My kids hate to eat bread crusts. I can’t say that I blame them.

When I was a new adult, I virtuously ate them, convinced that they must be more nutritious since they were, well, brown and crusty. Health food = heroic virtue was a phase I was in before I learned to cook. Once I found out the truth, that they were just browner and drier bits of bread with no enhanced value, I stopped forcing myself to eat them too.

Now, I have tried to make the kids eat their bread crusts. They’ve done it, usually while crying. Every day. And it was a battle. Every day. Over the edges of bread. I decided to cut my losses and started tearing them off. Martha Stewart probably sells a bread de-cruster that would leave cute edges with a holiday theme, but at Mama’s house, the kids are lucky I tear them off with my hands instead of my teeth. Around here, teeth are reserved for opening packages.

I finally got smart and started removing the crusts before they were smeared with peanut butter/chicken salad/tuna. Now I remove the top crust, tear it into pieces, and set it aside to dry. At the end of the day I put it in my jar and store it in the freezer – and whenever I need bread crumbs, I’m all set!

Another trick: the heel of the bread is the loneliest piece in the whole bag. I used to entice the children by telling them it was the brownest one, and no one would have a piece that was as brown as theirs was. Now that they are wise to that trick, I’ve found a new one. Put it on the sandwich backwards! If they don’t see the brown, they are less likely to taste the brown. This is especially effective for grilled cheese.

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