What Is A Toaster Bag And How Do You Use One?

If you're like a lot of home cooks, you probably have some crumbs sitting in your toaster. While many know that it's important to regularly clean your toaster crumb tray, it often takes a back seat to other priorities in the kitchen. After all, chores like emptying crumb-filled toasters, cleaning dirty sheet pans, and removing burned-on foods from pots and pans are among the most tedious tasks and are easy to push to the back burner.

However, if you are regularly whipping up avocado toast, or you like to experiment with dishes like carrot-harissa toast or radish toast, your toaster is likely getting a workout and those crumbs may be piling up. As Cooking Light notes, not cleaning up those crumbs can contribute to a burnt flavor in your toasted foods and can also result in a fire hazard.

But what if you could eliminate the need to perform the crumby job of cleaning out the toaster while also expanding the number of dishes you could cleanly cook in it? Toaster bags promise just that.

These parchment-like reusable bags are like toaster ninjas. They house your chosen toastable food while it's cooking, preventing any mess while also making the possibilities of food that can be prepared in your toaster endless.

According to Delish, not only can you use these bags to make toast in a tidy way, but they're also a tremendous tool for crisping other foods. While you could reheat your pizza on the stovetop, you could save time and mess by tossing that slice in a toaster bag and popping it in the toaster. Want to reheat french fries or fry alternatives? The toaster bag will get you crispy results. 

Toaster bags also offer room for experimentation with other options like paninis, grilled cheeses, or other sandwiches. Typically, sitting a cheesy sandwich in a toaster is taking a chance that you'll have a crumby and gooey mess to clean up. Toaster bags contain the contents of the sandwich while also toasting up the bread to golden crispiness.

As if all of that wasn't enough reason to grab these bags, which Patch mentions can be used up to 50 times each, they're also great for preventing cross-contamination in households with members who have food allergies.

With their safe and versatile uses, toaster bags are a must for every home cook.