Beware of Bagels

Published on Monday, December 7, 2009, by Roxanne Webber / Edit Post

The Wall Street Journal has published an oddly in-depth look at "BRIs," a.k.a. "bagel-related injuries." Yes, it turns out that there are more bagel-related injuries rolling into the ER (1,979 in 2008, says the WSJ story) than many other food-related injuries such as pumpkin (1,195) or cheese (1,236). This has prompted quite a few bagel-slicing gadgets to hit the market, such as the Bagel Guillotine, which sells 80,000 units a year and is considered "history's most successful bagel-control device."

Now, according to the WSJ, there are other bagel-control-device entrepreneurs looking for a slice of the pie bagel. Dennis and Michael Moss, a father-son duo out of Rochester, New York, are the inventors of the Brooklyn Bagel Slicer, "a slender knife fitted inside a molded-plastic guard." The WSJ article makes it sound like people are maiming themselves fairly regularly in the name of bagel slicing. But are these gadgets really necessary?

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  • That's great. Interesting looking device and the guy probably made a good amount of money selling it.

  • lol, space age. It is a handy thing though. At first I thought - "surely people preparing bagels know how to use a knife" - but then there are probably a lot of people selling bagels that have not gone through cooking school. Anything that adds to safety is good. Although really it would not take much to put together a couple of wooden blocks to hold the bagels upright while you cut with a normal...+READ

    lol, space age. It is a handy thing though. At first I thought - "surely people preparing bagels know how to use a knife" - but then there are probably a lot of people selling bagels that have not gone through cooking school. Anything that adds to safety is good. Although really it would not take much to put together a couple of wooden blocks to hold the bagels upright while you cut with a normal bread knife, which is probably what most people do anyway!

    But remember one thing - eating bagels does not help you lose belly fat.-COLLAPSE

  • I agree with Dave, someone needs to step up and invent a new product. With those stats a lot of people would definately purchase it.

    Thanks,
    Belal | Free After Effects Templates

  • I think its a good splicer.

    Construction Consultant.

  • There goes something I would have never thought would be an injury. Next time I'm cutting a bagel I'm definitely going to be a little more careful. I would of thought cutting vegetables or onions would be on top of the list. But with that stat there comes a great idea for someone to invent a great product.

    Thanks guys
    Dave G
    burn fat gain muscle

  • Woow, bagel guillotine? What an awesome idea. When I saw that picture full of fresh bagels I said to myself. Aaargh, I am hungry once again, which is sad because I want to lose some weight folks.

    All the best, Mike Belly
    -----------------------------------
    Mikes journal to lose belly fat.

  • Wheee! The New York expatriates who have their bagels air-freghted because you can't get good ones west of the Hudson are actually getting an inferior product?

    Back on topic, most of those bagel injuries would disappear if some basic knife skills were to be learned. Doesn't look as if the one pictured is giving a very even cut.

  • Sommelier is so right. It's very hard to get a decent bagel in Manhattan. Perhaps the outer boroughs or Long Island have better bagels. As was mentioned, they are waaaay too big (I say puffy), and steamed(instead of boiled) and no malt. I call them rolls with holes in the center.

  • St. Voiture? St. Car?

  • I went to the source, St. Voiture in Montreal. Like yukkily sweetened cellulose. Good as bait for carp. I was so happy that I had bought a carton of grapefruit juice, and I washed down the taste. My opinion of Mtl. bagels is more sophisticated than brokentelephones'- I think that they are sheissdreck. But I am big enough to have pity on those who like them.

  • Buy your bagels at The Nosh of Beverly Hills and have them slice the bagels for you. They have an amazing bagel and an even more impressive slicer.

  • Hey, I'm a New Yorker, I've lived in Brooklyn for the past 13 years, and most New York bagels are crap. Way too big, often steamed instead of boiled, made without malt. In other words, as Vorpal said: "bread in the shape of a donut".

  • no insults, please. You don't like them. Fine. They are *not* crap.

  • Montreal bagels are crap! Bam!

  • This doesn't look like it would work very well for Montreal style bagels, which are much thinner than those abomination bagels featured in the video (i.e. bread in the shape of a donut).