image source
Life Magazine May 22, 1950
I picked up this Krispy Kan metal canister at an estate sale for 2 bucks.
I am in love with the cracker-pretzel-chip-popcorn-peanut floral arrangements!
side view
another side view
It's called a Krispy Kan because of the patented Blue Magic crystals within it's Dri-nob topper that "keeps crackers, chips, popcorn, pretzels, peanuts, dry cereal and many other foods crisp and tasty."
You see, the exterior graphics are a visual serving suggestion!
The Dri-Nob keeps the interior of the can and its contents free from moisture by absorbing it within the blue magic crystals. When they turn pink just remove the glass knob and place it in a 400 degree oven to remove the moisture and reactivate the blue crystals. A-maze-ing!!! I started thinking that it sounds too good to be true and maybe it's made of asbestos or something. I decided to track down the patent so I would feel safe about storing my Chicken in a Biscuit crackers under it's care. Patent 2548168 "Food Receptacle with desiccate 1949" is a bit vague of what the magic crystals are but hints to them being aluminum oxide or silica gel. Aluminum oxide is toxic if inhaled. So don't go breathing around the can. Silica gel is nontoxic but is sometimes "doped with cobalt chloride which is a deep blue when dry and pink when moist. Cobalt Chloride is a carcinogenic." Well that sounds familiar. So I don't know if I ought to go sailing down no hill with nothing between the canister and my crackers but some cancer causing magic crystals.
8 comments:
Shame about the crystals, but that is a sweet canister! What a find!
I decided to cover the bottom of the nob with several layers of packing tape to fully contain it's "issue", this way it can't be breathed or touched.
Good idea! I don't think I would have thought of that!
I have my grandmothers that we ate cookies out of all my life.61 here. Still use it and only have to do the Crystal's every 5 or more yrs.
All of us and there is a lot of us have never had any health issues...I have 22 cans in my collection
Great to know the crystals haven't affected you in a negative way after all these years! Perhaps the crystals have healthy wonder powers instead! With 22 cans in your collection you could open a crystal bar, similar to an oxygen bar. Bake cookies, "marinate" them in the crystal cans, then charge folks 10 bucks a piece for your health cookies! I would think they would need to replenish this health power about once a week. You'll make millions!!!
~mary~
We had this can as I was growing up. Lost it in a bad kitchen fire in 1988. I have a replacement from England, but seeing your photos today brought back wonderful memories. Thanks so much!!
I am a high school chemistry teacher, and I found this site because I was trying to date my tin. I use this as an example every year in my class. The chemicals found in the glass vials are dehydrated epsom salts (Magnesium sulfate) and an indicator cobalt (II) chloride tetrahydrate. The magnesium sulfate absorbs moisture from the can as it rehydrates into magnesium sulfate heptahydrate (normal epsom salts) while the cobalt (II) chloride tetrahydrate (which is blue) absorbs moisture to become cobalt (II) chloride hexahydrate (which is pink). When you heat the vial the water in the salts evaporates, so the cracker keeper can work again. I'm sorry to lay down so much chemistry, but neither chemical is dangerous unless ingested (so don't eat the crystals). Enjoy your Krispy Kan!
Wow. Thank you!
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