Hitting a Home Run

 The other day I passed a display of Bagel Skinnies in the grocery store. I stopped to read the description, boasting of 110 calories per piece. I decided to buy a package and test it against The Nicer Slicer-- it was time to go “Game On” to compare the Skinnies against a toasted slicered bagel- one of the Slicer’s strongest recipes. Why had I walked by these displays for years and not answered the call the validate or disprove this obvious competition to the Nicer Slicer Trifecta of better taste, less calories and lower cost?

As advertised on the package, the calorie battle was being won by the skinny at 110 calories versus 130 for half a regular bagel. STRIKE ONE! Further review of the product showed the poppy and sesame seeds were baked into the skinnies and not on the surface like the regular bagel- BALL! Toasting the regular Everything bagel brings out the flavor of the seeds on the surface of the bagel…  I don’t know if that qualifies as a strike, so we’ll call it a ball… Pitch count: 1 AND 1.

Now I am worried that I will suffer a strike out of our trifecta! At home in my kitchen I courageously approach the toaster. The skinnies toast… When they emerge from the toaster I note they are lighter than a regular bagel… I am thinking they are effectively the same size as a slicered quarter bagel from our slicer. Hamburgers are on the dinner menu, and I present two burgers to my teenage boys. They are Nicer Slicer converts and won’t eat a sandwich if the bread is not toasted and slicered. They take a bite. Silence, and other bite, silence.

I  ask “So how is your hamburger?” Their replies were a lovely surprise and exposed the bagel skinnies as imposters - a weak substitute for the value proposition of The Nicer Slicer. They said, “These thin bagels are dry and bland and miss all the flavor of your normal slicered bagel bun. The seeds are baked into the bun and these are too dry. We will eat them, but please don’t serve them again!”  

Surely this is a HIT! Possibly an in-field TRIPLE given that my testers made the point that these bagels do not compare to the taste of a slicered bagel. The heart the Nicer Slicer Advantage is the inside of the bagel stays soft and gooey. Slicering the toasted bagel exposes that lovely soft interior and holds it against the crunchy, nutty caramelized exterior of the toasted bagel. Slicered bagels are great hamburger buns! I should have tested these skinnies long ago.  

I pull out the grocery receipt, and AHA! Now I see how we steal HOME! A package of 6 Everything Bagel Skinnies was $1.99 for 6 sliced skinnies- so you have 12 slices at 16 cents/slice. A bag of 6 normal Everything Bagels from the same store is $1.49. When you toast and slicer the bagels, you end up with 24 slices at 6 cents/slice. Bread for your hamburger bun using the Nicer Slicer works out to 12 cents/burger versus 32 cents/skinny bagel. More food for your grocery dollar, better taste… I’d say we have stolen HOME on this one!

Stick with your slicer- nothing beats it for sandwiches and improving flavor and cost! Satisfaction is improved with good taste, and the superior flavor makes the calorie issue in this case a non-event.

Happy slicering. We would love to have you reach out with recipe ideas and insights. Have a great summer.

All the best,
Sandy Schirmer
Founder, SB Schirmer Co., LLC