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What Is Cold Cereal?

Cindy Quarters
Cindy Quarters

Cold cereal is typically a grain product that is usually eaten for breakfast. This food is meant to be eaten without heating, and is most often consumed with milk poured over it. There are a wide range of products that can be classed in this group, covering everything from healthful bran or granola products to sugary children’s cereals that are flavored with such things as chocolate or strawberry icings.

For many babies, a small cold cereal is often the first finger food given to it to eat on his or her own. Typically this type of food is low in sugar, made of whole grain oats, and is easy for the baby to pick up without any help. The pieces are small enough that the baby is very unlikely to choke, and it is easy to have on hand, since it keeps well.

Dried fruit is often mixed into cold cereal.
Dried fruit is often mixed into cold cereal.

Despite being called cold cereal, this type of breakfast food is not actually served chilled, nor is it normally kept refrigerated. The term is used in order to separate it from hot, or cooked, cereal, that is usually heated and then served warm. It is generally stored and served at room temperature and tends to last a long time on the shelf.

One problem some people have with cold cereal is its attractiveness to insects and rodents. This is usually more of a problem in warm, humid climates, but pests can get into the cereal box in almost any part of the world. The best way to protect this kind of food is to store it in a sealed plastic container that prevents bugs, mice, and rats from entering. Some choose to put the cold cereal into the refrigerator, effectively stopping any pests from getting in.

Cold cereal served with milk is a popular breakfast food.
Cold cereal served with milk is a popular breakfast food.

Children generally like cold cereal because it is a food they can serve themselves. The high levels of sugar that are in so many kinds children’s cereals also makes this a popular food with kids. Parents who are concerned about their children’s health often opt for cereals that are low in both sugar and fat. They may also look for whole grain cereals as a better choice for their kids. Many common cereals such as raisin bran, corn flakes, puffed rice or wheat, and granola are made to appeal to the health conscious.

Granola-based cereals tend to appeal to the health conscious.
Granola-based cereals tend to appeal to the health conscious.

Reading the label on a box of cold cereal lets users know what’s in it. Consumers concerned about sugar should look for cereals where sugar is not one of the first ingredients listed, and the calorie count and fat content are relatively low. Packaging will also state whether or not the product contains whole grains. In some cases, cold cereal has dried fruit or nuts in it, which many people prefer to marshmallows or other common additives.

Discussion Comments

Lostnfound

I like cold cereal best right out of the box, and always have. My favorite snack as a kid was always to just get the cereal box and eat a few hands full.

I really like granola and muesli cereals. They're hearty and don't ever remember not liking them, even when I was small. Most kids don't like that kind of cereal, but I surely did.

When my hubby and I visited Aruba, the hotel where we stayed had homemade muesli on the breakfast buffet and it was great. I put it in a zip top bag and that was my snack. Very good.

Grivusangel

I think Cheerios are in every mom's diaper bag as a snack for little ones who have graduated to sold foods. They're ubiquitous.

I remember when I was a kid, I thought I had to have sugar on every kind of cereal, even the pre-sweetened kind. The thought turns my stomach now, but I thought it was delicious when I was five.

I even wanted sweetener on cereals like Lucky Charms and Froot Loops! Yuck. I wouldn't eat those cereals now, on a bet. I like "adult" cereals like cornflakes and Special K. And I don't want any sweetener on them, although I do eat fruit on cold cereal once in a while.

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    • Dried fruit is often mixed into cold cereal.
      Dried fruit is often mixed into cold cereal.
    • Cold cereal served with milk is a popular breakfast food.
      By: Okea
      Cold cereal served with milk is a popular breakfast food.
    • Granola-based cereals tend to appeal to the health conscious.
      By: nito
      Granola-based cereals tend to appeal to the health conscious.
    • Cold cereal is not actually chilled, the term is just used to distinguish it from hot cereal that's cooked or heated.
      By: Tatyana Gladskih
      Cold cereal is not actually chilled, the term is just used to distinguish it from hot cereal that's cooked or heated.