Bagel Care Instructions
Caring for your bagels is like caring for a child... but hella easier. Here's how to best take care of your round bundle of joy:
FRESH
If you're going to enjoy them within 48 hours, it's best to just leave them in a paper bag so they can breathe. You can wrap them in plastic to keep the moisture in, although you'll find that the crust gets soft and flimsy.
FRIDGE
To get the bagels to last several days, store them in an air-tight plastic bag or container in the fridge. The less air in there, the better. Consume within 5 days.
FROZEN
This is how true New Yorkers keep bagels that we don’t eat on the day. We put them in freezer bags and chill them colder than Times Square revellers on NYE – they'll last for about two months! To get them ready to eat, you’ve got a couple of options:
1) Pre-Slice: Slice them before you put them in the freezer, then bring out each bagel as you want it. Put the frozen slices straight into the toaster. You might need to pry them apart with a butter knife (pronouced buddah knife).
2) Bake Whole: The best way to enjoy our bagels the way they come out of the BBB oven: steamy inside with a nice outside crust. Pre-heat your oven to 200C, and bake your bagels unsliced for about 10-20 minutes until golden or golden-brown. The skin should crackle while the interior surrenders to squeezing (with a tea towel, since it’ll be hot!)
To shorten the baking time, you can also leave the bagels at room temperature for about 15 minutes so that they soften up before you put them in the oven. You can also slice them and put them in the toaster at this point.
3) Microwave?: Oy, don’t be a schmuck!