It's time for the "Friday Food Debate" where we tackle some of the burning questions of the culinary world...LOL!
This week, the burning question is:
Here is another possibly regional word description. We were with some friends recently and they mentioned a loaf of bread and said they never ate the BUTT part of the bread. We said "the what?" The replied, "you know, the slice on each end, it's the butt". We've always called it the HEEL.
A quick search of Google found that this was a big Twitter debate not too long ago. There was a whole list of names that people used. Heel. Butt. End. Crust. Knob. Outside Slice. And the oddest one of all, the scab.
We've both grown up calling it the heel. Maybe that's a Southern thing? Not sure.
Here's a part 2 to the question: Whatever you call it, do you eat it? I could probably count on both hands the number of times I've eaten the heel in my entire life. I just figured it was there to keep the bread fresh, you eat the inner slices first and put the "heel" back...by the time the other slices were gone, these would be too dry anyway. 2nd Man likes them though.
So...what do you call these pieces?
And do you eat them?
Here is another possibly regional word description. We were with some friends recently and they mentioned a loaf of bread and said they never ate the BUTT part of the bread. We said "the what?" The replied, "you know, the slice on each end, it's the butt". We've always called it the HEEL.
A quick search of Google found that this was a big Twitter debate not too long ago. There was a whole list of names that people used. Heel. Butt. End. Crust. Knob. Outside Slice. And the oddest one of all, the scab.
We've both grown up calling it the heel. Maybe that's a Southern thing? Not sure.
Here's a part 2 to the question: Whatever you call it, do you eat it? I could probably count on both hands the number of times I've eaten the heel in my entire life. I just figured it was there to keep the bread fresh, you eat the inner slices first and put the "heel" back...by the time the other slices were gone, these would be too dry anyway. 2nd Man likes them though.
So...what do you call these pieces?
And do you eat them?
Heel.
ReplyDeleteBird food
Sometimes eat it as toast,if it's Sourdough
Scottish background and we call it the heel too. Use it as you do, to keep the rest of the loaf 'fresh' and offer it to the birds when done with it.
ReplyDeleteThat's the heel. Will eat it only if I must, as toast. Mostly I toss the heel outside. Birds ignore it but the chipmunks love it!
ReplyDeleteThe heel. Here it becomes either bread crumbs or croutons
ReplyDeleteWe call it the heel. Husband from the Midwest and me from the U.K. My husband will always choose the heel if it's available!
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in Iowa my dad Always called it the 'heel'
ReplyDeleteMe; I call it the end crust and yes I do eat it most of the time.
Now depending how thick the end crust is, sometimes I will cube it up, put on baking sheet and put in oven and use as croutons or will pop in the toaster and have peanut butter toast,but if it's too thin to eat then I will break / tear into small pieces and put on in the bird's platform feeders for them to eat.
Sometimes will use and make French toast or will save several of the crust ends, put in large freezer bag and use to make bread pudding from it. Then will place on baking sheet, put in low oven and let it dry out. Once dry I will then put in food processor and make into nice crumb mixture and use as filler for my meat loaf, meatballs, turkey dressing,etc.
Plain & simple at our house; Nothing is wasted. In some way, shape or form, it does get used up.
We call it the heel. I only eat the one from fresh baked bread right out of the oven for its crunchy goodness. Once it cools, it is treated like regular heel...dried and made into breadcrumbs
ReplyDeleteHubby-born and raised in Canada-calls it the heel. Me-born in N. England-call it the crust. I like the crust when it is really fresh and if not I will eat it toasted. Never put anything out for the birds, it always attracts mice.
ReplyDeleteHeel - my favorite slice!
ReplyDeleteHeel. I freeze them until I have enough and then use them for croutons or stuffing.
ReplyDeleteHere from the South, I call it the "end." But, I have heard it referred to as the "heel." I put it back to keep the bread fresh. I have eaten it with pbj or toasted it. I had a male friend come to my house, not invited. He always tried to impress me with stupid things. He opened a new loaf of my bread and tossed the end into the trash, saying that was all it was good for. Jerk! I yelled at him.
ReplyDeleteThe older I get, the more likely I am to eat things I once rejected, like the end of the bread.
Friend here says he calls it the "heel" and probably the "end."
New Yorker here: Heel
ReplyDeleteYes, they do keep the loaf fresh, so I use them last. I like to toast them lightly with tuna fish and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese to make a tuna melt.
My favorite slice of raisen bread is the heel.
we call it "the ends" at my house. spouse always eats "the ends".
ReplyDeleteBorn and raised in Illinois and it was always called the heel. I usually don't eat the heels.
ReplyDeleteMidwestern bred here (ha ha). We called it the heel. Dan is from NJ and they called it the "nose."
ReplyDeleteHere in the north of England, it's the crust. It's the best bit, in my opinion!
ReplyDeleteIllinois, too (Hi, Marcia!) We call it "heel". I'll eat it if it's fresh baked, and my husband likes it as toast (store bought). Otherwise, I crumb it up for dressing or meatloaf.
ReplyDeleteHi, Sadie! In Colorado in my old age ... think they just call it bread out here! LOL
DeleteRaised in Wyoming and we always call it the heel. Never eat it on store bought bread, but my favorite piece of homemade bread.
ReplyDeleteWe call it the heel as well in my family; I have kids at work who don't have a word for it and stumble over what to call them when we are making sandwiches. If it is homemade bread, we fight over the crust heels with butter. If it is storebought bread, the dog gets it or the compost does.
ReplyDeleteBorn Midwesterner, always heard it called the heel. For store bought bread, it is there to keep the slices next to it fresher. Doesn't get eaten on purpose; is used for crumbs.
ReplyDeleteBut on homemade bread, it is the BEST part, first slice to last. Toast it, butter it, sprinkle "Everything but the bagel" on it, and savor. Don't tell the rest of the family and it will always be yours. ;^)
Here in New Zealand I've always known it as the Crust - the best part of home made and decent bakery bread. The Baker's Treat!
ReplyDeleteI call it the crust - Pennsylvania near Philly. And save it for last and then toast it.
ReplyDeleteMary
Heel here in my world which is south Texas, but I think we brought the idea from Mississippi. If we don't eat it, we feed it to the birds because by the time we get to it, it's stale.
ReplyDeleteAussies call it the crust . Sometimes it's thick, sometimes it's thin. Usually eat it when we're desperate and there's no bread left !!
ReplyDeleteYes crust.
ReplyDeleteUsually put back in the freezer until I need breadcrumbs.
I've always called them the ends. I don't eat them unless I have no other bread.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Heel and yes I love to toast it slathered with butter!!! :)
ReplyDeleteThe heel here in SE Texas. And yes, I eat it – it’s good toasted. Sometimes I break it up for the birds. When we were little, our grandma lived next door and would make home baked bread for us. We used to fight over who got the heel – smeared with butter, it was warm and crunchy and sooo good!
ReplyDeleteHeel, and I eat it only when it is fresh baked and still warm, with butter.
ReplyDeleteWe call it a "heel", or extremely infrequently, "end". I've never heard of most of the others!
ReplyDeleteWe either buy fresh baked or my hubby bakes it, so all the bread is edible, unlike so much of a commercial white loaf where the end pieces are weird cuts and thin/thickness that dries out and burns if toasted. Here we cut then heel, put it aside, cut the slices needed then put the heel back on the end to keep the cut sides fresher. If the bread gets stale before the loaf is done, I either toast it in the oven till completely dry for croutons and breadcrumbs, or feed it to the birds. Not feeding the birds much because it's really not good for them, and we're being over run by stupid vermin squirrels. But we do give some slices of going stale bread to our horses as a treat too. maybe 2 a month.
Shelley, NE Michigan