The act of slicing a bagel with a serrated knife can be dangerous, and New Yorker Bagels even ranked this task among the top five riskiest things one can do in a kitchen. Luckily, preventing yourself from cutting the palm of your hand is easy with this method, and you don't have to buy a bagel slicer to pull it off.

According to New Yorker Bagels, the best way to halve a bagel is to "Place the bagel flat side down on a flat surface, flatten your palm on top of it, and carefully slice the bagel horizontally." They specify that a serrated bread knife is a must, as it creates a "crosscut saw type effect, gripping and cutting into the bagel."

The Spruce Eats concurs with New Yorker Bagels, but notes that the midway point is where things get a little tricky. They suggest that once you reach the middle of the bagel, lift it so the not-yet-cut side rests on the counter, slide a knife into the cut section, hold the halves together, and slice straight down to finish.