Anthony Bourdain Revealed This Truth About Restaurant Bread
Admit it, you look forward to that warm loaf of restaurant bread served with an herb and oil blend, and the waiter can't bring it to your table quickly enough. Even if your favorite restaurant isn't famous for its bread, the loaf's soft, fresh-baked status is enough to keep you asking for refill after basket refill.
Many restaurants are known to hand out a complimentary appetizer before serving diners their main course. Chips and salsa, bread loaves, and hot rolls accompanying bowls of spicy marinara are common. These bites satisfy hunger until the main meal is served. But no only does noshing on extras increase your calorie intake, white bread may also raise your blood sugar levels, according to Harvard. So, while it may be tempting to reach for that carb-filled loaf, you may want to refrain from doing so.
If health reasons aren't enough to dissuade you from passing that bread basket the next time you're at an eatery, there's something the late Anthony Bourdain also thought you should know.
To pass or not to pass the bread
Bourdain shared a secret with Oprah that is very revealing. He claimed the first rule of cooking is "use everything." The celebrity chef said that restaurants often reuse the bread that is left over on customers' tables. The loaf you don't eat may be recycled and reused for another restaurant patron. Better yet, the bread basket on your table may be leftover from the previous restaurant customer.
According to a Reddit member, uneaten restaurant bread is placed back under the warmer for the next customer if it is uneaten. This is a controversial argument, as another restaurant employee on Reddit commented that doing this is a health code violation. Culinary Lore claims that if a restaurant recycles bread, this isn't the only shortcut they're practicing. They claim that if an eatery has a dirty restroom, the kitchen is also just as dirty. The outlet recommends using good judgment when it comes to eating at restaurants, and especially when eating the bread.