Milk before or after cereal? Scientists finally settle the age-old debate - so, do YOU agree with their method?

Daily Mail​

04-05-2025

It's a debate that will leave many shaking their heads in horror.
When it comes to eating breakfast, do you put the cereal or the milk in the bowl first?
It's the subject of ongoing discussion online, as some argue for pouring the milk before adding their cereal.
Former sprint Olympian Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, who has appeared as 'Nitro' in the BBC 's Gladiator series, is one of the controversial few.
In a video uploaded to TikTok, he can be seen pouring milk into an empty bowl with the caption: 'Of course I pour my milk first'.
To take the contentious method further, he then puts the bowl in the microwave to warm the milk up, before adding some Choco Wheaties.
He wrote: 'Who's triggered? Don't hate me! Warm cereal for the win,' before adding '#milkfirstthencereal'.
Now, scientists have weighed in on the controversial topic – so, do you agree with their thoughts?
Speaking to MailOnline, Barry Smith, founding director of the Centre for the Study of the Senses and professor of philosophy at the University of London, explained that cereal won't go soggy as quickly if it's added to a bowl of milk.
However, it will be better coated if the milk is poured on.
Timing is key, he said.
'Of course, it depends what the cereal is,' he said. 'The very earnest nuts and bolts granola from health food stores probably needs a good soak, while sugar laden flakes may dissolve quickly.
'Everyone will have their preferred tolerance, and a little-known fact is how sensitive we are to texture and how much that affects food acceptability.
'Think of people who like their scrambled eggs runny, or firm, their meat well done or raw. We can put people on a scale and they will not be happy at the other end.'
We don't taste food all at once, he explained, and we change their texture by chewing, crunching or melting them in the mouth.
For example, chocolate changes from a solid piece you snap off a bar to something that melts into a gooey, luxurious molten lava flow that we love.
'As foods we chew change their textures they change their flavours,' he said. 'The interesting thing about cereals is that we change their texture before we eat them by adding milk.
'So timing is the key whether you put the milk in first or last.
'Experimentation is best to discover when they hit their peak texture – the bliss point - for you.
'That also changes as you eat, so the cereal may start a little too hard and end a little too soggy and what you are trying to optimize is the time or number of mouthfuls when it is just right - the Goldilocks Principle.
'Of course, by the time you finish the last, soggy pieces, you are often rewarded by that sugar rich milk, which many people find even more delicious than the cereal.'
Another 'milk before cereal' TikTok user, who has the username @chisme, explained: 'Guys, this is the right way.
'Because look – now I know how much milk there is and I know how much cereal to put.
'And if I need more cereal, I'll put more cereal. Perfect milk-to-cereal ratio.'
Australian milk brand Riverina Fresh uploaded a video in which it claimed that milk should go in the bowl first
Shelby Roach, another TikTok user, uploaded a video showing her boyfriend looking mortified.
'My boyfriend is offended that I was going to pour him milk in this bowl before the cereal,' she said in the clip.
When he protests that the cereal should go first, she replied: 'But then the cereal gets soggy.'
Meanwhile an Australian milk brand, Riverina Fresh, uploaded a video saying: 'Unpopular opinion. When you make cereal, it's 100 times better when you pour the milk first and then pour the cereal second.
'It keeps the cereal crunchier for longer, and it's just a far superior experience.'
Professor Charles Spence, an experimental psychologist at the University of Oxford, said: '"Plip, plop, splash" – that is what you get if you add the milk first, rather than the ubiquitous "Snap, crackle, and pop" that has sold so many boxes of breakfast cereal over the years.
'Surely you want the milk to splash over top to ensure maximum flavour in your milk, while preserving crunch for as long as possible.
'No one, after all, likes soggy breakfast cereals.'
He said that many will argue the answer to the 'before or after' question is a matter of ritual.
'Whatever ritual you have, no matter what the reason behind it, well ritualized food preparation and consumption can undoubtedly make food taste better,' he said.
A Kellogg's spokesman said: 'We know that people eat their cereal in all sorts of ways – whether it's with ice cold milk, with no milk at all or we've even heard from cereal fans who add peanut butter or protein powder to their bowl of cereal.
'Some prefer to soak their cereal for the perfect amount of time until it's soft – others are hardcore fans of crunchy cereal.
'We've been serving up cereal at breakfast tables since 1906 and the most typical way its eaten is by adding milk after the cereal, otherwise things could get messy.
'But if you're a fan of more crunch in your bowl, the milk first approach could be the way to go, as less of your cereal is submerged, and it crucially avoids spillages.'
Meanwhile Nestle - who produce the popular Cheerios, Shreddies and Nesquik cereals - says there is 'no rule' when it comes to milk first or cereal first.
'If you're aiming for perfect cereal-to-milk ratio and optimal crunch, you should start with the milk first and add cereals gradually to match the quantity of milk in the bowl,' it says on its website.
'If you feel offended by the idea of going with milk first, you'll be happy to know a lot of people do their cereals the other way around.'