How Is Panko Different from Breadcrumbs?

Published on Thursday, July 17, 2008, by Michele Foley / Edit Post

Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb traditionally used as a coating for deep-fried foods such as tonkatsu. The biggest difference between panko and standard breadcrumbs is that panko is made from bread without crusts, says Pam Becker, media representative for Progresso, which makes both types.

Panko’s crustless bread is coarsely ground into airy, large flakes that give fried foods a light, crunchy coating. The flakes tend to stay crispier longer than standard breadcrumbs because they don’t absorb as much grease.

Although predominantly used in Asian cuisine, panko has been gaining popularity in Western dishes, for example as an excellent topping for Eggplant Parmesan and as a binding agent for crab cakes or Veggie Burgers.

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  • I Love MSG

  • @ KaimukiMan:
    That was a PROCESS that that manufacture used to make panko. There are dozens of ways to make it, but the end product is what everyone wants to be the same.

  • I use Panko in my mac & cheese. Fantastic!

  • I recently used Panko breadcrumbs (Kikkoman brand) to coat Scotch eggs and they worked out very well. I didn't deep-fry them, even though (or perhaps because?) I'm Scottish, but baked them for half and hour at 400F. Just checked the ingredients and am glad to see no MSG!

  • funny, that is a very different explination than that shown on an old episode of Ming Sai's cooking show, which showed a spinning disc that the panko "batter" was sprayed against.

  • Interesting. As someone who has a health condition that is triggered in a possibly extremely dangerous way by MSG, I can say that I've never seen it listed on the ingredients for panko. I'll certainly have to keep my eyes open even more diligently now, though.

  • I looked at my package of Panko purchased at Sunrise Mart, and I noticed one of the ingredients was MSG.