# The humble saltine cracker
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [February 28, 2018, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712 "2018-02-28T00:47:36Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2018, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712/21 "2018-02-28T05:31:39Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#):
>
> And a glass of 7-Up. š
Yaaaaas. Nothing takes me back to an old-fashioned sick day like plain saltines, 7-Up, and bad daytime TV.
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### Author:  [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2018, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712/22 "2018-02-28T06:34:09Z")
A saltine with cheddar cheese on top is good. A saltine with _melted_ cheddar cheese on top is better. A _Triscuit_ with melted cheddar, pepper jack or brie on top is the best.
Use your microwave oven, people! Itās a lousy appliance for most types of cooking, but itās an excellent cheese-melter. Itāll turn your boring cracker/cheese combo into a gooey snack of beauty in just 7 seconds.
BTW: Keebler Buttercrisp and Club crackers make good melted cheese delivery systems, too.
> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> I like them with butter, but you have to stack them three high when you eat them: cracker, butter, cracker, butter, cracker (hey, themās the rules; I donāt make 'em up). I also like them with both butter and peanut butter at the same time.
Buttered matzo crackers were a favorite childhood (and adult) snack of mine. I never thought to butter a saltine cracker, however. Somehow that seems blasphemous.
And, youāve got to commit to one type of butter for each snacking session: cow butter, or peanut butterānever the twain shall meet. They each make great toppers for crackers, bread and whatnot, but you canāt mix them togetherā¦itās just not allowedā¦Iām pretty sure that was specifically prohibited in the long lost 11th Commandment.
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### Author:  [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2018, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712/23 "2018-02-28T07:31:30Z")
saltines with cheddar, sliced up sweet pickles, and pepsi, thatās comfort food for me, takes me right back to being a little kid and those infrequent occasions of being allowed to stay up to watch The Late Show with Johnny Carson with my mom. On very rare occasions Iāll take a can of sardines (packed in oil or water only) mash them up in a bowl with a bit of finely chopped onion and a couple of dashes of vinegar or horseradish sauce and put that on a saltine, learned that from Grandpa as a kid also. From the exwife, I learned to mix crushed saltines with egg and tuna to make fried tuna patties.
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2018, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712/24 "2018-02-28T08:25:34Z")
Crumbled up in soup or chili. Especially soup ā I usually put a ton of them in, so itās nice and thick.
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### Author:  [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2018, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712/25 "2018-02-28T08:50:08Z")
Campbellās tomato soup.
Campbellās tomato soup.
Campbellās tomato soup.
Andā¦oh, did I already mentionā¦ Campbellās tomato soup?
And the saltine crackers MUST never, never, never be crumbled. You hold a whole cracker in one hand, and take a bite of it between spoonfuls of soup.
This was heaven to 8 year old meā¦and remains so, a half century later.
Other types of soup are also allowed, but only after you pause and pray to the saltine god for forgiveness, and promise not to forsake the One True Soup.
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### Author:  [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2018, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712/26 "2018-02-28T08:59:30Z")
Iām very curious to try such a thing, though I have my suspicions that Iāll be disappointed. 40 years and no saltinesā¦Iāve no history with them, none of my life invested in them, no Proustian madeleine connection, so I imagine Iāll just think āOh, itās a plain, salty cracker.ā
Is there any nuance I should be seeking out?!
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### Author:  [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2018, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712/27 "2018-02-28T12:46:52Z")
> [@jasg](#):
>
> My father taught me to eat them with vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate sauce. If the ice cream is soft, use the saltines as a scoop. Otherwise, spoon it onto the cracker.
Hereās a raspberry š for all the people who think they discovered the salty chocolate/caramel connection. I worked with a woman years ago who used to bring a butter pecan ice cream pie to office celebrations. The crust was crushed saltines mixed with butter and sugar, baked, and cooled. The butterscotch-y ice cream filling was perfect with the salty cracker crust.
> [@Tibby or Not Tibby](#):
>
> ā¦
> Buttered matzo crackers were a favorite childhood (and adult) snack of mine. I never thought to butter a saltine cracker, however. Somehow that seems blasphemous.
> ā¦
Ah, the matzo, the saltineās Jewish cousin. One time I buttered a couple of matzot, sprinkled on cinnamon sugar, and laid them in the toaster oven.\* I didnāt keep an eye on them and they burst into flames. I unplugged the toaster oven and ran out with it onto the patio, smoke pouring out. One of the guys working in our garage was an ordained minister, and when I told him these were burning matzo crackers, asked if I was making a burnt offering. Ha. Ha. At least Iām sure it was a _sweet and pleasing smoke._
> [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](#):
>
> ā¦
> Is there any nuance I should be seeking out?!
Itās probably too late for the Proustian effect, but you might learn to love them as an adult.
- If you donāt mess this up, itās delicious! Toasting a matzo in a regular vertical toaster works well, too, then slathered with butterā¦ yum. (But keep an eye on the toaster!)
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### Author:  [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2018, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712/28 "2018-02-28T13:37:37Z")
It sounds wrong, but it tastes so right: Saltines spread with a bit of mayonnaise. Salty, greasy, tangy, delicious.
One of you guys try it and back me up!
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### Author:  [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2018, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712/29 "2018-02-28T14:58:21Z")
Ever make saltine cookies? This recipe is very good:[https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/trisha-yearwood/sweet-and-saltines-recipe-2107651](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/trisha-yearwood/sweet-and-saltines-recipe-2107651)
Basically place saltines in a single layer on a baking sheet. Melt brown sugar and butter together and boil until it looks dark and caramelized. Pour over crackers. Bake at 425F for a few minutes and remove from oven. Cover with chocolate chips and spread until the chips melt. Sprinkle with chopped nuts or sea salt. Let cool and separate into individual crackers or large pieces.
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### Author:  [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2018, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712/30 "2018-02-28T15:04:10Z")
Love saltines! Zesta is the best by far.
I love themā¦
with butter
with peanut butter
with American cheese
I put butter on them and then dip them in my soup. I like to dip them in soup without butter too.
I also will eat them plain in a pinch when Iām craving something salty and I have no potato chips.
I too remember them when they came in a block of 4. Then they went to a block of 2. I miss having them like that.
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### Author:  [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2018, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712/31 "2018-02-28T15:10:37Z")
> [@TRC4941](#):
>
> Love saltines! Zesta is the best by far.
>
> I love themā¦
>
> with butter
> with peanut butter
> with American cheese
>
> I put butter on them and then dip them in my soup. I like to dip them in soup without butter too.
>
> I also will eat them plain in a pinch when Iām craving something salty and I have no potato chips.
>
> I too remember them when they came in a block of 4. Then they went to a block of 2. I miss having them like that.
It took skill to butter them without them breaking apart.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2018, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712/32 "2018-02-28T15:24:16Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#):
>
> Heard tell of using them for meatloaf filler, but have never tried it.
I use them as a binder (along with eggs) when I make salmon cakes.
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### Author:  [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2018, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712/33 "2018-02-28T15:52:10Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#):
>
> It took skill to butter them without them breaking apart.
Yes it did!
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2018, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712/34 "2018-02-28T15:52:32Z")
Oh, I just remebered. I learned this from someone on the Dope, but crushed saltines are great as the breading in a schnitzel. (Works well with fish, too.) I like it better than the traditional breading.
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### Author:  [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2018, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712/35 "2018-02-28T16:17:53Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#):
>
> It took skill to butter them without them breaking apart.
Whipped butter is good for that- matzah too
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### Author:  [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2018, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712/36 "2018-02-28T16:27:11Z")
When I visited my friend at Johnās Hopkins in the mid-seventies, he insisted I try ā_[coddies](http://www.americanfoodroots.com/my-american-roots/baltimore-brothers-remember-coddies/)_ā, a deep-fried potato and cod cake served between a pair of saltine crackers with yellow mustardāa Baltimore comfort food [since the 1920ās.](http://www.bendbulletin.com/lifestyle/2174655-151/fish-and-potatoes-traditional-coddies-are-pure-baltimore)Iāve got to admit, they were pretty danged good!
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### Author:  [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2018, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712/37 "2018-02-28T16:55:49Z")
I like them as a base for ceviche. My favorite seafood place gives tostadas and saltines alongside and I switch it up.
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### Author:  [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2018, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712/38 "2018-02-28T17:04:35Z")
There are indeed saltines from other regions. The Philippines have a few brands of which SkyFlakes are the most common. They package them various ways including the classic 4 x 4 in a plastic tub. Any decent Asian market should have them. I see Walmart has them listed, probably in the Import aisle as I have not noticed them with the regular saltines.
They are just as passionate about them as Americans are about Nabisco. I recall seeing a discussion on some forum complaining the ones in the US are not the same as the original versions.
Dennis
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### Author:  [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712/39 "2018-02-28T17:09:34Z")
> [@Tibby or Not Tibby](#):
>
> When I visited my friend at Johnās Hopkinsā¦
Just because, Johns Hopkins. No apostrophe.
Carry on.
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### Author:  [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2018, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-humble-saltine-cracker/809712/40 "2018-02-28T17:40:46Z")
> [@mixdenny](#):
>
> There are indeed saltines from other regions. The Philippines have a few brands of which SkyFlakes are the most common. They package them various ways including the classic 4 x 4 in a plastic tub. Any decent Asian market should have them. I see Walmart has them listed, probably in the Import aisle as I have not noticed them with the regular saltines.
>
> They are just as passionate about them as Americans are about Nabisco. I recall seeing a discussion on some forum complaining the ones in the US are not the same as the original versions.
>
> Dennis
[Yes, yes, yes](https://www.amazon.com/M-Y-San-Skyflakes-Crackers-14oz/dp/B0009FHDB0)! My local grocery store sometimes has them. I love the way theyāre individually wrapped so they donāt go stale. Theyāre good to keep in your bedroom for those times what you want a snack late at night but are too lazy (or comfy) to trek to the kitchen. And the tubs they come in are adorable! Very good for storage.
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