How Goldfish Crackers Are Made

July 17, 2022

It is specially aged for several months to give the crackers their distinctive sharp flavor.The flour we use is made from soft red winter wheat grown in the US and Canada.Annatto is used in cheddar cheese to give it the orange hue.The coloring is extracted from the reddish seeds of the achiote tree, which grows in tropical climates.We use these ingredients to give the crackers their distinctive puffiness.We use Baking Soda as well as Monocalcium Phosphate and Ammonium Bicarbonate to help the crackers rise in the oven. .

6 things you didn't know about “The Snack That Smiles Back

In 1962, Pepperidge Farm founder, Margaret Rudkin, launched Goldfish crackers in the United States, and they’ve been filling the hearts and bellies of kids and adults ever since.While on vacation in Europe, Margaret visited a Swiss cookie manufacturer that had a similar product, and together they reached an agreement to bring the salty, fish-shaped crackers to the U.S.Oscar J. Kambly, the original Swiss creator of the cracker, created them as a birthday present for his wife whose astrological sign was Pisces—which is often represented in Greek mythology as a fish.

10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Goldfish Crackers

7 / 10 Shutterstock / LUIS PADILLA-Fotografia A horoscope sign was the inspiration for their shape Goldfish crackers got their shape because the creator, a Swiss man named Oscar J. Kambly, wanted to make a snack for his wife. .

Homemade Goldfish.

They’re fun crackers that are extra crunchy, flaky, perfectly salted, and heavy on the (real) cheese).These bite-sized crackers are best enjoyed any time of day – warning – they’re rather hard to stop eating.It’s probably not a secret at this point, but I’m really having a lot of fun making homemade versions of my favorite childhood foods.Just a couple weeks ago, I made homemade cinnamon toast crunch.Before that, it was homemade frosted brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts.Nothing can beat cinnamon toast crunch for me…that recipe will most likely be my forever favorite.To be honest, I made these the other week when things were at a heightened stress level for the entire world.Like so many of you, the matters of the world can weigh on me too, but the one thing I find that always brings much-needed happiness and joy?When I’m stressed or feeling anxious, I cook or bake something for anyone who’s willing to taste test.So when I had the thought to try my hand at homemade Goldfish, I immediately ordered this cookie cutter.I’ve been holding onto it for longer than I planned, so I’m overly excited to share.If you’ve made my homemade cinnamon toast crunch, you can certainly make these fun Goldfish crackers too.If you don’t want to purchase the cookie cutter or simply just NEED to bake these today (I get that completely), just cut the dough into squares and make “Cheez-It’s” instead.Once you have your shape and your cheese all sorted, it’s time to mix up the dough.I like using the food processor to easily mix the dough and create the flakiest, crunchiest crackers, but you can simply use your hands as well.The dough is a mix of cheese, flour, paprika, onion, and garlic powder, and of course, some butter.A sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top just before baking.No, it’s not what you might find on the classic Goldfish crackers from the box, but it’s so darn good.They have flavor, real cheese, and yeah, that little addition of flaky sea salt too.Oh and lastly, if you feel generous, bake a double batch and gift these to your neighbor, your friend, or someone who might just enjoy a homemade cracker.Lastly, if you make this homemade Goldfish, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! .

Goldfish Crackers Don't Belong in a Lunchbox

Parents spend a lot of time, money, thought and effort packing lunches for their children.One of the most popular items for kids are Pepperidge Farm / Campbell’s Soup brand, Baked Goldfish Crackers.Why would we rely on the flimsy three pillars of cheap, easy and convenient to feed our children?Over the span of 30 days, 2.67 million Americans had eaten 8 or more bags of Goldfish Crackers.Let’s take a closer look at the label of Goldfish Cheddar Crackers (bolded emphasis are mine, for ingredients I’ll discuss in detail below):.Longtime readers of this blog know that I am gluten-free, based on a significant amount of evidence about gluten and its negative impact on our health.In Goldfish Crackers we are getting gluten in the form of enriched flour, which means that the original whole grain was stripped of its nutrients and after refining, was then fortified with vitamins and minerals.The problem with this is that these manufactured vitamins and minerals are not forms that our bodies can recognize and use, compared to if we’d just eaten the whole food source.Digestive issues – we don’t possess the lactase enzyme needed to process the lactose found in milk, cheese, yogurt and other dairy products.In one study comparing cheeses made from the milk of grass-fed (alpine) cows to regular cows, researchers found that the alpine cheeses were also higher in omega-3s and contained a better fatty acid profile.If we are looking for good sources of fat and protein for growing children, there are tons of other options including:.You can also read my full breakdown of what I fed my son Finn for the first year of his life in my post about baby food introductions and meal ideas.To give Goldfish Crackers some credit, they do list which ingredients and products come from GMO sources so at least we, as consumers, are informed and can make a choice (Pepperidge Farms uses GMOs because the company believes they are safe).That means a heck of a lot of processing needs to happen in order to turn canola into an oil.Even though these ingredients are present in small amounts, what is the cumulative effect of them when you are eating Goldfish Crackers daily?It’s a highly addictive excitotoxin that can affect the brain, induce headaches and aggravate IBS.You can read more detail about MSG and other ingredients kids should avoid eating here.Given the highly deleterious effects of sugar, do we really need to add more of it to kids’ savory crackers?I will happily consume all the smiles they can squeeze into anything – I just don’t want to eat the rest.If you take a gander at the Pepperidge Farm website, you might be lulled into thinking that Goldfish Crackers aren’t so bad.During the last 10+ years of my business, I’ve worked hard to challenge companies on their ingredients and have asked them to do better.However, in the last several years there has been a sea of change based on consumer demand for companies to eliminate dangerous food colours, preservatives, added sugars, GMOs and other harmful ingredients.Companies are capitalizing on healthwashing claims such as ‘natural’, ‘contains omega-3s’, ‘made with real cheese’, and more in the hopes that these vague terms will add a health halo to their products.We are highly susceptible to marketing – it’s even happened to me – and package claims don’t always equal a nutritious choice.I have written about the toxic ingredient in Monsanto’s RoundUp Ready pesticide at length.We likely all heard the story of the school groundskeeper who won a $280 million dollar lawsuit against Monsanto where their product RoundUp was implicated in his terminal cancer.Well, a recent report has shown that there are unsafe levels of glyphosate residue on a host of commercially made snack breakfast cereals and snack foods including Pepperidge Farms Goldfish Crackers.What about the bioaccumulation – the cumulative effect of a week eating foods containing glyphosate, or a month, or the entire lifetime of a five-year-old, whose body weight is a quarter of that of a fully grown adult?Look out for USDA Certified Organic seal (or the comparable label where you live).Avoid “flavoured” crackers like BBQ or “Vegetable” as these tend to have loads more chemicals and preservatives.If you’re dairy-free look out for dark print under the ingredient label that says, “This product contains dairy”.In my opinion, crackers are just a vehicle for scooping up delicious dips and hummus recipes.Pairing a cracker with vegetables, protein, and fat helps to balance blood sugar levels and keeps us feeling satiated.This is super important for kiddos spending a long day at school, where they need to be in the right mindset to learn and grow.These gluten-free and vegan homemade crackers are great alternatives – and you can even get your kids to help make them.They come in a package, they’re cute, they keep your kid occupied, all their friends have them… but are these actual good reasons?If you’re curious about other ingredients that don’t belong in your diet, or that of your kids, check out this post. .

Goldfish: You've Been Eating Them Wrong

Pepperidge Farms claims that they’re simply similar in flavor and texture to soda and oyster crackers, which are typically eaten in soup.When Pepperidge Farms founder Margaret Rudkin visited Europe in the 1960s, she was so enamored by the adorable crackers that she brought them back to the United States.Each new flavor is unique, and people will argue that some are better than others, but we’ve gathered together some rock-solid pairings and recipes that are sure to stand up to any food-eating scenario:.Let Goldfish shine as they were meant to be: the perfect crunchy, cheesy snack in and around your next bowl of tomato soup!The crunchy saltiness of pretzels goes well with everything, especially our Leek, Potato, and Sharp Cheddar Cheese Soup with Chive-Walnut-Cheddar Topping. .

8 fascinating facts about Goldfish crackers

The story goes that Pepperidge Farm founder Margaret Rudkin was visiting Switzerland, saw the crackers, and fell in love with their unique fishy form.So for those keeping count, that makes this year the 60th anniversary of the Goldfish crackers existence, and for snack fans like us, that's a thing worth celebrating. .