It's a real disappointment to throw away newly purchased bread that has quickly become stale or moldy. That's why many people are looking for life hacks to extend the shelf life of this product.

Express asked professional bakers for advice. And they pointed to three factors that can significantly affect the rate at which bread spoils. These are the place where it was cut, the environment in which it is stored, and the material in which it is wrapped. They also told us which product will help bread stay fresh longer.

Slicing the right way

We usually start cutting a loaf from the edge. Experts called this the biggest mistake. At the point where the crust is cut off, the bread begins to lose moisture and become stale. This process can be significantly slowed down if you cut the bread in half and store it so that the halves touch each other.

To cut a slice, you will need to separate the halves, take as much bread as you need, and put the remaining slices back together. In this way, the bread will protect itself from accelerated drying.

Storage environment

Many people think that bread will keep best in the refrigerator. But this is not the case. In the refrigerator, it will continue to gradually lose moisture, which will affect its taste. Bread stored in the refrigerator can only be tasty if you heat it up before eating it. The product is best stored in the freezer. It can be stored there for a very long time without losing its qualities after defrosting.

Container material

The bakers conducted their own experiment to find out what conditions keep bread best. To do this, they placed three pieces of baguette in different environments - a solid plastic bag, a perforated plastic bag and a glass container. An additional condition: they poured a little rice cereal into each container. Why? So that the rice could absorb excess moisture from the air, which provokes the development of mold in the bread.

After 5 days, the experts checked the condition of the bread. In the perforated bag, it began to grow mold on the first day, and then dried out. In a solid bag, the bread was still soft, but it began to "bloom". But in a sealed glass container, it was very well preserved - it did not dry out and showed no signs of mold growth.

So, the results of the experiment showed that an airtight container with a small amount of rice at the bottom is best for bread. And it should be stored at room temperature and cut in half and folded so that the slices of the halves touch each other.

Earlier, OBOZREVATEL told you what to put in a box of apples to keep them all winter.

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