Happy 75th Birthday, Twinkies!

Our little Twinkie is all grown up -- this cream-filled snack cake is turning 75 this month. Despite the rumors that Twinkies are so chemical-filled that they never go bad, in reality, the shelf like of a Twinkie is actually around 25 days, according to Theresa Cogswell, vice president for research and development at Interstate Bakeries Corporation, Hostess' parent company. The Washington Post notes that

a 25-day shelf life is pretty long. That's because Twinkies contain no dairy-based ingredients that could quickly go bad. Twinkies are basically flour, sugar (three kinds of it), oil, eggs and chemicals (mainly preservatives and stabilizers).

Mmm . . . preservatives and stabilizers. Despite their much-maligned reputation, Twinkies have withstood the test of time, not to mention a round of pseudo-scientific experiments conducted by some Rice University students, dubbed The T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. Project: Tests With Inorganic Noxious Kakes In Extreme Situations.

Join the Twinkie birthday celebration by cooking with Twinkies. That's right -- the Twinkie site has plenty of recipes using Twinkies including Clare Crespo's famous Twinkie sushi. Or if you're feeling really motivated (or would like more control over your chemical intake), make your own.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Laren Spirer in Food on April 18, 2005 3:05 PM

Comments [rss]

laura

Beware vegetarians, twinkies have beef fat in them. No joke.

Howard

Anyone remember the Twinkie Defense?

Captain Midnight

But where's the recipe for deep-fried Twinkies? Never tried one, but correctly done, it's supposed to leave a crispy crust with the cake absorbing the melted filling.

Rose

I used to like Devil Dogs and Drake Coffee Cakes.

Egon

Joe, I think anyone who eats a Twinkie has already thrown good sense out the window. It could have arsenic in it for all we care... They're yummy!

MT

We still love 'em, damnit! There's no denying it.

joe

Why do people, in this case the Washington Post, say things like "flour, sugar (three kinds of it), oil, eggs and chemicals" as if flour, sugar, oil and eggs contained no chemicals? I know they're trying to make the distinction between natural and artificial ingredients but a) the flour, sugar, oil and eggs are highly processed and no less artificial than stabilizers and preservatives and b) it's the sugar and oil that are vastly more likely to harm your health (by contributing to obesity, diabetes and heart disease), and decrease your life expectancy, than trace amounts of so-called "chemicals".