Toaster bags, a way to have your toast and eat it, too

I'm so happy that today is Friday, because that means that I get to write about being gluten free.  And today I have something cool to write about...

My toaster bags arrived!

I wrote about these things last week.  Basically, they are these little bags designed to go into a toaster.  Okay, I know, it's not world peace.  But for those of us who are gluten free, it allows us to use a toaster that has been used to toast gluten containing bread.  Which normally, we can't do, because of the cross-contamination risk.

This may not be a big deal for you at home.  It's not for me either; we have a gluten-free household.  But when you travel...

See where I'm going with this? 

We have often stayed in hotels where there was a kitchenette in the the room, or a dining area where communal breakfast was served.  These places often have toasters.  Before toaster bags, those toasters were strictly for the gluten crowd.  But now, hey, we can use them, too!

These will also be great when staying at a friend's or relative's house.  Now I can tote along gluten-free bread and be able to enjoy it.  Before, I would leave the bread at home in the freezer, because, well, you know what gluten-free bread is like when it's not toasted.

So how do they work?  As you can see from the photo, they are little bags that act as a sleeve, protecting whatever is in them from coming into contact with the interior of the toaster.  They are made out of some sort of heat resistant material that looks like a tightly woven mesh.  They are reusable, and can be washed either by hand or in the dishwasher.

And do they toast?  Um, well, I don't know yet.  (They just got here!) 

It looks like I'll be baking bread over the weekend to test them.  I also want to try toasting a few other things with them.  According to the directions, you can cook bacon, burgers, french fries, and other things in them.  Not that I would be doing that in a hotel toaster, but hey...  And I know that as soon as David reads this, he's going to go all Mythbusters on me and want to try baking a pie or something in them. 

So that's the latest on my new toaster bags.  Stay tuned for an update on how well they work, either here or on my other blog, Li loves David.