Korean Dish Scrubbie: Cheez Balls

Have you ever opened a can of Cheez Balls (or other cheesy puffed snacks), excitedly crunched on one, and thought to yourself in your snack-induced bliss, "whoever developed this amazing creation should win a Nobel Prize?"

Well, truth is, they weren't conceived by food scientists or culinary geniuses at all... they were created completely by accident. 

In Wisconsin in 1932, workers in an animal feed factory needed a way to clean out a horse feed grinder to prevent it from clogging. So they moistened corn and ran it through the grinder to clear it. However when they did this, something weird happened -- the wet corn inside the super hot machine made it puff up and pop when it exited the grinder. 

They were like, "wtf is this?" But one of the curious employees took some home, seasoned them and sold them as a new kind of snack.  An empire was born. So yes, that means you are snacking on repurposed animal feed when you eat a Cheez Ball. Don't they taste better now? You're welcome! 

Details: In Korea, many people use special yarn (called susemi yarn) to hand-crochet sponges for washing dishes. These "scrubbies" last longer than regular sponges and can be thrown in the dishwasher or laundry if they get gnarly from food and grease. You can also soak them in hot water to get them fresh and clean. The other great thing is that they foam up really well, which saves on soap. 

By Lulu&Friends | Length x width: 4"x 4" | Each order is 1 sponge