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 microw…
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 agree completely, we freeze all our bread - sliced sandwich bread, burger buns, bagels. The experts agree we're doing it right!
Harold McGee replies: Good point to bring up! Bread and other lean baked goods are the exception to the rule that cold storage is good. Bread stales faster at refrigerator temperatures than at room temperature. So if you want to keep a loaf for a couple of days, a breadbox is better than the fridge. For much longer than that, the freezer is the best place.
Ah the things I learn from clicking random HN links - Sliced bread was once illegal in the United States! https://culinarylore.com/food-history:sliced-bread-was-once-...
TL;DR: banned during rationing in WWII, which is less sensational. Lots of things got weird during rationing.
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.
Americans eat baked wheat product and think that it is “bread”.
It is not. It’s made from wheat but that’s where the similarities end.
I've seen people store bread not in the fridge but in the freezer (this was in Germany), I thought it was weird, but I think now that it's a cool way to store bread for long periods of time.
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.
Also depends on your bread. Supermarket bread likely has mold inhibitors in it that probably aren't used in bakery breads intended for quick consumption. Or as my EU relatives do: clear out their stock and freeze a couple week's at a time.
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.
We didn’t have much money when I was a kid and we used the hell out of the deep freeze any time things were on sale. 3 for 2 offer on bread? Half a dozen loaves would come home with us and all but one went in the freezer. Now that we rarely go to the grocery store/order a delivery, I’m using the same trick. We almost got rid of in in the move but I kept it despite it being a temporary pain to deal with.
Works with bagels, too. Lots of ‘bakeries’ (think Panera) in the US have Tuesday deals, the one I have access to is 13 for $6.99 which brings the price per half to less than the cost of a slice of the cheapest store brand bread and with much better quality (still far worse than a real NYC bagel but better than the supermarket). They freeze and defrost very well.
Ah the things I learn from clicking random HN links - Sliced bread was once illegal in the United States! https://culinarylore.com/food-history:sliced-bread-was-once-...
> since this bread, without its heavy wrapping of wax-paper would dry out more quickly “housewives” would often throw away the stale slices. This wasted wheat.
Surprising. I just tear apart stale slices and let them dry out. Then use them as soup dippers, soup crumble (as people do with crackers) or give to my mom to make bread crumbs.
Ah the things I learn from clicking random HN links - Sliced bread was once illegal in the United States! https://culinarylore.com/food-history:sliced-bread-was-once-...
TL;DR: banned during rationing in WWII, which is less sensational. Lots of things got weird during rationing.
One of those actions that has more to do with optics and making people feel like they're making an achievable contribution, ignoring the minimal impact on the actual problem.