CELIAC Archives

Celiac/Coeliac Wheat/Gluten-Free List

CELIAC@LISTSERV.ICORS.ORG

Options: Use Forum View

Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Kathleen Estes <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 14 Apr 2001 09:47:34 EDT
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (87 lines)
<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Thank you, thank you, thank you all.

You all were such great helpers to me.  I did purchase at Wal-mart for $11.99
a West Bend cutting guide.  However there are a few suggestions that came
later and I will still check into those also.

I use an old electric knife which seems to work very well with gf bread
and its quite fast.  I wrap two slices together and freeze them for
toast.

To be honest, I just use a good bread knife.  I spray it with oil or
non-stick spray before slicing if the bread is still hot.
Cecilia's Gluten-Free Grocery (www.glutenfreegrocery.com) carries the Norpro
Acrylic Bread Slicer with Wood Crumb Catcher (Code No. P-0370) for $15.13.

This is a sturdy bread slicer with slats to fit your bread slicing knife
through and a pull-out drawer in the bottom below the base to catch crumbs.
Works great!  It's listed in our "Cooking Supplies" aisle.

Before I went GF I used to make breads and used an electric knife.  I'm
pretty good with them, but my gf breads seem to have such hard crusts
that using any knife doesn't work well for me anymore.  Luckily I own a
meat slicer and it works just perfectly!  An expensive alternative,  but
I am so happy to have it.

I purchased a knife with a guide at Williams-Sonoma.  It was pricey ($25.00)
but you can adjust the size of the slice. I was tryng to make uniform slices
with less weigh for calorie control.

I bought 3 bread slicers before I gave up.  They buckled or sliced the bread
slicer along with the bread or, in the best of the three, the slices were
too thick to put in our toaster [odd-shaped, too].  Now I use a serrated
knife.

Here's how I do it:

I begin each slice by using the serrated knife to mark onto the loaf the
exact width I want the slice of bread to be.   This is the part that takes
the most attention to be certain you end up with the slice the width you
want it and that the entire slice is straight and even all the way across.

I carefully line up and cut into the *corners* of the first side of the
first slice.  [Use the bottom of the bread, because it has a flat side.
Don't start the cut on the rounded side.]  Then using the corners to keep
the cut straight, I cut into the first side of the loaf about 1/4 inch.
Then I turn the bread to the next side.  I again line up the corners first,
cut into the uncut corner, then slice across that side of the loaf, again
using the 2 corners to keep that side straight.  I continue on to the next
two sides in the same fashion.

When I've gone around the loaf once, cutting into it 1/4 inch, I use that
groove as a guide to continue slicing into the loaf.  I just keep turning
the loaf, slicing deeper into one side by 1/2 to 1 inch, then turning the
loaf and cutting into the next side the same amount.  The only problem is
when the loaf is about 3/4 finished. Then the loaf tends to bend or buckle
when you're cutting into the interior 2 to 3 inches of a slice making some
of those slices kind of "pot-bellied."

It's tedious, at first.  After you've done it a few times, you get fairly
good at it and reasonably fast.  This method gives me better slices than I
got from any of my bread slicers.  Even my "pot-bellied" slices aren't
nearly as bad as some of the ones I got with those bread slicers I bought.
And I can make extremely thin slices on denser breads.

 I just purchased a knife that is made of wood with a "saw" blade.  It's
called the Texas Saw blade knife.  It's wonderful for slicing bread.

I got mine at Costco -- I've also seen them at Target.  They really do
help, because the bread looks more "normal," which is really important
to kids!  Walmarts, K-Marts, they sell an electric knife with bread
holder. You place the bread in the slotted holder and use the electric
knife to slice between the slots for even slices of bread.

After I bake the loaves I let them sit out on the counter for at
least 8 hours or until they are really cool all the way through.  Then I use
a regular bread knife and slice them.  The slicing is very easy because the
bread is cool.  Then I place the entire sliced loaf in a zip lock bag and
freeze it.  I have been doing this for the past 5 yrs without any problems.
You can take out one piece or as many as you like once it is frozen.  the
pieces just snap apart.

West Bend makes a GREAT slicer. It is made or hard plastic and very sturdy.
I don't know if anyone in your area might carry WEst Bend items but it would
be worth looking for.

ATOM RSS1 RSS2