The best thing since sliced bread…is a bread slicer for your home! (or so the old saying goes). Whether you buy an unsliced, fresh loaf at your local bakery, or you knead the dough and make the bread from scratch in your own kitchen, an adequate bread slicer is essential to serving and enjoying your bread in sandwiches, with salads, toasted with jam, and so much more!
Any way you slice it… I like the DB Tech Bamboo Foldable Bread Slicer at Amazon.
A Slice of History
We all know that bread has been around for centuries, and is a staple of cuisines around the world. But it wasn’t until the early 20th century that the convenience of sliced bread emerged on the scene, becoming one of the most important food products in North America.
A machine for slicing bread was first invented in 1928 by, fittingly enough, a man from the Midwest, the region often termed the “breadbasket” of the United States. Otto Frederick Rohwedder of Davenport, Iowa devised the machine that could quickly and uniformly cut a loaf into slices. Chillicothe Baking Company in Chillicothe, Missouri became the first to use it in commercial production, selling their packaged, sliced bread in July of 1928 to great commercial success.
The trend grew, and more companies and bakeries invested in bread slicers. The famous brand Wonderbread first began selling their packaged and sliced white bread throughout the US in 1930.
The advent of sliced, packaged bread led to people consuming more bread, as well as more jam, butter, and other spreads they could smear on a slice. For many people, it was more convenient than cutting loaves by hand, and made whipping up a sandwich to take for lunch all the easier.
Nowadays sliced bread – and bread slicers – are as commonplace (and vital!) as bread itself.
What kinds of bread slicers are best?
A modern bread slicer for the home can be made of a variety of materials, but usually consists of a slot where a horizontal loaf of bread can be placed, between two sides with alternating smaller slots, equidistant from one another. While securely fitted in the slot, you use a bread knife to slice the bread at the cross section of each smaller slot.
Wooden bread slicers are among the most durable, especially if the wood used is a kind of hardwood, such as hickory or maple. Acrylic and plastic bread slicers are more subject to wear and tear, and can become chipped or damaged with repeated use.
To decide what kind of material you’d like your bread slicer to be made from, it’s important to consider how often you will use the product to ensure that it will last you for many loaves to come.
Stop loafing around – start slicing bread today!
If you’re ready to get your own bread slicer, there are a myriad of options on the market to choose from that will.
DB-Tech Bamboo Wood Compact Foldable Bread Slicer
The DB-Tech Bamboo Wood Compact Foldable Bread Slicer is a great low maintenance, easy storage bread slicer that looks good when it’s out on your counter but can quickly and easily be folded away when you’re in need of more space. The 3 different groove sizes let you cut slices varying in thickness, and the 100% bamboo wood is both beautiful and environmentally friendly. Find this slicer at Amazon.
Norpro Bread Slicer with Crumb Catcher
If you’re worried about the mess you’ll make and being able to clean up quickly, then the Norpro Bread Slicer with Crumb Catcher is the bread slicer for you. It does all the work for you, slicing and sweeping up afterward! The acrylic build is sturdy and economical, and with an easy build to take apart and assemble, the Norpro Bread Slicer with Crumb Catcher is also great for small kitchens with limited storage space. Sound like something you need? Find it at Amazon.
Bread Pal Bread Slicer, Maple and Birch
In search of the most durable and versatile design? The Bread Pal Bread Slicer, Maple and Birch, might just be your best bet. The maple, birch, and hardwood used to construct the Bread Pal Bread Slicer hold up extremely well with repeated use, and the self-locking system and easy set-up make it a no-fuss, effective option. Find this bread slicer listed at Amazon.
Better Bread Slicer
The Better Bread Slicer (Ponderosa Pine) is a quality product designed to last. Its soft ponderosa pine material ages gracefully and ensures that your knives aren’t dulled. With 6-inch high side panels, and three adjustable slots for loaf width, the Better Bread Slicer (Ponderosa Pine) can take care of almost any kind of bread you throw at it. See the Better Bread Slicer at Amazon.
No matter how you slice it…
There are a lot of great deals out there so that you can have your own homemade, or locally produced, freshly sliced bread.
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- Electric Knives for Cutting Bread
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- How to Make Banana Bread Moist After Baking
- The Bread Pans and Why You Need One
- Bread Box For Keeping Bread Fresh
- Stainless Steel Bread Boxes
Additional Resources:
Image credit via Flickr Creative Commons: Marco V. and Emily
