Saltines: Hopelessly Square

[bloviatrix]

BTW, saltines play a small, but important role in the movie The Terminal.

[Ovenfrenzy]

I love this thread! It's really got everyone's memories working. I was fed saltines and 7-UP when I was sick as a child, so I never accepted them as anything other than "sick food," with the exception of using them in recipes. I make salmon patties with them- mix up the canned salmon, saltines, an egg, soy sauce, wasabi mayo, a bit of grated fresh ginger. I fry them in a small amount of roasted peanut oil/seseme oil, and spritz on the hot sauce when they are done. I wouldn't use anything but a saltine for that!

[Jason Perlow]

At McSorley's Old Ale House in NYC, their "Cheese Plate" is sliced up Liedenkranz with a whole pack of Premium Saltines, with sliced raw onion and a jar of their bar mustard which is essentially Coleman's spiked with a ton of horseradish.

Goes great with their Dark and Light ales. I order it without fail along with their burger whenever I visit.

[Gifted Gourmet]

This thread is making me sooo thirsty! And, it doesn't help that it is 94 degrees outside either ...

[Katherine]

At McSorley's Old Ale House in NYC, their "Cheese Plate" is sliced up Liedenkranz with a whole pack of Premium Saltines, with sliced raw onion and a jar of their bar mustard which is essentially Coleman's spiked with a ton of horseradish.

Real Liederkranz? Who makes this?

[Jason Perlow]

At McSorley's Old Ale House in NYC, their "Cheese Plate" is sliced up Liedenkranz with a whole pack of Premium Saltines, with sliced raw onion and a jar of their bar mustard which is essentially Coleman's spiked with a ton of horseradish.

Real Liederkranz? Who makes this?

It may very well be that the current cheese plate is in fact a sharp white cheddar and not Liederkranz, but in every article that I have read that discussed the cheese plate at McSorelys, and asking the waitstaff on at least 1 or 2 occassions, its always said to have been Liederkranz.

[winesonoma]

At McSorley's Old Ale House in NYC, their "Cheese Plate" is sliced up Liedenkranz with a whole pack of Premium Saltines, with sliced raw onion and a jar of their bar mustard which is essentially Coleman's spiked with a ton of horseradish.

Goes great with their Dark and Light ales. I order it without fail along with their burger whenever I visit.

The mustard is there to kill the flies. Least it was in the early 70's.

[andiesenji]

Broken saltines, tossed in a bowl with a tomato cut into chunks. Pepper only, the salt on the crackers is enough.......

[Katherine]

At McSorley's Old Ale House in NYC, their "Cheese Plate" is sliced up Liedenkranz with a whole pack of Premium Saltines, with sliced raw onion and a jar of their bar mustard which is essentially Coleman's spiked with a ton of horseradish.

Real Liederkranz? Who makes this?

It may very well be that the current cheese plate is in fact a sharp white cheddar and not Liederkranz, but in every article that I have read that discussed the cheese plate at McSorelys, and asking the waitstaff on at least 1 or 2 occassions, its always said to have been Liederkranz.

You must ask them where they get it. True Liederkranz is unlike nothing else, and sadly, has been unavailable for many years. Even a reasonable approximation would be worth seeking out.

[cakes]

I too remember the 4 squares.

We have a terrible problem here in Florida with them going stale. It is very frustrating. I get very irritated with the packaging, the sleeves are designed to not close back up. If we open one we usually just throw it when we are done.

There is a delicacy that I have not seen mentioned yet. Most of the casual sea food resuraunts have the little packets of saltines on the table along with butter and cocktail sauce (ketchup and horseradish). Put a big gob of sauce on the saltines, if you want to be decadent slather it with butter first.

Someone was saying rude things about the fat free ones. They are not that bad and keep better than the standard ones. A very tasty and relatively healthy snack is fat free saltines and hummus. My wife got serious with Weight Watchers and needed a snack. I worked out a hummus recipe and we would have it on the fat-free crackers. Very satisfying and tasty; tastes too good to be good for you. I can't tell you how many batches of hummus I made.

Cakes

[maggiethecat]

We called them "soda biscuits."

My primary impression of saltines was formed as a child when I had some sharp cheddar crumbled between two of them and was perplexed by how strongly the flavour reminded me of corn.

Are you sure you don't mean "soda crackers"?

Soda biscuits are something you bake yourself, aren't they?

Thinking back, my aforementioned Lancashire Granny called them soda biscuits, although I've certainly heard them called soda crackers.

My fellow eGulls, thanks for your generosity here. How could I have forgotten the Kraft Single folded into quarters?

I'll take one for the Team and embark on what I suspect will be a fruitless endeavor to improve perfection: I'm going to make Saltines (or soda crackers) from scratch. Marian Cunningham has a recipe on-line somewhere.

[fresco]

In Mexico, you get crackers or saltines or whatever they call them down there on the side when you order ceviche in many restaurants--and they go very well together.

[FistFullaRoux]

I'll take one for the Team and embark on what I suspect will be a fruitless endeavor to improve perfection: I'm going to make Saltines (or soda crackers) from scratch. Marian Cunningham has a recipe on-line somewhere.

I did them for a short time at one of the bakeries I worked for. I used the standard french bread dough, but you can do the wheat ones as well. Roll them exceedingly thin after the first rising. Cut to shape, dock them with a fork and sprinkle the kosher salt on before proofing and baking. They proof in about 10 minutes. As soon as you see the slightest poofiness, stick then in a 375 degree oven and do not walk away. Once they are the color you dream of, remove from the pan asap, and put them onto cooling racks. As soon as they cool, not a minute before or after, drop them in ziplock bags and seal.

Add ons are only limited to your imagination. I did one order with lemon juice and a little zest, it was to be served with raw oysters. Paprika, hot sauce, melted butter and garlic, cinnamon, dried herbs, you name it.

[Dave the Cook]

I was perusing a recent gift, Cooking from Quilt Country (highly recommended), when I came across a recipe for Escalloped Oysters. A couple of sleeves worth of saltines, crushed, are doused in half-and-half and blessed with a pint of shucked oysters and their liquor. This is poured into a baking dish and stuck into a medium oven. The saltines absorb the liquid and sort of melt into something that's not quite heavy mashed potatoes, not quite dairy-saturated bread.

A similar recipe was traditional fall-winter holiday fare when I was growing up. On both Thanksgiving and Christmas Eves, we would have oyster stew, which was a thin, simple veloute sort of thing: roux, milk, oyster liquor, oysters. The roux was made with excess butter, which would float to the top of the bowl, creating a lovely, rich two-tone surface. There were always leftovers; these were used instead of the aforementioned half-and-half to moisten the crackers for the next day's casserole.

(It didn't occur to me to ask until I had been consuming this stuff for about 45 years how it had come to be a custom among Quakers, Mennonites and Amish in otherwise oysterless Indiana.)

[tryska]

mmm...saltines with chili (the kind with beans) liberally mixed with shredded cheddar and pickled jalpeno

[maggiethecat]

(It didn't occur to me to ask until I had been consuming this stuff for about 45 years how it had come to be a custom among Quakers, Mennonites and Amish in otherwise oysterless Indiana.)

I like this book too, a lot, and should I see a decent pint of oystrers in oysterless Illinois, I'm going to give this recipe a shot.

(Doesn't Adams explain somewhere that because so many Amish and Mennonites were Pennsylvania transplants they took the fondness for seafood with them to Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Southwestern Ontario?)

There has to be some deep affinity between oysters and saltines. Heck, packets of Lance's finest came with my dozen on the half shell at Felix's Oyster Bar in New Orleans.

(We had oyster stew Christmas Eve too, but there was never enough left to serve en casserole. Dammit.)

[wlg]

There is usually a sleeve of saltines in the scientists' galley of our research vessel, for those who have newly discovered their inner ear at sea. My advisor, prone to seasickness, summarized their appeal: "Saltines: good going down, good coming up..."

[fifi]

There is usually a sleeve of saltines in the scientists' galley of our research vessel, for those who have newly discovered their inner ear at sea. My advisor, prone to seasickness, summarized their appeal: "Saltines: good going down, good coming up..."

When I was very little, about 3, we would be down at the Oyster Creek (TX) family compound on the weekends. In the evenings, my grandfather would often crank up the "big boat" to take me for a little cruise. I was usually asleep within a half hour. Then my dad would carry me in to bed. I still remember the time I got a little seasick (first and only one of three times in my life). I remember my older sister saying "Dad, Deedle is getting kinda green." (stupid nickname at the time) That may be my first memory of saltines... laying on the bow bunk munching saltines.

[HungryChris]

My first ever saltine was in 3rd grade. We had been reading about an early American pioneer family (written in the first person of a young boy). He talked about his chores which were all pretty straight forward to us kids. He also talked about his younger sister putting in her time at the butter churn. None of us knew what that was so the teacher sagely developed a scheme where we would make butter in class. We poured a pint and a half of heavy cream into a quart jar and passed it around the room, each kid giving it a few shakes.

When it was done a bit of salt was added, the fresh butter was spread on saltines and they were passed around. I was hooked instantly!

Today, (sigh...many years later) I will have a saltine with a lightly smoked sardine packed in olive oil and a bit of chopped onion or perhaps a smoked oyster.

The world would be a much smaller, sadder place were it not for the saltine carcker.

Cheers,

HC

Edited August 3, 2004 by HungryChris (log)

[...tm...]

I am still amazed at how great a saltine with butter is. Sometimes simplicity is best.

[fifi]

*bump*

I just had a saltine experience. I was wandering through the kitchen and picked off some sweet red seedless grapes, munching those... A tube of saltines was nearby and I grabbed one. WOW! Saltines and grapes! A whole new taste experience! Who knew! It was a whole 'nother thing.

[ludja]

I am still amazed at how great a saltine with butter is.  Sometimes simplicity is best.

←

yes! this thread brings back memories since I haven't bought them in a long time.

A favorite was just butter on saltines. My Dad eats them with a glass of milk--one of the only times he drinks milk other than in his coffee!

He also eats them with a thin slather butter, then topped with peanut butter! (does taste good though...)

Also as part of the classic combos mentioned above:

with smoked oysters

definately with chile but also with other soups. (Great with chowder if you don't

have the chowder crackers). Have them plain or with butter on them

recovery after stomach flu (no butter) and with flat gingerale or liquid jello...

[BetD]

Oh boy…. I fell right down THIS 🕳 🐇   I have a feeling that a few saltines with butter and parm will be basking in the glow of a broiler before too long here.

[Kim Shook]

@BetD - thanks so much for bringing this forward.  How I miss @maggiethecat's writing!  Time to send her a message!!  I'll be spending some time on this topic!

[BetD]

And…….