We Finally Know Why Ritz Crackers Have Ridges — or Do We?

When it comes to snack foods, one of the most well-known is Ritz crackers. Tons of people love their salty flavor and flaky texture. Some love to pair the crackers with other foods or add them to the dishes they make. But we've also have had our fair share of questions over the years about why they look the way they do.

One question is: Why do Ritz crackers have ridges? Certainly, some people think they look nice. But is it possible they are only there to give the snack food a certain appearance? The brand did give fans an idea of why the crackers look the way they do, but it wasn't the kind of information fans thought they were going to get.

Unfortunately, the company hasn't filled us in on the secret to the cracker's edges. But that hasn't stopped them from playing around with the idea. In a TikTok posted in July 2021, the brand shared that while people think the ridged edges are for aesthetics or just meant to look cool, they are actually meant to cut the cheese you eat with the crackers.

The TikTok video showed that people are meant to roll their crackers over a single slice of cheese to cut it. But honestly, you can put almost anything on your crackers. The point is to make whatever you choose just the right size to fit on top. This can be a fun and easier way to make mini sandwiches with the company's signature food.

As expected, the comments section of the post was pretty divided about how good of an idea this was. But as Today points out, the brand acknowledged in the video's comments section that this was all "made up" and isn't necessarily what the ridges were made for. So we still have no idea why the edges of their crackers are scalloped.

Not only do Ritz crackers have holes in them, but most crackers do. According to Times of India, these are an important part of making crackers. The holes are called dockers and they allow steam to escape during the baking process. Without these holes, the crackers are more likely to get air bubbles or rise like bread. If that happened they wouldn't have the thin shape they're known for.

And it's not like Ritz is a small brand that can make their crackers one batch at a time to avoid air bubbles. They're made in huge factories in large batches where some mistakes will happen.

As the Sun Sentinel explains it, cracker factories use massive cylinders with pins or spikes sticking out in order to pin the holes into tons of soon-to-be crackers at once.

The pins are placed differently for the different types of crackers being made. But the number of pins also depends on factors like ingredients used, baking temperature, and the overall appearance a company wants its crackers to have.