A fresh baguette is great in theory — deliciously crusty on the outside and just chewy enough on the inside. That is unless you forget about it for even a moment, only to discover it's become rock-hard and inedible.
That's where a simple food hack from TikToker Chef Jackie B (@chefjackieb) comes to the rescue.
@chefjackieb Save a baguette #baguette #cheftips #tips #foodtok #food #homecooking #fypfood #viralfood #chef ♬ French music style, accordion, waltz - arachang
The scoop
The process to revitalize a stale baguette is incredibly simple.
Simply run the bread under water, and then put it in the oven at 400 degrees for five minutes. Jackie uses a stone in the oven, which can offer a little extra crispiness. After the stint in the oven, the once-hard baguette is visibly and audibly softer, and Jackie declares that "we're back in business."
"It's crispy on the outside, and perfect on the inside," Jackie adds before using the baguette as a base for an appetizing sausage and pepper sandwich. The TikToker declares the sandwich is "so good."
How it's working
This hack can save both time and money for consumers. Instead of an extra shopping trip to buy another possibly pricey baguette, consumers can use what they have without sacrificing flavor or texture.
It's also a win for the environment, as it makes sure that all the resources that went into the bread don't go to waste. That is important to the sustainability of our food systems, as the U.N. detailed.
Saving the baguette from the trash also prevents it from going to landfills, which produce planet-warming methane when items don't properly break down. Thrown-out food unfortunately accounts for almost 60% of fugitive methane pollution into the atmosphere, per the EPA. Meanwhile, food waste is a huge problem in America, with the EPA estimating that up to 40% of food is never eaten.
This baguette trick joins other useful hacks around leftover potatoes, produce, and wine in helping combat our collective waste problem.
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What people are saying
Fellow TikTokers were complimentary of Chef Jackie B's hack.
"Ugh you're the best," one wrote.
"I was just complaining on how my bread went hard after one day and was gonna make croutons," another TikToker noted in a relatable reply.
Chef Jackie B was sympathetic to that dilemma, writing: "It's really so annoying!! It's fresh for like 30 seconds."
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