When should the ends of a loaf of bread be eaten?

[Renew Deal]

27 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	First and last pieces eaten
	4 (15%)
	Any time, but they aren't avoided
	4 (15%)
	Only if there are no other pieces
	10 (37%)
	Never
	3 (11%)
	Other
	6 (22%)
	Not Sure
	0 (0%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[Jamaal510]

1. I eat them

with tuna sandwiches and lunch meat sandwiches, but that's it. Even then, I'd still prefer the other slices.

[cwydro]

2. I like them for toast as long as the bread is whole wheat.

White bread heels - no thanks.

[eShirl]

3. as soon as the crows spot them on the compost heap at the edge of the woods

[lastlib]

23. when the rest of the loaf is finished, I feed 'em to the birds.

Or use them to make bread crumbs for rolling meat in for cooking, etc.
'Til then, I use them to help keep the rest of the loaf from going stale.

[Scuba]

4. They're the best pieces on the loaf! I'll gladly take them!

[DinahMoeHum]

5. I save the heels in the freezer.

When I get enough of those, I'll use 'em along with other dried bread pieces to make
savory stuffing casserole or sweet bread pudding.

[LiberalElite]

6. Is this another

First World problem?
P.S. I voted.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

7. These are best lightly baked...

...and made into garlic bread.

Love them!

[davsand]

8. Hubby (the baker's kid) says eat them last.

He claims they keep the rest of the loaf fresh by protecting it. I've never disputed that claim, but I always just figured they were already crust from when the bread was sliced, just let them hang around. I'm no bread bigot!


Laura

[noamnety]

9. Eat both ends first

As soon as the bread comes out of the oven. Piping hot and fresh, nothing beats a good crust.

[malthaussen]

10. Perhaps you should read...

... One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, in which he specifically lauds the virtues of the heels of bread loaves.

-- Mal

[surrealAmerican]

11. If you have two of them ...

... it's a bun substitute.

[hunter]

12. FIRST!

Especially sourdough and other home or locally baked traditional breads.

Me and my siblings used to argue as kids over the ends of a fresh sourdough bread.

Two ends, too many siblings...

[sir pball]

13. Depends on the bread.

Mass produced sandwich/Pullman loaves, the ends will do for toast in a pinch at best.

Good bread, with a delicious crackly crust, I eat the ends straight off, lightly warmed and slathered in cultured butter. Not much besides a fresh NY hard roll goes better with coffee

[shenmue]

14. Eat the ends first!

Correct answer.

[NightWatcher]

15. eat anytime for a tuna sandwich, but never for a ham, turkey, et al sandwich

I use them for moisture control as the end can be a moisture barrier between said salad and hands

[Laffy Kat]

16. A famine. nt

[Nac Mac Feegle]

17. Use them for the peanut butter

They don't tear like the center slices do.

Especially if you have a nice chunky peanut butter.

[Ron Obvious]

18. Last...

Like George Carlin, I reach straight past the first few slices and go straight for "the good bread" while saying "screw my family - I'm looking out for Numero Uno!".

The ends either get toasted, Microwaved, or given to the birds / petting zoo.

[lame54]

19. they are there to keep the rest of the bread fresh and should be eaten last

[irisblue]

20. when you forgot to get hot dog buns

[closeupready]

21. I keep bread in the freezer; ends are diced, sauteed in butter as croutons,

and added to soup, and occasionally salad.

[hobbit709]

22. I only eat these kinds of bread

[japple]

24. If you save them in a bag in the freezer, you can pull out a few and toast them

whenever you make soup. Throw some cheese on the top and melt it. Then dunk in in your soup. Great stuff.

Of course that bread looks like awful American bread, so the crust isn't very crusty at all. Get some loaves of European bread and really give your gums a work out!

[IDemo]

25. I toasted some today for French onion soup with parmesan

Terrific.

[underahedgerow]

26. They are necessary to keep the interior bread from growing stale. I don't buy that kind of

bread anymore (ruined by baguette and country loaf, viva la France), but when I did, it was critical to keep them in place, as I have a staleness phobia.

Did you know that baguette has a shelf life of just 6 hours? After that it's just stale, and after a whole day, is suitable for an assault weapon. I just can't eat stale bread, not even toasted. I do cheat however, and wrap mine up firmly in plastic bags so I can have it toasted in the morning.

And, in decent sized cities like Paris, there are usually several boulangeries to every block. Each boulangerie has different techniques and their breads have their own particular taste. I find that I will sample each one over time and get a preference for one shop over another. Some are more crisp, some are a touch saltier, some are more tender. There are many kinds of baguette, the 'tradition' being my favorite as it has a crispier crust, is a bit shorter and pointed, not rounded ends.

The ultimate victory for an ex-pat is when the boulangerie ladies like you and treat you with preference. At my last local favorite place, the ladies came to love my doggie and let me have him in the shop while waiting in line. They would give him his treats with great affection and were very kind familiar and friendly to me.

Also, the boulangeries work together in a cooperative for holidays as they can only operate X amount of hours in a week. So if one is closed on a Sunday, the other will close on Monday so the residents can always rely on their fresh bread. They do the same with holidays. If one is closed on one holiday, the other will stay open, and then they trade off. We must have our bread!!!!

Bread rant over. Merci!

[My Good Babushka]

27. Whenever you have some good marinara or meat sauce

the ends of a loaf are very handy for mopping that sauce up.

[Sentath]

34. Or other strong flavored high moisture filling

They're perfect for that sort of thing.

[oldandhappy]

28. first hot out of the oven

lots of butter!

[JCMach1]

29. Depends on how many days until payday...

[Paper Roses]

30. Save them in the freezer. When you have enough,

Cube up for croutons. Plain or sprinkled w/seasoning. I cube the heels, toss in a bowl w/a drizzle of olive oil. May add seasoning , may not. Depends on what I need.
Cool, place in tightly covered jar. Ready when I need them. I know croutons are not expensive but when I make my won, I can control whatever seasonings I might add. Some of the 'store bought' croutons are too strong for my taste.

[restorefreedom]

31. when they come up in the rotation

or as bread crumbs/croutons

[GoCubsGo]

32. It depends on whether the bread is fresh-baked or store-bought.

When I bread, the ends get pretty much immediately. With store-bought loaves, it varies. Sometimes the ends are so thin, they're useless for a sandwich or toast. I eat them when I want a light snack.

[BlueJazz]

33. I thought Bread-Bag-Lady said we have to use the heels on our shoes.