Do you eat the two outer slices of a bread loaf?

Well, do you?
Bonus points if you have a reason for your choice.

Poll Options

  • 782
    Yes, bread is bread.
  • 310
    No, it is forbidden.

Comments

  • +50

    Fresh bread at bakery yes
    Otherwise no

    • +3

      that's a fair rule

      • +4

        It's not kosher to waste food.

        • Magpies gotta eat

    • Someone below mentioned the opposite. What if the baker handles the bread loaf after touching cash or surfaces, would you still eat it? Compare this to prepackaged loaf on assembly line, which one would you prefer to eat?

      Edit: I have also seen fresh bread loves sitting arms length away from counter in an open display case, prone to dust, coughs and sneezes. Would this change anyone’s mind?

      • +15

        fresh bakery bread just hit different - i usually get abbotts/helgas and it still dont compare. maybe the secret IS the random exhaust fumes/dust/ unwashed hand of the kind little old vietnamese lady that always chucks me a free cookie when i buy my two banh miht and a farmers union iced coffee.

        • +9

          You get a free cookie?
          Man, I only get a sideways look and a grunt :(

          • +1

            @ashdays: I go there less frequent now because there is a hungry jacks and a kfc that just opened up closer to me now but yeah at one point I was spending about 80 a week there easy

          • @ashdays: I get a dirty look if i pay by card

        • +3

          I have to bring my 2 year old if I want to get free treats!

  • +53

    Maybe I'm weird, but those two outer slices are my favourite ones. They have less unbaked doughy centre unlike the rest of the slices.

    • +23

      Agreed. The outer crust is the best bit

      • +6

        Depends on how good the crust is. If it's good (crunchy) crust then absolutely. If not then only for desperate times.

      • Have you heard of bagels?

        If you bake one serving at a time and put a hole through the middle, there's a lot of extra surface area.

    • +2

      Oh my kids fight for these.

    • +5

      outer crust with peanut butter !

    • Definitely not weird, I see it as normal. I don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want them?!?

    • +5

      End slices (crusts) are definitely the best for toasting and cutting into "soldiers" (thin strips) to dip in your soft-boiled eggs. (The scientifically-proven best possible breakfast).

      Fun fact: in Japan, the end pieces are called "bread ears".

    • This is the correct answer.

    • Toasted with butter and vegemite works for me. I love the ends.

  • +22

    crust gives you curly hair

    • +8

      i shave my curly hair very regularly

      • +2

        Does your hair grow curly hair?

        • +3

          if you know where

    • This explains so much now.

    • +2

      I tried avoiding crusts as a child — didn't work.

  • +16

    Yes - toasted with peanut butter. Best part

    • +5

      I love peanut butter.

    • Same. Toasted, spread with Mayver’s crunchy peanut butter, add honey and top it with vanilla ice cream

      • +3

        That's just sick!

        • +3

          Apparently Elvis has NOT left the building

      • That's a full on stoner combo.

    • Wow, it’s like you’re living my life haha! That’s the best use for the crust imo.

  • +54

    Yes but they are intentionally left to last and toasted,
    Used as a barrier to keep the air away from the centre bread slices

    • +8

      Same. This is the optimal approach.

      Doing this stops the centre pieces from drying out and maximises crunch for something like a cheese toastie when the middle parts have done their job.

    • yep toasted with lots of butter and whatever else you like to put on.

  • +3

    Maybe get used if i make garlic bread out of remanents. They are good for that.

    • We use sliced sourdough for toast & to make garlic bread but the end slices are way too tiny to do anything with them based on the shape of the loaf.

      • +4

        Those end bits on sourdough are the best if the bread is fresh

        Use them for a dip

        • +1

          Oh yeah - we do use them for hummus dip & also for not-so-crispy croutons in pumpkin soup

      • +1

        Sourdough pieces are great for croutons.

  • +1

    Do you eat the two outer slices in a bread loaf?

    Finally we get down to the real issues!

    (I don't eat them)

    • +1

      I always wondered and today when I was looking at a nearly finished bread loaf, I thought to myself, I can't be the only one with this dilemma.

  • +6

    I turn them inside out

    • You monster!

    • This guy thinks outside the box.

    • +9

      Haha I do that when I run out of the centre slices when making my kids sandwiches.
      Looks good from the outside and they don't realise until it's too late.
      Muahahaha… I learnt it in evil parenting school.

  • +2

    i love the end bits more than the rest of the bread

  • +5

    The crusts are the best. Even though scientifically proven to put hairs on your bum.

  • +5

    I feed them to JV

    • I wonder if some of his chews are louder than others.

    • Does he go quack…. quack ….

  • +1

    overseas u can get a loaf of bread with no crust and no ends too….

    • wait really, I have never seen that… but then again I have only been in handful of countries.

    • Seen that in UK and liked it :)

    • Where do the crusts go? Used to make breadcrumbs?

      • +1

        every 23rd loaf is only crusts

      • Or they bake a super long loaf so there's only like 2 crusts per 10 regular loafs…

        • I like the thinking. Maybe there’s only one loaf being continuously fed with dough from one end and baked along a conveyor. That means there will only ever be one crust.

    • Sounds horrible.

  • +12

    Reason for my choice is I'm not rich enough to throw away two perfectly good slices of bread

    • I feel you

    • Tiny slivers of spongey mangled crusts are not perfectly good. I noticed on the home brand bread the knobbies are tiny and mangled, but on the fancy name brand bread the knobbies are somehow full thick slices.

  • +4

    only as toast

  • +2

    Husband won’t touch it but I have no issues eating it as it’s still bread, however will usually leave it to last. Have trained my 9 year old to eat ends as well 😁

  • +2

    On a normal loaf, it gets thrown away.
    On a raisen loaf, it gets eaten first.

  • +18

    If you currently waste them, consider tossing in the freezer and whizzing them up for breadcrumbs when you have a need. Or chopping up and toasting in the oven with some oil spray for croutons.

    • Thanks for the idea, I might try that.

    • MVP again!!!

  • The end bits are great toasted then spread with Vegemite.

  • +4

    Damn is the economy that dire that these type of threads are popping up?

    • +2

      Waste not, want not

      • +1

        Thread or bread?

        • +2

          It's all about the carbs

  • +5

    Spread peanut butter, put cheese ontop and toast. The absolute best.

    • What Kind of Sorcery Is This?

      Gonna have to try.

      • +2

        Childhood food. Toast with peanut butter and cheese. People here previously said sweet and salty don't mix, but my counter to that is salted caramel.

        • +1

          As does vegmite on raisin toast! Sweet and salty. nomnomnomnom…..

        • +2

          try wrapping a small piece of banana in a small piece of bacon. You'll be amazed how nice that is.

        • -2

          What's the sweet part of peanut butter and cheese???

          • @dowhatuwant2: Peanut butter of course. It's absolutely sugar loaded.

    • I have never tried this but seems like an adventure I want to go on.

    • At first I thought “ewww!” but I’m definitely going to try it!

      • I don't believe in having butter or margarine with vegemite. Now that's a real ewww thing for everyone.

  • +5

    If you eat the 'crusts' (end bits) before you eat the rest of the loaf, then the rest of the loaf goes stale more quickly. Leaving the 'ends'/crusts stops the remaining inner parts of the loaf from going stale prematurely. This is due to the crusts being comparatively much more resistant to the passage of air through them.

    Sure, after you have finished all the rest of the loaf, chow down on the crusts/end bits (toasted with hummus, whatever) … but not before. If you are sharing the loaf with anyone else, making the whole loaf go stale prematurely by eating the crusts before the rest of the loaf has been eaten is inconsiderate; unless you are not smart enough to have realised the finer aspects of physics pertaining to crusts that I have outlined above. In such a case, then doing so would be better described as naive.

    • +3

      I've heard this, but thought that when the loaf is tightly resealed in a plastic bag it wouldn't make much difference?

      • The problem is that bread bags are not vacuum sealed and let's gases in and out particularly because the plastic clip is not tight enough to stop air.

        I think of the crust ends as an outer layer of protection. More protection the better.

  • +6

    How does somebody get to adulthood without knowing the word "crust"?

    • +9

      crust also refers to border around all slices of bread

      • +3

        Yes, but the standard way to ask the original question would be, ‘Do you eat the crusts on a load of bread?’

        The crusts refers to the two end pieces

        Crust refers to the outer border of the slices/whole loaf.

        • +3

          Just no. That would refer to the entire crust too; ends, sides, bottom, top. They are all "crusts" and collectively are "crust". It has been known and so I've heard that uncultured swine rip a loaf open and dig out the juicy centre and leave the crust.

          • @stumo: haha… who would have thought this would be so controversial, at least it's more pleasant than some of other controversies doing the rounds.

            I maintain that the two end pieces are commonly referred to as the 'crusts', e.g. our family, I'll say to my kid "eat the crust" when referring to the outer strip around a slice of bread and to my husband when the loaf is running low "don't worry I'll have the crusts" referring to the end pieces. Possibly controversial when there is only one crust piece left, in which case I would call it the 'crust piece'.

            • +2

              @morse: Its called the "heel" where I come from. There is no context or ambiguity required.

    • Please, they are the knobbies.

      • +1

        French stick and baguette ends are hooves or horns

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