The Retro Breadcrumb Mix Middle-Class Families Used In The '70s Is Still Around Today

Though its popularity has waxed and waned, there's no denying Shake 'N Bake's place in the history of modern home cooking. The box of ready-to-use breading mix debuted in 1965, and was readily explained by its name: shake your protein of choice in a bag with the seasoned breadcrumbs, and then bake it.

Accordingly, Shake 'N Bake was initially marketed for replicating the texture of Southern-style fried chicken without actually deep frying anything. It's healthier than true fried chicken, and far easier to clean up after: just one bag of used breading, and no bowls of egg wash or flour or vats of oil to drain and dispose of. Shake 'N Bake grew in popularity, and the brand soon leaned into convenience with its famous "And I Helped" ad campaign, proving that Shake 'N Bake was so easy, a kid could do it.

The brand may not be as ubiquitous as it once was but it is still a strong seller, and it now has many flavors commonly available. These include Original Chicken, Original Pork, BBQ Glaze, Parmesan Crusted, Ranch & Herb, Crispy Buffalo, Crunchy Pretzel, and Extra Crispy. And this protein may not be named on any boxes, but Shake 'N Bake is great for breading fish, too.

Creative use of breadcrumbs can be revolutionary for food. For instance, breadcrumbs played a vital role in creating stroopwafels, as the thin cookies were originally made by gluing breadcrumbs and other bakery scraps together with syrup. But Shake 'N Bake didn't actually do anything revolutionary; it's just seasoned breadcrumbs. And even that was not new in 1965. 

Pangrattato ("grated bread" in English) is a traditional southern Italian ingredient of fine breadcrumbs toasted in olive oil and often seasoned with fresh herbs. It's sometimes called "poor man's Parmesan" for its nutty taste that can faintly mimic that of the famous cheese. And it's not too dissimilar from the breadcrumbs and seasonings home cooks had access to in the 1960s. 

You don't even need breadcrumbs to oven-bake "fried" chicken; just coat the meat in seasoned flour and bake it instead. What made Shake 'N Bake iconic was marketing and changing times. In the '60s and '70s, more women than ever before entered the workforce, yet were still expected to make dinner every night. Shake 'N Bake was one of many boxed dinners that promised to save time by essentially doing the prep work for you. And though it stopped including a shaking bag in 2022 to reduce plastic waste, it still has everything needed for a fried-style protein.