Butterfly Cut Your Next Bagel For Optimal Sharing

Bagels are arguably one of the greatest items to come out of a baker's hot oven. When made properly, bagels are deliciously crispy on the outside and dense and chewy on the inside. Everything bagels, asiago bagels, sesame bagels — they're all deliciously satisfying. And while even the best bagel shops try their hardest, the bagel's toppings never quite accumulate as much on the bottom as they do on the top. This means that when you want to share, you're left with either selfishly choosing the top or kindly but sadly accepting the plain bottom.

Thankfully, there's a creative bagel-slicing hack that's great for storing fresh bagels but even better for sharing them when you don't want to choose between the top or bottom half. Rather than slicing in a matter that separates the top from the bottom, slice the bagel in half lengthwise and butterfly them.

You'll want to have a sharp bread knife on hand before diving into your bagels. Instead of making the standard bagel cut that divides the top of the bagel from the bottom by slicing it sideways through the center, cut the bagel in half like you would a sandwich. With the bagel facing up, slice down the middle and through the hole. You should end up with two C-shaped halves. Next, slice the bagel in a butterfly fashion, like you would a chicken breast, but don't cut all the way through to the end. Rather, slice about three-quarters of the way through so you can then open the bagel up. This makes it the perfect shape to toss in the toaster or spread with cream cheese.

Now that you know this trick, you won't have to fight over who gets the top half of the last everything bagel. Instead, butterfly it and enjoy your perfectly-balanced half however you please.