Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Does storing bread in the fridge make it last longer? (2019)

culinarylore.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 139 posts

Re: Does storing bread in the fridge make it last longer? (2019)

#51

Post by marton78 »

washadjeffmad wrote: post #38
egypturnash wrote: post #23

I live in a hot, humid, tropical city. If you leave bread out it will become a mold colony once you've opened the bag. Fresh, room-temperature bread is a luxury only available for sandwiches made immediately after opening the bag. Bread lives in the fridge after that. If you want to revivify your bread when it comes out of the fridge, sprinkle a little water on the underside and put it in the oven on a low temperatur…

You've caught an important detail- that it molds once you've opened the bag- but only if you leave it there in after. Bread boxes are one of those relics that faded into obscurity after the mid-century in the US, often becoming homes to all the other things you didn't know what to do with on your counters, but they used to serve an important role in keeping bread fresh and protected. When we switched from formed doug…

Being an obviously little short sighted European, it blows my mind that 1) bread boxes are not used everywhere and 2) it's not common knowledge that bread will get moldy when stored in a plastic bag. Happens even in temperate climate.

Re: Does storing bread in the fridge make it last longer? (2019)

#52

Post by nsxwolf »

washadjeffmad wrote: post #38
egypturnash wrote: post #23

I live in a hot, humid, tropical city. If you leave bread out it will become a mold colony once you've opened the bag. Fresh, room-temperature bread is a luxury only available for sandwiches made immediately after opening the bag. Bread lives in the fridge after that. If you want to revivify your bread when it comes out of the fridge, sprinkle a little water on the underside and put it in the oven on a low temperatur…

You've caught an important detail- that it molds once you've opened the bag- but only if you leave it there in after. Bread boxes are one of those relics that faded into obscurity after the mid-century in the US, often becoming homes to all the other things you didn't know what to do with on your counters, but they used to serve an important role in keeping bread fresh and protected. When we switched from formed doug…

I had bread boxes growing up, but I always remember them smelling strongly of mold. Maybe we were neglecting them and using them improperly, but I now have this association in my mind that a breadbox makes mold worse.

Re: Does storing bread in the fridge make it last longer? (2019)

#53

Post by crazygringo »

lolinder wrote: post #28
crazygringo wrote: post #24

The article's facts are right, but its conclusion is kinda wrong. Don't put your bread in the fridge -- slice it and put it in the freezer! Because in either case you need to heat it up in the oven/toaster anyways, so you might as well put it somewhere where it will keep for months, rather than weeks.

I store my bread in the fridge and never heat it up. I just make a sandwich and eat it as is.

So you basically just always eat stale bread? It might be worth trying to heat it sometimes. ;)

Because the article doesn't make it entirely clear: to "de-stale" bread, it's not enough to bring it back to room temperature. You actually have to heat it to the "gelation point" (140°F) to undo the chemical reaction that made it stale in the first place. [1]

So even if you don't want it toasted, a quick zap in the microwave will improve its quality immensely.

[1] https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/8226-how-to-revive-...

Re: Does storing bread in the fridge make it last longer? (2019)

#54

Post by crazygringo »

tzs wrote: post #27
crazygringo wrote: post #24

The article's facts are right, but its conclusion is kinda wrong. Don't put your bread in the fridge -- slice it and put it in the freezer! Because in either case you need to heat it up in the oven/toaster anyways, so you might as well put it somewhere where it will keep for months, rather than weeks.

Unless it is thickly sliced you might not even need to heat it up in the oven/toaster. Just letting it thaw on the counter might work. For the slightly thin wheat bread I use for sandwiches, putting a couple slices on the counter for 10 minutes or so does the trick. If I know I'm going to make a sandwich later, but am not sure when, I take the slices out in the morning and leave the on the counter covered with a towe…

I replied elsewhere, but thawing it isn't enough -- to "de-stale" it requires heating it to 140°F:

https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/8226-how-to-revive-...

Re: Does storing bread in the fridge make it last longer? (2019)

#57

Post by analog31 »

jeffrallen wrote: post #5

If your bread lasts longer than it takes you to eat it, your bread is too big, or it is not yummy enough to make you eat enough. Get yourself to a proper boulanger and eat proper bread!

This is what my family does. We adjust the size of the loaves to have each one last about a day. Multiple loaves per batch. Someone is responsible for taking a loaf out of the freezer for the next day before going to bed.

Re: Does storing bread in the fridge make it last longer? (2019)

#58

Post by tzs »

crazygringo wrote: post #54
tzs wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unless it is thickly sliced you might not even need to heat it up in the oven/toaster. Just letting it thaw on the counter might work. For the slightly thin wheat bread I use for sandwiches, putting a couple slices on the counter for 10 minutes or so does the trick. If I know I'm going to make a sandwich later, but am not sure when, I take the slices out in the morning and leave the on the counter covered with a towe…

I replied elsewhere, but thawing it isn't enough -- to "de-stale" it requires heating it to 140°F: https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/8226-how-to-revive-...

You only need to de-stale it if it is stale. Freezing stops the staling process.

Re: Does storing bread in the fridge make it last longer? (2019)

#59

Post by calvinmorrison »

marton78 wrote: post #51
washadjeffmad wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You've caught an important detail- that it molds once you've opened the bag- but only if you leave it there in after. Bread boxes are one of those relics that faded into obscurity after the mid-century in the US, often becoming homes to all the other things you didn't know what to do with on your counters, but they used to serve an important role in keeping bread fresh and protected. When we switched from formed doug…

Being an obviously little short sighted European, it blows my mind that 1) bread boxes are not used everywhere and 2) it's not common knowledge that bread will get moldy when stored in a plastic bag. Happens even in temperate climate.

Short sighted again as huge parts of the world sit at 25+ C and 75%+ humidity for months on end

Re: Does storing bread in the fridge make it last longer? (2019)

#60

Post by aden1ne »

jrochkind1 wrote: post #50
barrkel wrote: post #36

Since the COVID lockdown in February, we've mostly switched over to part-baked bread rolls, individually packaged and baked on demand - 3 minutes to heat the oven, 10 minutes baking, and you've got a fresh warm roll, and most importantly, it has a crisp crust. It's a low labour medium between baking your own bread and buying bread almost every day, which is what I used to do. In fact I used buying bread as an excuse…

Interesting, I haven't noticed these sold but I haven't been looking. You buy at an ordinary grocery store? National brands? In the freezer section?

In large parts of Europe, an entire aisle is reserved for these types of productsin many supermarkets. Typically near the bread spreads section. Not sure whether this is common in the US.
Post reply on HN