Cereal Texture and Ingredients

• Buy cereal composed of hard, dense nuggets or light, spherical-shaped pieces that will float in the milk to prevent a soggy breakfast. Milk won't diffuse into dense cereal as quickly, and cereal that's round and floats only exposes one side to the milk, leaving the cereal dry and crisp for longer. Buying cereal with a concentrated sugar coating, which prevents milk from being absorbed quickly, helps to keep cereal crisp.

Serving the Cereal

• You can buy special bowls with a divider or a porcelain shelf, but you can also use a cup for the cereal and separate bowl for the milk to achieve the same purpose: to separate the milk and cereal to keep the cereal crispy. Avoid adding the cereal all at once to the milk, or vice versa. Use only a small amount of milk, because milk diffuses into the cereal, causing it to become mushy. Alternatively, lightly coat the cereal in oil, which acts as a buffer, before adding milk.