Pantry Basics: Bread (and other!) Crumbs

I was asked about making bread crumbs the other day, so I'm adding this to the Pantry Basics series because, well, it is a basic!

I am guilty of buying crumbs in my earlier days, I even remember when my son was small my MIL was horrified when she saw the package in the fridge. But I didn't have a food processor and a blender just doesn't work very well with big bread pieces. I was reduced to trying to smash them with a rolling pin in a baggie.

Have you ever tried to coat chicken with "bread chunks?" Not quite the same, hence the container of *gasp* store-bought crumbs.

Then I did get a processor, but a cheap one because, come on, if you just want to make crumbs (and pesto) they should all be able to do that, right?

Wrong. The $30 model was loud and made chunks the size of gravel. I had managed to do that with my rolling pin.

I coughed up $50 a few years later for a "name brand" model. This time the "crumbs" were the size of rock salt, but they were a little more usable, so I stuck with this for a few years because I had paid $50 for it. However, I had to make pesto in the blender because this processor left large pieces of basil in the pesto. Kinda looked like we were spreading grass mixed with oil on our bread.

Then I watched a cooking show where they made bread crumbs with this:


Cuisinart 7-cup Food Processor
And my food processing life was never the same. The cook just put the torn bread pieces in the machine, turned it on for a few seconds and, voila! The most beautiful, fine, crumbs - just like the ones I used to buy. It could be done at home!

I headed over to Amazon.com and bought the lowest priced model (what did you expect?), waited for it to arrive and made crumbs the day it came in the mail.

Success. Finally.

Apparently the tool can make the difference. So I recommend the same 7-cup model Cuisinart I bought, but you can certainly buy a bigger model if you need it. I like this size as it seems the most flexible to me- not to big and unwieldy, but not too small, either.




So, on to bread crumbs. I just put bread ends and pieces in a baggie as I get them, throw them in the freezer and when there are enough, I make the crumbs.




I also will keep "mistakes" in the freezer instead of throwing them away (hey-waste not, want not!). These rolls were made a few months ago WITHOUT SALT. Yes, I was distracted and thank goodness I tried a little edge before I took them to a family gathering! I had enough time to make another batch and these have been lingering in the freezer waiting for me to figure out what to do with them.

I know that many people are trying to reduce salt intake, but completely unsalted bread is just flavorless - there's a reason the salt is in there!

So today, they become bread crumbs because I usually add other seasonings depending on the recipe and what I'm using them for, so I don't think we'll notice the lack of salt.

I also will go through the cupboard and find any old, opened packages of crackers to add in, or new crackers we tried, but didn't like for some reason. Even stale crackers are OK in crumbs. I've never tasted the staleness in meatballs or coatings- I just don't have that level of culinary awareness (is that an actual term, or did I just make that up?).

I've even made crumbs from some organic sweet cereal the kids didn't like ("It tastes stale, mom!") to use in fruit crisp toppings. I did package them separately, though with a nice, big, "For Crisps" label.

Sweet cinnamon crumbs in my Parmesan Rice Cakes would not make my day.



This couldn't be simpler: tear up the pieces of bread (I don't even defrost the bread before I whir it up) into the processor bowl.

Also add any crackers, etc. you're using. I fill it up and never have a problem with it not making even crumbs.

Isn't this a beautiful thing? These are nice crumbs, folks!

I usually leave mine unseasoned because I like to be able to season (or not) according to the recipe I'm going to use.

If you want them seasoned, add salt, pepper, powdered onion, powdered garlic, and dried parsley to taste. I'd start with 1 tsp. of the salt and pepper, 1/2 tsp. each of the onion and garlic powders, and a Tb. of the parsley.

Then put them in a freezer bag and label with the date and if they are seasoned. They stay good until you use them up!

It's very convenient to have them in the freezer and you'll never have to (guiltily) buy them again.

Interested in other frugal tips? Check out LifeasMOM.com's Frugal Friday.

-Jami

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