How Corn Becomes a Cheese Puff
A cheese puff looks nothing like an ear of corn. It is light, crunchy, and often bright orange. Yet many cheese puffs begin with corn that has been dried and ground. How does a hard kernel turn into an airy snack?
From kernels to a mixture
After corn is harvested, its kernels are dried and processed. A mill breaks the kernels into smaller pieces. For some puffed snacks, manufacturers use cornmeal or corn grits, which are coarse pieces of ground corn. The exact ingredients and method can vary from one snack to another.
The ground corn is mixed with water. This damp mixture travels into a machine called an extruder. Inside, a turning screw pushes the mixture through a heated barrel. As it moves, the corn is squeezed, heated, and mixed. Heat and moisture change the corn’s starch, a substance that helps the mixture hold together.
The sudden puff
At the end of the extruder is a small opening called a die. As the hot corn mixture is forced through it, the pressure around the mixture drops quickly. Some of the water inside turns to steam and expands. Tiny bubbles form, making the corn puff up.
- harvested:
- Gathered when a crop is ready.
- manufacturers:
- People or companies that make products.
- mixture:
- Two or more things combined together.
- moisture:
- A small amount of water or wetness.
- pressure:
- A force that pushes on something.
- expands:
- Becomes larger or takes up more space.
- seasoning:
- An ingredient or blend added to give food flavor.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1How does the passage explain the journey from corn kernels to a cheese puff?
- 2How does the extruder change the damp corn mixture as it moves through the machine?
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About this explanatory article passage for Upper Elementary
“How Corn Becomes a Cheese Puff” is a explanatory article reading passage about Food Production, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (494 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.