It’s a bit like cremating mini traffic cones. Photograph: Graeme Robertson for the Guardian
Contents
What?
Lekue silicone bagel moulds are conical moulds with perforated bases. They hold dough in ring shape through rising, boiling and baking.
Why?
Who could passover homemade bagels? (Note to self – bagels contain yeast, so are not eaten at Passover. Idiot.)
Well?
The stakes feel high as I stare at the rubbery buoys in front of me. For a start, they are silicone and conical, whereas I’m comical and cynical, so we’ll either get on famously or one of us will have to go. There’s also the fact that I adore Jewish food. Nothing brings on my reluctance to share like a stack of gefilte fish balls. One heady summer, my friend Mad and I made serious plans for a popup restaurant called something like Mind Over Matzo, or Make You Wanna Challa. Sadly, as neither of us were Jewish, the whole thing was itching for a lawsuit and plans were shelved. But for me, the flame still flickers. If this gadget promises the keys to good-looking homemade bagels, it had better deliver or there will be hell to pay.
I can’t actually see a product name on the box, only the words “Bagels x6”, which is more of a light shopping list. Bagels feel intuitively complicated, but the method is joyously simple. I poke the silicone prongs through rolled-out dough balls, leaving them to rise. I drop the lightweight moulds with their doughy cargo in boiling water, where they bob around in a disturbing way (I think it’s because the cones resemble wide-brimmed pointy hats, and for a moment I feel like a 17th-century witchfinder general).
Finally, I chuck them in the oven. It’s a bit like cremating mini traffic cones, therapeutic for anyone who has failed a scooter test. After a quarter of an hour, I pull out my brown, chewy pillows. They are a revelation. The rings are perfect, the texture even. They taste unbelievable when fresh. I don’t want to get schmaltzy, but faith has been rewarded. I might even call Mad, get the band back together with a new name. Chicken soup may suit the soul, but bagels have my heart. Holy snack heaven!
Any downside?
Everyone’s hole preference varies. If you prefer a blooming, closed bagel, look, the kit is unnecessary. But if you don’t like it, then you should put a ring in it.
Counter, drawer, back of the cupboard?
Israeli worth your time (sorry). 4/5
Since you’re here …
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[“Source-theguardian”]
