Forum: cooking.stackexchange.com
Tags: <storage-method><equipment><bread>
Title: What's the purpose of a bread box?
Question: For some reason I always thought bread boxes were supposed to be wood, and that some property of wood helped keep bread fresh.  Like a cigar box, perhaps.  But after looking for a bread box, I see that many are plastic and metal.  Before I buy a bread box, I should probably understand what exactly I'm purchasing.  What is a bread box for, and do all types of bread boxes accomplish the intended purpose?

Answers:
sents: text: In my experience, they're best at concentrating mold spores, and hiding away unsightly loaves.
text: While chic, and quite popular in the days before plastic bags, they're not much use now.
text: Pretty much the same as the " pie safe "
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/218/Satanicpuppy
score: 21
sents: text: A bread box is intended to keep bread fresh.
text: The materials don't matter that much.
text: A bread box keeps bread fresh by trapping moisture to prevent the bread from drying out.
text: The tighter the seal on the bread box, the better it performs this function.
text: Additional Reading: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-bread-box.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breadbox
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/60/hobodave
score: 12
sents: text: The wikipedia article about breadboxes states: They were a more common household kitchen item until bread started being made commercially with food preservatives and wrapped in plastic.
text: Breadboxes are still used by many people to store commercially purchased bread, but are used more especially by people who bake bread at home.
text: And that they also protect their contents from mice and other pests.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1915/JustinP8
score: 8
sents: text: They're intended to provide a cool, controlled place to keep the bread away from direct sunlight and most pests, to reduce the rate of moisture loss, and reduce the likelihood of the bread getting moldy.
text: I'd personally avoid metal in areas with high temperature swings (daily, not yearly) because I'd be concerned with changes in temperature outside causing condensation inside the box.
text: If you have air conditioning and don't have it cycle on/off during the day, this likely isn't an issue.
text: Some people don't actually like the wooden bread boxes, because the smell of the wood used can transfer to the bread.
text: It's possible that the nature of the wood, if it were unsealed, might help to regulate the humidity of the box (absorb a little if it's too high, give a little back if it's too low), but from what I recall (and it's been more than 15 years since I've used one), all of the ones we had were vented, so I don't know how much this is actually an issue.
text: (it's possible that not all are vented -- in looking online, some of the metal ones claim to be air-tight ...
text: I'm not sure how I feel about that).
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/67/Joe
score: 7
sents: text: Don't keep your bread in the fridge, for goodness' sake.
text: You lose a lot of flavor and freshness by doing that.
text: It speeds decomposition of certain aspects of the bread even if it does make it last longer.
text: A bread box is meant to be used to keep bread fresh and great tasting for 3-6 days, which is about the longest you can expect fresh bread to last.
text: There is a balance of powers happening within that box and the balance is not to be messed with.
text: There is ventilation and moisture retention.
text: The ventilation comes from the small intentional gaps in the bread box.
text: The moisture comes from the bread.
text: That moist environment is fine because you want to have moist bread.
text: Too much moisture isn't good either—which is why if you live in a moist climate you should get a large bread box and don't overstuff it.
text: The more bread in the box, the more moisture in the box.
text: If you live in a dry climate you could probably get away with a loaf, several bagels, and a few buns and not have any trouble but in a moist environment, that's asking for trouble.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/35548/Tracy
score: 2
sents: text: If you have trouble with humidity then a breadbox is probably not that helpful - you'll probably want to keep your bread in the fridge.
text: But the fridge actually makes bread go stale faster, so if you're in a fairly dry area a bread box can be very useful for keeping bread fresh.
text: I think it's more effective than just tightly sealing the plastic bags, but I haven't done any studies.
text: Also I personally like it for corralling my bread products (loafs of bread, buns, bagels, etc.)
text: so they're not just strewn about the kitchen.
text: It also contains crumbs, and I find it easier to clean than a pantry shelf, since you can just hold the box over a trash and shake.
text: They're also useful for any snacks you like to keep easily accessible, since those can be make an otherwise clean kitchen look messy.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/22992/Bannef
score: 0
sents: text: Were I live.
text: A bread box is used to put a slice of bread in.
text: In less than 15 minutes this will draw ants.
text: Once the bread is covered in ants.
text: You spray inside the box to keep there numbers down.
text: Even putting bread in sealed plastic ones the ants will find a way in.
text: This is tropical use of them..
text: Way up north.
text: When women baked bread once a week.
text: It was put in a bread box to keep moist for the week.
text: It slowed bread from drying out.
text: In today's world the plastic bag it comes in does a better job of keeping bread fresh.
text: So they are more just for looks.
text: In the old days some use to add a slice of apple or such to the bread box to keep bread moist.
text: So they were the bread wrapper before bread wrappers came about.
text: In the tropics ants just eat a hole threw the wrapper.
text: Why we have a small bakery in each neighborhood.
text: Ants don't attack hot ovens.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/54532/J Bergen
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
The bread box retains some moisture and provides a cool, ventilated place away from direct sunlight and most pests. Wood is probably not necessary, but metal might be more sensitive to temperature changes in the room.
A bread box helps to keep bread fresher for longer by stopping it from drying out. The material is not very important, but it should be ventilated.