One of the most common shopping lists in America is “bread, milk and eggs.” So odds are at any given point, you’ll have bread in your house! There are so many different kinds of bread, from sourdough to whole wheat, fry to pita. Each bread has different ideal uses, different slicing methods and different storage needs.

Some people keep bread in the refrigerator to preserve freshness for longer. But this approach can be problematic if you ever want to bread to be at room temperature—not toasted, but not cold from the fridge either. A good intermediate solution is a bread box. These handy kitchen products come in many sizes to suit your needs, and they work by reducing airflow over the bread to keep it fresh longer.

Another kitchen product that saves you time and wasted bread is a bread slicer. Great for those tough baguettes, bread slicers guarantee you evenly sliced bread. Buying sliced bread is sometimes an option, but bread can also remain a bit fresher if it’s sliced right before you plan to eat or cook with it.

You can also try baking your own bread. Use a bread maker for best results, especially if you lack a sense of culinary adventure!

-Emma