughs for me. I'm glad you didn't incinerate your crackers the way @JAZ did all those years ago.

 

I'm going to have to look for one of those metal tins. Haven't seen them in ages; haven't thought about them (or the fact that they used come in perforated squares of 4) in as long.

[AlaMoi]

I have nothing aka _nothing_ against Saltines - but . . .

for a cheese/pate/broiled/charcuterie/ etc "cracker" platter there are many cracker 'more better suited' to that task....

just saying . . .

 

the Nabisco Saltine Tin packaging was discontinued in the ~1970 period.  ebay has many offerings - very good condition late tins in the ~$15 range, older 'antique' and even 'the last production' examples in really good condition get pricey.

 

[Katie Meadow]

The name of this thread is perfect. I just stocked up on saltines because my toddler granddaughters are  coming next week, and that makes for an easy snack. No, I would not serve saltines with a cheeseboard for any grownup event. Agree totally with @AlaMoithat there are plenty of crackers out there worthy of good cheese.. And with most cheeses I certainly don't want a salty cracker. My  husband, who spent much of childhood eating margarine on saltines does not have anything positive to say about them except they were a cheap fix when I was pregnant. I'm still fond of them.

[AlaMoi]

hmmm.  he got off easy.  when DW was preggers with #1 she swelled up, got put on zero salt . . . .

I was up all hours veddy veddy thinly slicing potatoes and making saltless potato chips.

[BetD]

When the hangries hit, a few saltines with either PB or cheddar/Colby cheese will put things right for me in a hurry. I don’t use them for much else other than the rare bowl of tomato soup. I seem to recall Alton Brown making a sort of snack with them involving butter, hot sauce and baking… yup…  here it is.  May have to give that a go.

[BeeZee]

Our HQ office always has a big green tin of Goya soda crackers in the kitchen. Jar of pb on the counter, as well. More than once I have made that my lunch while working there for the day.

Edited December 15, 2022 by BeeZee (log)

[Maison Rustique]

Saltines and butter=crack

 

YUM!!

 

 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

My Mame-like aunt used to amuse 5 year old me with a snack of several soda crackers on a saucer, topped with a spoon of canned milk and boiling water, sprinkle of sugar.    She gave it some fanciful name and I thought it was wonderful.   I'd go home and tell my mother who would shake her head in disgust.    But I remember these "treats" as delicious to this day.

 

Edited December 15, 2022 by Margaret Pilgrim (log)

[blue_dolphin]

I haven't eaten Saltines in ages but reading through this thread brings back some sweet memories of childhood snacks and lunches that featured buttered Saltines or little Saltine PB&J sandwiches. My mom remained a Saltine devotee until the end, switching to the unsalted tops in later years due to blood pressure concerns.   They were always on my "Mom Food" shopping list when she came to visit, along with the specific type of American cheese slices she liked to fold into Saltine-sized squares and sandwich between 2 of those crackers.  She made them for me when I was tiny and I made them for her near the end when almost nothing else appealed to her.  A full circle of Saltines!

[rotuts]

growing up  

 

I discovered saltines later , esp the no salt.

 

however , I do remember 

 

Ritz Crackers .

 

my father would take out an individual tubular

 

stack   ( each stack enfolded in a brown waxy paper , 3 - 4 stacks a box )

 

and take a few crackers out .  can not remember the number

 

and then place on that cracker , 1/8 " , or a little more

 

butter , then a similar , or more likely , a bit more 

 

of Rochefort , the real stuff , mid '50's and on

 

and pop that in his mouth 

 

and enjoy.   we had lived in France at that point 

 

and Im guessing , the real idea was the butter and Rochefort 

 

not the vehicle it was placed pn , to get the job done.

[Maison Rustique]

21 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

My Mame-like aunt used to amuse 5 year old me with a snack of several soda crackers on a saucer, topped with a spoon of canned milk and boiling water, sprinkle of sugar.    She gave it some fanciful name and I thought it was wonderful.   I'd go home and tell my mother who would shake her head in disgust.    But I remember these "treats" as delicious to this day.

 

 

I'd try a version of that, only would use all hot milk, buttered Saltines and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Mom always made milk toast for us with cinnamon toast. It was wonderful!

[Katie Meadow]

2 hours ago, Maison Rustique said:

 

I'd try a version of that, only would use all hot milk, buttered Saltines and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Mom always made milk toast for us with cinnamon toast. It was wonderful!

This thread is more revealing about American eating habits than any other. I can't imagine pouring milk over saltines but then my mother favored --or maybe she invented it-- one of the weirdest combos of all time. She always had saltines on the side with a bowl of chocolate ice cream. I don't know where she got that from, although she did have strange parents. Maybe someone told her it was French; anything "French" she assumed was good.

 

It is also true that if you don't eat the whole sleeve quickly they get very stale. The thrill of a opening a new sleeve is in my mind akin to the thrill of opening a fresh box of real Cheerios. They smell divine! Two days later, not so much. 

 

Here's a question: I know saltines have always been about available, cheap and easy. But has anyone ever tried to bake them from scratch? I think they would be great if the right recipe came along. As an aside, take the case of graham crackers. Like Proust's madeleine, they taste heavenly in memory, but the graham crackers you buy today are just plain dull. A few years ago I got so frustrated I  talked my husband into making them, with real graham flour, and they were excellent. I don't have the energy for that kind of project now.