Watch Dave Arnold's Crew Fire a Rice-Puffing Cannon

New York City's Museum of Food and Drink — founded by Momofuku cocktail wizard Dave Arnold — is readying an exhibit dedicated to breakfast cereal. So of course, Arnold and crew took the opportunity to play around with an old-school grain-puffing cannon, which according to Popular Science, is how cereals like Kix were originally made. The science part: the puffer's chamber is loaded with uncooked rice and water, then heated until steam accumulates to 180 psi (pounds per square inch). When the door opens to release the steam, the water inside the rice kernels instantly evaporates, "puffing" the rice and creating a hell of a noise in the process. Watch:

Video: Rice Puffs Explode From A Giant Cannon

Check out PopSci's "Puffing Gun" photo gallery for more shots of the machine, pre- and post-action.

· Video: Rice Puffs Explode From A Giant Cannon [PopSci via Eater NY]
· All Dave Arnold Coverage on Eater [-E-]