Cereal Milk is a flavor, beverage, and ingredient introduced commercially by

Christina Tosi Christina Tosi (born 1981) is an American chef and cookbook author. She is founder and co-owner with Momofuku of Milk Bar and serves as its chef and chief executive officer. ''Food & Wine'' magazine included her in their 2014 list of "Most Inn ...

in 2006 while working at Momofuku. Cereal Milk is milk flavored with

breakfast cereal Breakfast cereal is a category of food, including food products, made from food processing, processed cereal, cereal grains, that are eaten as part of breakfast or as a snack food, primarily in Western societies. Although warm, cooked cereals li ...

. Cereal milk has inspired various food creations, including cereal milk ice cream and cereal milk-flavored beverages.

Development

Tosi first created Cereal Milk in 2006 as an ingredient while working for

David Chang David Chang (; ; born August 5, 1977) is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, author, podcaster, and television personality. He is the founder of the Momofuku restaurant group. In 2009, his restaurant Momofuku Ko was awarded two Michelin st ...

at Momofoku. There were no desserts on the menu when Tosi came on board, and she created her own recipes inspired by the flavors of childhood favorites, including Cereal Milk

panna cotta Panna cotta (; ; ) is an Italian dessert of sweetened cream thickened with gelatin and molded. The cream may be aromatized with coffee, vanilla, or other flavorings. History The name ''panna cotta'' is not mentioned in Italian cookbooks before ...

. The ''Los Angeles Times'' described Tosi's take on panna cotta as " akingsomething upscale...and

anking Anqing ( zh, s=, t=安慶, p=Ānqìng, l=, also Yicheng, Nganking and formerly Hwaining, now the name of Huaining County) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Anhui province, People's Republic of China. Its population was 4,165,284 as of ...

it down." Tosi further developed the concept at Momofuku Bakery and Milk Bar, now

Milk Bar A milk bar is an establishment that primarily sells dairy-based foods and beverages, often at affordable prices, and typically provides seating for customers. Their specific form and offerings can vary significantly by country. History The ...

. In addition to the panna cotta, Tosi has developed an ice cream, cookies, a Charlotte, and beverages such as milk, lattes, and

milkshakes A milkshake (sometimes simply called a shake) is a sweet beverage made by blending milk, ice cream, and flavorings or sweeteners such as butterscotch, caramel sauce, chocolate syrup, or fruit syrup into a thick, sweet, cold mixture. It may a ...

. The basic ingredient is also used as a mixer for coffees and cocktails. When Tosi opened Milk Bar, one of the first menu items was her Cereal Milk softserve. Tosi has since expanded to packaged custard-style

ice cream Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as Chocolate, cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food ...

in Cereal Milk flavors.

Preparation and ingredients

The beverage and basic ingredient Cereal Milk is prepared by toasting

cornflakes Corn flakes, or cornflakes, are a breakfast cereal made from toasting flakes of corn (maize). Originally invented as a breakfast food to counter indigestion, it has become a popular food item in the American diet and in the United Kingdom where ...

, steeping them at room temperature in milk, draining off the cereal, and adding brown sugar and salt. Other cereals can also be used.

Reception

According to the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', "Nothing bears the trademark of the pastry chef Christina Tosi more than her cereal milk flavor," and that she had made it a "household name".

Axios Axios commonly refers to: * Axios (river), a river that runs through Greece and North Macedonia * ''Axios'' (website), an American news and information website Axios may also refer to: Brands and enterprises * Axios, a brand of suspension produ ...

called Cereal Milk a "cult favorite". Trade journal ''Restaurant Business'' called Tosi's cereal milk "iconic". ''

Saveur ''Saveur'' is an online gourmet, food, wine, and travel magazine that publishes essays about various world cuisines. The publication was co-founded by Dorothy Kalins, Michael Grossman, Christopher Hirsheimer, and Colman Andrews. It was started ...

'''s Megan Zhang theorized that the appeal of the cereal milk flavor was rooted in the nostalgia of recalling that breakfast cereal was 'the first thing many of us learned to “cook” and eat ourselves as youngsters'.

Influence

In 2017

Ben & Jerry's Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings Inc., trading and commonly known as Ben & Jerry's, is an American company that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet. Founded in 1978 in Burlington, Vermont, the company went from a single ice cream p ...

introduced a line of flavors that ''

Eater Eater may refer to: * Eater (band), an English punk rock group * "Eater" (''Fear Itself''), a 2008 episode of the NBC television horror anthology ''Fear Itself'' * ''Eater'' (novel), a 2000 science fiction novel by Gregory Benford * ''Eater'' ( ...

'' called a latant ripoffof Tosi's creation.

Burger King Burger King Corporation (BK, stylized in all caps) is an American multinational chain store, chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacks ...

produced a Cereal Milk milkshake.

References

{{Reflist Flavored milk Products introduced in 2006