Salty snack

It is a broad category rather than one recipe: cereal-based examples include salted crackers, pretzels and puffed snacks. Their shapes, ingredients and textures can be very different.

Seal them in an airtight container or clip the packet closed, then keep them somewhere cool and dry. Exposure to air and moisture makes crisp snacks stale or soft.

For crackers or pretzels that have gone soft, spread them on a tray and warm them in a low oven at about 150 °C for 3–5 minutes. Let them cool before eating; very oily or delicate puffed snacks can burn, so they are better replaced.

Serve crackers with cheese, olives or hummus, and use sturdy pretzels or crisps for scooping thicker dips such as guacamole. Add fresh fruit or vegetable sticks for a contrasting texture.

A salty snack has 651 kcal per 100 g, compared with 389 kcal in salted pretzels. Pretzels also contain more carbohydrate: 73.7 g per 100 g, against 28 g.

Hard, crunchy pieces such as pretzels and crackers can be choking hazards for young children. Offer age-appropriate textures, keep children seated while eating, and supervise them closely.