Breadcrumbs can be bought or made from stale bread and are used for breading, fillers, toppings, and stuffing. They can also be used as trail markers.
Breadcrumbs are made by grinding stale bread and have all sorts of uses in the kitchen. Many companies sell them already made, usually in airtight containers so they don’t get wet. It is also possible to make bread crumbs at home from unused bread that has gone stale. These can be stored in the freezer until needed. Many are also seasoned, in which case they can be used for specific things. Keeping them unseasoned allows a cook to use them in a wide variety of situations, so many cooks keep plain crumbles instead.
One of the classic uses for breadcrumbs is breading. Breading is a layer on the outside of fried or sauteed food. Typically, the food is dredged in an egg-milk mixture before being lightly brushed with flour and then rolled in breadcrumbs. The crumbs create a crunchy, flavorful outer coating that also helps keep the inside of the food from becoming greasy.
Like bread, breadcrumbs also make a great filler in things like quiches, omelettes, and puddings. A variety of bread pudding is made with crumbs, for example with pieces of bread. They will also give the body an extra quiche and help make foods less heavy. They will also reduce the overall cost of a dish like an omelet by decreasing the amount of eggs and other expensive ingredients needed.
Many casseroles also call for a topping of breadcrumbs, which form a browned, crispy crust on the surface of the cooked dish. In this case, the lightly seasoned crumbs are usually drizzled with butter or oil before baking, so they brown in the oven. A baked dish topped this way will have more texture and the inside will be more moist and flavorful, as the top layer keeps the innards from drying out.
Ingredients such as celery, carrots and water chestnuts can be mixed with breadcrumbs and other seasonings for a savory filling. Seasoned vegetables like artichokes, zucchini, and peppers can be stuffed this way, and the crumbles can also be used for more ambitious stuffing projects, like turkey. For larger fillings, they usually form a smaller proportion of the total ingredients, so they don’t end up in a solid mass.
As many fairy tale readers know, breadcrumbs can potentially be used to blaze a trail. However, in regions with large animal populations, such trail tends to be worn, so woodland adventurers may want to consider carrying more durable trail markers such as small stones or surveyor’s tape.
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