Bread lovers, you will appreciate this kitchen gadget. A Bread Slicer Guide is a simply designed tool to help you cut uniform slices of bread. A Bread Slicer Guide can also be helpful in maintaining the integrity of the shape of your bread. Mashed uneven slices are history with this simple tool.
The question is this: Which Bread Slicer Guide is better, wood or plastic? Let’s take a quick look at both versions and you can decide.
I see wood Bread Slicer Guides that stand out as I peruse Amazon. A wood slicer guide should stand up to sharp knives; therefore, I would look for the hardest wood or bamboo guides available.
The DB-Tech Bamboo Guide is not outrageously priced. It is available in a 7 ½ inches wide version that would accommodate a variety of bread shapes. This unit folds for compact storage and has a back slat to hold the bread in place. It also offers guides for three bread widths and is open on top to accommodate tall loaves.
Another bamboo version is the Heartland Bread Slicer. This unit is also collapsible, 7 ½ inches wide, has a back slat for stability and open to accommodate tall loaves. This unit offers two thickness options and is a bit more expensive than the DB-Tech slicer guide but otherwise very similar.
The third version I look at in the wood category is the Bread Pal Bread Slicer. This slicer is much more expensive and is made of maple and birch “facing hardwood”. It is a bit wider at 8 inches, is also collapsible and has two slicing width options. I’m not sure what the “away facing” material is, however, if it were solid hardwood it may be overly cumbersome.
The hardwood and bamboo versions of the bread slicer guides are visually appealing due to their organic material. They are less likely than plastic or soft wood to splinter or produce shavings, however, it’s not impossible if you are not careful. The width is also an appealing aspect of this type of bread slicer due to the variety of loaves they will accommodate. Having said that. However, I must mention that you will need to measure your bread knife to make sure it is long enough to use in the wide bread slicer. One reviewer said that she purchased the Black and Decker electric knife along with her guide due to the blade length and efficiency in slicing. Brilliant!
Regardless of your preference, wood or plastic, this video will really impress upon you just how useful a bread slicer guide can be.
Plastic bread slicer guides are the other option and, of course, tend to be much less expensive. The Norpro 370 is unique in that it is a plastic guide attached to a hardwood (one reviewer stated it was pine) base. This slicer guide is 7 inches wide, again open on the top for tall loaves, offers a single slice width of ½ inch, but is not collapsible. It is slightly less expensive than the collapsible bamboo slicer and less efficient to store.
The 1 X Bread Slicer is a white plastic utilitarian slicer guide. It is open on top for taller loaves, but a narrower 6 inches. Is it collapsible? I’m not sure. The slice guides are set at ¼ inch so, of course, if you cut using every other guide you would have your ½ inch slices. It is lightweight and very inexpensive. One reviewer commented that you “get what you pay for” with this purchase. Others stated it worked fine for the price.
The last plastic slicer I will comment on is the Bread Slicer – Multi-functional unit. The Bread Slicer is an inexpensive, collapsible, one slice at a time unit. It is limited to smaller loaves due to its shape and size but does offer several slice thickness options. Several reviewers mentioned it was sturdy and easy to use.
The wood and bamboo bread slicer guides seemed to accommodate small to large loaves and require a long bread knife due to their width. They certainly are more visually appealing due to their organic composition. They are also made of long-lasting material and collapsible. They do require careful slicing so as not to damage the wood.
The plastic bread slicer guides were not a sturdy as their wood or bamboo counterparts, but work just fine if used with care. They are much less expensive, utilitarian and made with less aesthetic value than the wood versions. Several plastic bread slicer guides are collapsible and stored easily. The plastic versions will only accommodate smaller loaves of bread.
I bake many types of bread in a variety of loaf shapes and sizes. I appreciate the organic appealing look of the bamboo and wood bread slicer guides and the fact that they accommodate loaves of different shapes and sizes. The fact that they are collapsible is a bonus. Both the plastic or bamboo and hardwood bread slicer guides require careful slicing.
