It feels as traditional as the art of cooking itself, yet it feels so surprising that toast has earned it’s own special day that is February 22nd. However, when you think about it, you proceed to ask yourself “how can it not be?”. It’s simply effective base makes it our go-to option for so many situations when our stomachs start to rumble. Need a quick breakfast after oversleeping before you dash out for work? Toast is there. Forgot to do the weekly shop before the kids get home from school? Toast is there. Feeling ill & can’t keep much down but still low on energy? Toast is there. Tired of eating plain white bread for the 5th day in a row? Toast is there, ladies & gentlemen. It’s welcome certainly won’t be getting stale anytime soon.
The most delicious attribute of the cooked bread slice is that it’s a canvas for creative kitchen craftsmanship, whether it’s casual dining at home or whether you’re cooking up a batch in a restaurant. Whether your whipping up a meal for yourself, have guests coming over to the house or if you’re a chef looking to jazz up the menu, a range including the finest or jams to the most delectable salmon & scrambled eggs is endless.
There are so many fine models of toasters to get that bread-cooking method at just the right setting to satisfy your craving perfectly. Even if you’re toasting it up for a large crowd, you can even grab a conveyor belt type to cook it up in large batches. Although if you want to try something a bit different, who says the toast itself has to be made in a toaster? Take advantage of bread’s squidgy structure by applying it with some innovation when it comes to cooking. Take bacon & egg cups for example. Applying slices into a muffin baking tray to be a bowl-like base for the rashers & yoke-based goodness before you bake & you’ve got a mini fry-up to eat on the go, becoming the envy of fellow passengers on your commute.
Just as sweet as having such an easy meal option itself, there’s nothing wrong with adding a bit of fruit to your toasted feast. Blueberries & yogurt; caramelised banana, promegranate kiwi, honey kumquats: sounds nutritiously delightful, doesn’t it? You can even throw some strawberries on there if you’ve got a yogurt base to go with it.
Toast is like the food version of that easy going uncle you may have only seen once or twice in the last month. You may have it for a catch up meal or a snack on 5 or 6 occasions in a week & then sometimes you won’t see it again until you don’t want to spend all that money on another Chinese take away. Whenever you do decide to go back to it though, it’s always happy to lay down some hunger-conquering wisdom, being the blank piece of paper for the ink that is whatever remnants of ingredients are in your cupboard. Simple but effective. Easy but scrumptious. Let’s raise our toast racks & bread knives in salute. Happy National Toast Day, everybody. May the loafs be forever in your favour.
