Is it possible to give a 1 year old child corn sticks?

Corn sticks are familiar to people of all ages. Everyone, without exception, knows the amazing taste of this crispy treat. It can confidently be put on a par with such delicacies as ice cream or “cock lollipops”.

A package of puffed food can be given to children at school, taken with you to work, on a picnic or on a trip, because it is relatively inexpensive and perfectly satisfies hunger. This is a very healthy product, but do not forget that it is also very high in calories, so you should not abuse your favorite food.

Many people are interested in how to cook corn sticks at home, and whether it is even possible to do it yourself. The technological process for making this popular dish is quite complex, so it is almost impossible to prepare it at home. Only special equipment that cannot be found in a regular kitchen can help with this. But there is another recipe for corn sticks that can be used to make this dish similar to the real thing. Let's look at two cooking options step by step and with photos.

We make corn sticks using specialized equipment

You will need equipment such as a household kitchen extruder and a screw conditioner. During cooking, humidity and temperature indicators should be observed, as well as the necessary atmospheric conditions should be created. Only then will you get the right and high-quality product. Using a special device - UKP-M, which costs about 2000 rubles, you can also quickly prepare your favorite dessert.

The preparation scheme is as follows (amount of ingredients “by eye”):

Grind the corn grits in a coffee grinder to even grains. Their size directly affects the foaming of the mass from which the delicacy is formed. Poor grinding will lead to lumps and burning;
Place the ground grains into the auger conditioner. There it needs to be mixed with warm, salted water for about four minutes;
Set the speed to constant and wait 3 hours for the mixture to mix until completely broken up. In this case, the humidity percentage in the device must be constantly maintained at 25%;
The moistened prepared cereal must be placed in an extrusion apparatus, where it undergoes a heating process of up to 200 degrees and foams, acquiring a plastic, homogeneous structure;
Next, the device uses pressure to push the mass into a special drying chamber, evenly cutting the “dough” with a mechanical knife at regular intervals. In this chamber, corn blanks are dried until their moisture content decreases to 5%. This makes them crispy. And it is at this stage that the workpieces acquire their usual airy appearance and porous shape;
The final stage is glazing. Here, the workpieces are first coated with filtered vegetable oil by spraying it onto the surface of the resulting products. After this, they are placed in a mixing drum along with the ground ingredients for glazing (powdered sugar, crushed salt, chocolate chips or various seasonings);
With this our delicacy is ready. It will be as tasty as the product produced in the factory.

Simplified version of corn sticks

There is another way to make homemade corn sticks. It is much simpler and faster than the previous one. Finished products will differ significantly from store-bought ones, but will also delight you with their taste.

You will need:

2 eggs;
Butter – 50 g;
Corn flour – 100 g;
Milk – 70 ml.

Step-by-step cooking instructions:

Stir the butter and milk in a saucepan, place on low heat and bring to a boil, then slowly add the corn flour and stir continuously to avoid the appearance of lumps. Bring the mass until smooth;
Remove the resulting mixture from the heat and cool, then add the eggs and beat all the ingredients thoroughly;
We put the mixture into a cooking bag, then squeeze small finger-thick strips out of it onto a baking sheet;
We bake the preparations in a well-heated oven;
If desired, sprinkle the top of the finished dish with powdered sugar and place it on a plate.

Raffaello made from corn sticks

Your favorite delicacy can be consumed separately or included in many dishes. Therefore, finally - a simple sweet dessert made from corn sticks.

You will need:

A jar of condensed milk;
Corn “sticks” – 150 g;
Coconut flakes - to taste;
Nuts (any) – 100 g.

Cooking step by step:

Grind the corn sticks in a blender or pass through a meat grinder to obtain “flour”;
Place condensed milk in it and stir thoroughly until smooth;
Form small balls from the “dough”, place a nut on them and press them in, then roll the pieces again, giving them a round shape. Instead of nuts, you can use dried apricots or prunes;
Pour coconut flakes into a deep bowl and roll each ball evenly in it, then place in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. After this, the delicacy is ready to serve.

What are they made of?

Corn sticks are well known to everyone since childhood. When buying this product, not everyone pays attention to its composition. What are these sticks made of, and how exactly are they prepared in production?

The main ingredient of the product is corn grits or flour. The main composition should also contain purified vegetable oil, a little salt, sugar or powdered sugar. In addition, today many manufacturers add various flavors to enrich the taste. You can often find sticks not just sprinkled with powder, but also glazed. You also come across products that are not sweet, but with the taste of bacon, cheese, or simply salty.

There are also bright, multi-colored sticks to which various food colors are added to make the product more attractive. No matter what additional ingredients manufacturers add, the basic composition of the sticks remains unchanged.

In a factory environment, such a product is manufactured literally in a matter of minutes. Corn grits are placed in special equipment, where under the influence of high temperature it turns into a homogeneous mass, a kind of dough. Afterwards it goes through the next stage, where it is given the shape of the sticks we are used to. Next, they go through the drying stage, where at the end they are sprayed with vegetable oil. After this, the sticks are coated with powdered sugar, glaze, or all sorts of aromatic additives are added.

Calorie content and composition

Corn sticks, the benefits of which are determined by the quality of the products, are prepared from basic ingredients and additives. The standard list of ingredients includes corn grits, odorless and tasteless oil, and finely ground salt. Synthetic components are also added: various flavor enhancers, preservatives, stabilizers.

This corn product is considered high in calories - more than 500 kilocalories per 0.1 kg of sweetness. BJU of this volume of sticks: 6 g proteins, 30 g fats, 60 g carbohydrates.

Benefit or harm?

Seeing a product made from corn on the counter, many people think that it has great benefits. By and large, such sticks are not as harmless as they might seem at first glance. If only because they contain a large amount of carbohydrates. There are almost fifty-eight grams of carbohydrates per hundred grams of product. The calorie content of such a product with powdered sugar averages more than four hundred kilocalories per hundred grams. Of course, regular consumption of such a product will negatively affect health and slimness. But it’s also not worth saying categorically that corn sticks are harmful, because even after heat treatment some vitamins remain in them.

This product contains vitamin B2, which helps fight nervous tension and affects the health and beauty of the skin. Also, other nutritional and beneficial elements are preserved in the sticks. For example, this is potassium, fluorine, calcium. Unfortunately, there are very few of them left, so they cannot bring proper benefits to human health.

For maximum benefit, this product is recommended to be consumed in the morning for breakfast. To make your breakfast more balanced, it is recommended to eat sticks with fermented baked milk, natural yogurt, milk or kefir. They also go well with sour fruits and berries.

Corn sticks are recommended to be consumed at the moment of loss of strength, apathy, depression or severe hunger, if it is not possible to have a full lunch. They quickly saturate the body, restore strength and give vigor. This occurs due to the fact that carbohydrates quickly enter the bloodstream. But you should not abuse this product. In addition, due to the presence of fast carbohydrates, it is enough to eat just a few sticks in order to improve mental activity and relieve nervous tension. Therefore, during exams or intense mental work, you can easily afford to eat a small amount of this delicacy.

To ensure that the use of these sweet sticks does not have a detrimental effect on your health, you should not abuse them. There are no exact recommendations for quantity and dosage, because everything depends on the condition of the body and age. Adults, if there are no contraindications, can consume one small pack of these corn sticks per day. This is acceptable if a person leads an active lifestyle, and the sticks will be eaten instead of a second breakfast or afternoon snack.

Such a delicacy will be harmless to the figure if it becomes an independent dish and not an addition to a hearty lunch.

Since this product is very high in calories, it should not be consumed during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Excessive consumption of such dessert during pregnancy can lead to rapid weight gain, and this will negatively affect the health of the woman and her unborn child. In addition, pregnant and nursing mothers should not eat a product with various harmful additives in the form of flavorings. This will have a detrimental effect on the health of the child and the mother herself. Even classic sticks can cause an allergic reaction, diarrhea, and flatulence in an infant if a nursing mother eats such sweet corn sticks.

It is not recommended to use this product for gastritis, ulcers, pancreatitis. Also, this delicacy should not be eaten by those who suffer from diabetes, obesity, allergies, or who have an individual intolerance to this product.

You should not eat sticks during constipation and other intestinal problems. Those who are on a diet should not consume this delicacy either. From such a dessert you can gain extra pounds, which will not be easy to get rid of.

Contraindications

Due to its diuretic effect, corn silk helps to wash out magnesium and potassium from the body, and if there is a deficiency of them, then the herbal preparation is prohibited for use. Even a healthy person may experience a deficiency of these microelements if consumed incorrectly and too often. A pregnant woman, before deciding whether to drink corn silk, should consult a doctor and get tested so as not to harm her health.

Low blood clotting is another contraindication that cannot be ignored. Pregnant women may experience various coagulation disorders - both a tendency to thrombosis and a tendency to bleeding.

The third serious contraindication is disturbances in the functioning of the digestive system. Stigmas stimulate appetite and improve intestinal function, but do not cope with truly serious problems - gastritis, ulcers, inflammatory processes in the intestines. Such pathologies require treatment from a doctor, and folk remedies will be ineffective.

Can it be given to children?

Basically, such sticks are purchased for young children. It is convenient to take a corn “snack” with you on the road, as children love to crunch on them during long trips and walks. But if the child is 1 year old, then you should not give him such a treat. At this early age, the baby’s body will not be able to cope with such a large volume of carbohydrate load, this will have a detrimental effect on the functioning of the stomach and the body as a whole. Consumption of such a product at an early age can disrupt the metabolism in the baby’s body, and intestinal problems may begin. In addition, at an early age, the baby may experience an allergic reaction, and there is a high risk that skin rashes will appear.

Pediatricians and nutritionists recommend giving children such products only after three years.

But even in this case, it is recommended to give sweet sticks to a child with great caution, controlling the amount of their consumption. At this age, it will be enough for children to eat a third of their usual pack a day, no more. And for the first time, it will be enough to give the child a few pieces to monitor the body’s reaction. When choosing a product for your baby, be sure to carefully study the composition. You should not choose flavored and glazed sticks. It is better to give preference to the classic version with regular powdered sugar. It is worth remembering that corn sticks are a delicacy, a dessert, so they cannot replace your baby’s full lunch.

In addition, it is important to remember that this product can destroy the enamel of children's teeth. The fact is that the sticks have a special texture and after use they stick to the teeth. Of course, this will negatively affect dental health if the child does not brush off any remaining treats with a toothbrush after eating.

How to cook at home?

Many people prefer to prepare such delicacies at home, with their own hands, in order to know for sure that the product does not contain any harmful additives. Of course, you can make sweet sticks in your home kitchen, the main thing is to know a proven recipe. To prepare the corn delicacy, take a deep saucepan and pour seventy milliliters of milk into it, add fifty grams of butter. Place the container on the fire and bring the liquid to a boil. As soon as the butter and milk boil, reduce the heat a little and add half a glass of corn flour.

The mass must be stirred thoroughly and continuously, otherwise lumps will form and nothing will work. As soon as the mass becomes thicker and more homogeneous, remove it from the heat and let it cool slightly. Then add two eggs and mix thoroughly. Place the finished dough into a pastry syringe or bag and place small sticks on a warm baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake until done. As soon as the sticks are ready, sprinkle them with powdered sugar and serve.

There is another recipe for homemade corn sticks. They are easy to prepare and taste sweet and airy. For preparation you will need the following ingredients: sixty-five grams of corn flour, two proteins and one hundred grams of powdered sugar. Beat the whites until fluffy, then gradually add powder.

The result should be a thick and homogeneous mass. Then add corn flour to it, beat it and put it into a pastry bag. Place the sticks on a baking sheet and bake until done. It is better to cover the baking sheet with parchment to make it easier to remove the sticks later. As a result, they turn out sweet and crispy, so you can do without the sprinkles.

You can also make many delicious desserts from ready-made sticks. For example, many people prepare Anthill cake using these sweet sticks, or such a national dessert as “Chak-chak”. Many people use ready-made sticks when preparing homemade cakes and pastries, make sweet sausages from them, etc. For example, if you like glazed sticks, then you can easily prepare a small cake at home. Surely it will taste much tastier than store-bought.

To do this, take three hundred grams of sweet sticks, either ready-made or homemade. You will also need a can of boiled condensed milk and a pack of butter. The butter should be softened at room temperature, and then whipped together with condensed milk until it becomes a fluffy, homogeneous mass. We put our sticks into the mixture, carefully mix so that they are all covered with cream. Afterwards, transfer the mass to a plate and form a slide.

Very often in cafes or shopping centers they offer to taste such a delicacy as sweet sticks in liquid nitrogen. There is no need to be afraid of this, since liquid nitrogen is often used to prepare various dishes and desserts; there is no harm in it.
Before purchasing products, be sure to study the composition. If the packaging does not contain detailed ingredients, then it is better to discard such sticks. In addition, you should not buy products that contain sugar substitutes, flavor enhancers, flavoring additives and dyes.
A high-quality product, during the production of which no dyes were used, should be pale yellow in color.
Once a package of corn products is opened, it can be stored for no more than two days. If after a day or two they acquire an unpleasant odor, then eating such a product is dangerous.
It is better to beat the mixture for corn sticks with a mixer, then they will turn out more airy and crispy.

To learn how corn sticks are made, see the following video.

Corn sticks are a favorite treat for children, but adults are not against eating them either. Modern manufacturing companies produce products for every taste. On sale you will find corn sticks with condensed milk, baked milk, nuts and even bacon. This raises the question of what benefit or harm a treat can bring. Let's look at the main criteria in more detail.

Harm to the product and contraindications for its use

As mentioned above, this type of breakfast cereal is not particularly beneficial for our body. Its daily use can lead to problems in the gastrointestinal tract, obesity, increased blood sugar, and the development of allergies.

Eating large quantities of corn sticks can cause stomach ulcers, diabetes, and even cause the development of cancer.

obesity;
diabetes mellitus;
chronic skin diseases;
food allergies;
gastrointestinal dysfunction.

Video: Harmful and beneficial properties of sweet corn sticks

Corn sticks, loved by many children and their parents, do not contain any beneficial properties. You can use them to pamper yourself, but in limited quantities, and then you will not cause harm to the body.

Technology for preparing corn sticks

The basis of production is corn flour. However, during heat treatment, the main ingredient loses a lot of useful qualities, which are simply destroyed under the influence of high temperatures. Flour itself is useful, but in sticks it plays a secondary role.
Powdered sugar is added to give the treat some flavor. On an industrial scale, corn sticks are prepared with the addition of various flavorings and flavor enhancers (bacon, shrimp, cheese, etc.). To make the treat more healthy, the sticks are supplied with vitamin complexes.
As for the actual cooking technology, it is quite labor-intensive. To obtain dessert, raw materials go through several stages, each of which has its own role. The base is whole corn kernels, which are subsequently dried and ground into dust.
When the grinding is finished, the flour is sifted. Thanks to this, large particles that spoil the consistency do not get into the raw material. Ultimately, what remains is corn flour, free of impurities (pure).
At the next production stage, the flour is combined with flavorings and flavorings, and sweeteners are added if necessary.
This process also involves eliminating the moisture that appears in the flour. For this purpose, special equipment is used that turns the flour into a plastic mass.
When everything is ready, all that remains is to form the corn sticks. They are placed in an extruder, which produces a certain temperature when heated. The mixture passes through the equipment, foams, acquires bubbles in the cavity and increases in volume.
At the exit, the knives cut the finished product to give the sticks the desired size. At the final stage, processing is carried out with vegetable oil and the addition of flavorings and sweeteners.

The benefits of corn sticks

Despite the fact that many people loved the treat, the beneficial and harmful qualities of the product are of relatively equal strength. It is important to understand that all good things should be in moderation. Therefore, you should not consume large amounts of corn sticks.
There is no specific amount allowed for intake. It all depends on the preferences of the person and the characteristics of the body. Experts who have been working in the field of proper nutrition for many years allow consumption of approximately 1 package of sticks per day. For adults, you can increase the volume to 1.5-2 packs per day.
The beneficial qualities of the treat are due to the high carbohydrate content. They quickly enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body. The delicacy should be eaten in case of chronic fatigue, loss of strength, apathy, bad mood and depression.
Corn sticks quickly satisfy hunger because they swell when they enter the stomach. If your appetite makes itself felt, eat a few pieces. The nutritious product will give you energy, but not for long. Sticks also improve mental activity and memory.
Since sticks have a relatively high calorie content (about 300-350 kcal per 100 rubles), it is better to consume them in the first half of the day. This will tell your body that it’s time to wake up. It is better to combine treats with sour berries and fruits, as well as milk.

In some cases, it is worth limiting the consumption of corn delicacies. The product should not be given to children under 2 years of age. There is no officially defined age for the consumption of chopsticks; nutritionists still recommend sticking to the given numbers.
When choosing a treat, it is important to pay attention to the composition of the product. It should contain as few preservatives, dyes and flavor enhancers as possible. If a treat is covered only with powdered sugar, it is considered more natural.
In this case, sticks can be given to children after 2 years of age as a dessert. Avoid foods loaded with preservatives. If you are pregnant or lactating, consumption of the product should be strictly limited. Otherwise, you risk quickly gaining extra pounds.
Therefore, it is important to monitor your own weight. Do not neglect the recommendations if you do not want to become the owner of curvy figures. During breastfeeding, the sticks may harm the baby. The composition in milk can cause an allergic reaction and flatulence in the baby.
If you decide to lose unwanted pounds with a special diet, eating sticks even in small quantities can ruin your plans. Therefore, you should think carefully before eating a treat. Sticks are quite high in calories, don't forget that.
If you suffer from problems related to the gastrointestinal tract, corn treats are strictly contraindicated. Such ailments include ulcers, gastritis and pancreatitis. Small consumption of sticks is allowed during the period of remission after consultation with the attending physician.

Tips for choosing

The production of corn sticks is not difficult. Having an extruder, it can be set up almost in a “garage” environment. Irresponsible entrepreneurs take advantage of this, neglecting food technologies and sanitary standards. Trying to squeeze maximum profit out of their business, they use cheap and low-quality raw materials, synthetic additives, dyes and flavor enhancers.

When choosing a treat for a child, preference should be given to well-known brands, large product manufacturers with a good reputation among consumers.
The label, which indicates the composition, date and batch of production, contact numbers and address of the manufacturer, will help to dispel doubts about the correct choice.
It is important to ensure the integrity of the packaging and its contents. The presence of a large number of crumbs and husks from grains indicates a violation of technological processes or improper storage of products.
You should refuse to purchase if the product is colored in a rich yellow color (tartrazine dye is used for this), and even more so in bright shades of all the colors of the rainbow.

Harm of corn sticks

It is important to understand that such a specific product can harm the human body. Remember, corn delicacy is a high-carbohydrate product, which accordingly has a high energy value.
Hence, it is worth knowing that delicacies can cause irreparable harm to the body in case of obesity, diabetes, chronic skin diseases, gastrointestinal disorders and allergies to the constituent components of the product.
Even in the absence of contraindications and excellent health, the abuse of chopsticks can play a cruel joke on you. The treat can significantly increase blood glucose levels, cause stomach upset and weight gain.
Currently, modern production of corn delicacies occurs using non-natural ingredients. The product contains virtually no natural additives. From this we can conclude that the treat is not capable of benefiting a person.
Don't have high hopes for corn delicacy. Do not expect that if you eat sticks in limited quantities you will be able to overcome any illness. Remember, the product remains just a sweet treat that is more suitable as a dessert.

Corn sticks are more likely to be considered favorite and tasty treats, rather than healthy foods. During heat treatment, flour loses its properties; artificial flavors and flavor enhancers are added to the composition. Due to the high calorie content, the treat cannot be consumed in excess, because there is a risk of gaining extra pounds. To reduce possible harm, you need to eat the product in the first half of the day.

Rules of use

In order for corn to help normalize intestinal function and eliminate prolonged constipation, you need to be able to use it correctly. The laxative effect of cereal will definitely manifest itself if you follow several recommendations:

For constipation, only fresh, still milky cobs of the plant are useful.
The grains separated from the cob are boiled and mixed with a small amount of butter or vegetable oil. It is this dish that has the optimal laxative effect.
If you have constipation, it is advisable to eat corn in the morning; you can do this every day if there are no contraindications to eating the cereal.

If constipation occurs, old corn should not be introduced into the diet; it contains more starch, which has fixing properties. In winter, there may not be pre-prepared cobs in the house; in this case, the product can be purchased in the store.

When buying frozen corn in packs, you should choose the one where the grains are separated from each other, that is, there are no dense lumps in the package. This grain can also be boiled and added to stews and salads.