Toast (food)

Toastis slicedbreadthat has beenbrownedbyradiant heat. The browning is the result of aMaillard reactionaltering the flavor of the bread and making it crispier in texture. The firm surface is easier to spread toppings on and the warmth can help spreads such asbutterreach itsmelting point. Toasting is a common method of makingstale breadmorepalatable. Bread is commonly toasted using devices specifically designed for such, e.g., atoasteror atoaster oven. Toast may contain moreacrylamide, caused by thebrowning process, which is suspected to be acarcinogen.However, claims that acrylamide in burnt food causes cancer have not been proven.
Butterormargarine, and sweet toppings, such asjamorjelly, are commonly spread on toast. Regionally, savory spreads, such aspeanut butteroryeast extract, may also be popular. Toast may accompany savory dishes such as soups or stews, or it can be topped with ingredients like eggs orbaked beansto make a light meal. Toast is a commonbreakfast food. Asandwichmay also use toasted bread.
The wordtoastcomes from the Latintorrere'to burn'.In German, the term (or sometimesToastbrot) also refers to the type of bread itself, which is usually used for toasting.
One of the first references to toast in print is in a recipe for Oyle Soppys (flavouredonionsstewed in a gallon of stalebeerand a pint ofoil) from 1430.Toasting was likely first used to increase the edibility of bread that had become slightly stale.In the 1400s and 1500s, toast was discarded or eaten after it was used as a flavoring for drinks.In the 1600s, toast was still thought of as something to be put into drinks.In his 1602 playThe Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare givesFalstaffthe line: "Go fetch me a quart ofsack; put a toast in't."Toast has been used as an element of Americanhaute cuisinesince at least the 1850s.
Bread sold ready-slicedis commonly used in modern preparations; some of these specifically market their suitability for toasting.
Toasting is a cooking process that depends on the occurrence of the Maillard reaction on the surface of the bread. The Maillard reaction only occurs when foods reach temperatures in excess of 155 °C (310 °F).Generally the toasting process is complete once the surface temperature of the toast is between 155 °C and 190 °C, depending on the desired surface color.Above these temperatures, toast will exude a burnt odor, which is associated withpyruvic aldehydeuntil it eventually ignites at 250 °C.
In a modern homekitchen, toast is usually made in a special-purpose electrical appliance, atoaster. Sliced bread is placed into the slots on the top of the toaster, the desired degree of toasting is set, and a lever is pushed down to expose the bread to the heated elements. The toast is popped up when it is ready. Bread toasted in a conventional toaster can "sweat" when it is served (i.e. water collects on the surface of the cooled toast). This occurs because moisture in the bread becomes steam while being toasted due to heat and when cooled the steam condenses into water droplets on the surface of the bread.
Bread can also be toasted under a red-hot grill. Hotels,restaurants, and other food service locations often use aconveyor toaster, withheating elementsboth above and below the slices of bread, which are carried slowly between the red-hot elements by ametalconveyor belt, making toast continuously.
Toaster ovensare special small appliances made for toasting bread or heating small amounts of otherfoods.
Bread can be toasted under agrill(or broiler). "Oven toast" can be prepared in an openoven, or laid on an oven rack, usually buttered before toasting.It can also be made by heating bread in a skillet or pan.Bread can also be toasted by holding it near, but not directly over, an open flame or red-hot coals, such as acampfireorfireplacewith atoasting forkor equivalent implement.It is also possible to make toast using anair fryer.
Toast is most commonly eaten withbutterormargarinespread over it, and may be served withpreserves,spreads, or other toppings in addition to or instead of butter.Toast withjamormarmaladeis popular.A few other condiments that can be enjoyed with toast arechocolate spread,cream cheese, andpeanut butter.Yeast extractssuch asMarmitein the UK, New Zealand and South Africa, andVegemitein Australia are considered national traditions. Some sandwiches, such as theBLT,call for toast to be used rather than bread.
Toast is an important component of manybreakfasts. In the United Kingdom, toast is part of a traditional breakfast: it may be incorporated in afull breakfastor eaten withbaked beans. A dish popular there with children iseggs and soldiers. Strips of toast (the soldiers) are dipped into the runny yolk of asoft-boiled eggthrough a hole made in the top of the eggshell, and eaten.
Toast is also used in some traditionalbland specialty dietsfor people withgastrointestinalproblems such asdiarrhea. This is because toasting breaks down the starch in the bread and makes it easier to digest.
In southernSri Lanka, it is common for toast to be paired with a curry soup and mint tea. In Japan, people like to toast thick slices of bread.Toast became a staple dish in Japan after World War II, especially after it was introduced in school lunches throughout the country due to the shortage of rice.Thick slices of toasted bread are also eaten in regions of the US, where they are known asTexas toast. Street vendors in South Korea serve toast with a variety of toppings, usually fried eggs, vegetables and slices of meat, topped with sauces. Korean toast is to be eaten as a sandwich.InSoutheast Asia,coconut jamis a popular spread for toast.Avocado toastis seen as a symbol ofmillennialculture.
By 2013, "artisanal toast" had become a significant food trend in upscale American cities likeSan Francisco, where some commentators decried the increasing number of restaurants and bakeries selling freshly made toast at what was perceived to be an unreasonably high price.
Toasting bread and allowing Maillard browning to occur has been shown in numerous studies to have an impact on the nutritional value of bread. Examples of nutrients that have been shown to change consist of:
The nutritive loss of substances such as lysine results in a substantial reduction of theprotein efficiency ratio(PER) of the bread.
Toasted bread may containbenzo[a]pyreneand high levels ofacrylamide, acarcinogengenerated during thebrowning process.High acrylamide levels can also be found in other heated carbohydrate-rich foods.The darker the surface colour of the toast, the higher its concentration of acrylamide.The BritishFood Standards Agencyrecommended that bread should be toasted to the lightest colour acceptable, later modified to "aim for a golden yellow colour or lighter when frying, baking, toasting or roasting starchy foods".Epidemiologicalstudies available as of 2019suggested that it was unlikely that dietary acrylamide consumption increased the risk of developingcancer.
Another popular idiom associated with the word "toast" is the expression "to toast someone's health", which is typically done by one or more persons at a gathering by raising a glass in salute to the individual. This meaning is derived from the early meaning of "toast", which from the 1400s to the 1600s meant warmed bread that was placed in a drink.By the 1700s, there were references to the drink in which toast was dunked being used in a gesture that indicates respect: "Ay, Madam, it has been your Life's whole Pride of late to be the Common Toast of every Public Table."
The slang idiom "you're toast", "I'm toast", or "we're toast" is used to express a state of being "outcast", "finished", "burned, scorched, wiped out, [or] demolished" (without even the consolation of being remembered, as with the slang term "you're history")."The first known use of "toast" as a metaphorical term for "you're dead" was in the filmGhostbusters(1984), in whichBill Murray's characterPeter Venkmandeclares, "This chick is toast", before the Ghostbusters attempt to burn the villain with their nuclear-powered weapons."Hey, dude. You're toast, man", which appeared inThe St. Petersburg Timesof October 1, 1987, is the "...earliest [printed] citation theOxford English Dictionaryresearch staff has of this usage."Inmarijuanaslang,to be "toasted"is to experiencecannabis intoxication.
Humorous observations have been made about buttered toast. It has been noted that buttered toast has a perceived tendency, when dropped, to land with the buttered side to the floor, the least desirable outcome. Although the concept of "dropped buttered toast" was originally a pessimistic joke, a 2001 study of thebuttered toast phenomenonfound that when dropped from a table, a buttered slice of toast landed butter-side down at least 62% of the time.The phenomenon is widely believed to be attributable to the combination of the size of the toast and the height of the typical dining table, which means that the toast will not rotate far enough to right itself before encountering the floor.Ajokethat plays on this tendency is thebuttered cat paradox; if cats always land on their feet and buttered toast always lands buttered side down, it questions what happens when buttered toast is attached to a cat's back.
A more recent cultural phenomenon is the popularity ofavocado toast, which is toast spread with mashed avocado. It is associated with theMillennial generationin particular as a stereotypical food consumed by that group.
Cheeseandmarshmallowsare also toasted by exposure to radiant heat.Atoasted cheese sandwichmelts the cheese and toasts the bread.Bagels,English muffins,Pop-Tartpastries, andcrumpetscan also be toasted.