Puffed rice cake

Start with two or three cakes and add something satisfying, such as peanut butter, hummus or cottage cheese; plain cakes are light and easy to keep nibbling. A 100 g portion is 390 kcal.

Spread on a thick topping just before eating, or put a barrier of nut butter or cream cheese under juicy ingredients. Keep sliced tomato, cucumber and other wet toppings separate until serving.

Try mashed avocado with lemon and black pepper, hummus with sliced cucumber, or cream cheese with smoked salmon. For a quick lunch, layer on tuna mixed with a little mayonnaise and add leaves just before eating.

They work well as a crisp base for open sandwiches, but they are brittle and do not fold around fillings like bread. Add toppings shortly before eating so the cakes stay crunchy.

Seal the packet tightly or transfer the cakes to an airtight container, then keep it in a cool, dry cupboard. Moisture makes them lose their crunch; discard any that smell stale or taste rancid.

No: puffed rice cakes are usually made by expanding compressed grains into a light, round cake, while rice crackers are typically thinner, denser and often seasoned or baked with added ingredients. Crackers tend to be more savoury and may be greasier.

Yes. They provide 4.7 g of fibre per 100 g, though you would usually eat much less than that at one sitting.

Rice is heated under pressure and then released so its moisture flashes into steam, puffing the grains and binding them into a cake. The result is crisp and airy without needing to be fried.