Bread Crumbs are just that - crumbled bread which, when added to even the healthiest of foods, makes them a bit more sinful! Bread crumbs are also used as a filler in things like meatloaf, as a coating for fried food like pork chops, eggplant Parmesan or chicken cutlets, or as a topping to a baked casserole.

Crumb toppings or coatings can actually be made from a variety of foods. Does anyone remember (from their childhood days) tuna-noodle casserole with crunched up cornflakes on the top? Then, of course, along came “Shake and Bake” and the pork chop never looked or tasted better!

Ritz crackers also make a great topping for vegetable casseroles! (See what I mean about turning healthy into sinful?)

If you’re reading a recipe, watch out for whether it calls for “dry” or “fresh” breadcrumbs; the two are not interchangeable! You can buy dry bread crumbs at the grocery store but you have to make your own fresh bread crumbs.

I always have a box of dry breadcrumbs in the cupboard. I particularly like the seasoned variety.

I never bother to make my own dry bread crumbs. (That falls into the category of “life’s too short”.)

On the other hand, fresh bread crumbs are a snap to make! You can use any bread you have in the house.

There are basically three ways to make bread crumbs; with a knife, a food processor, or a blender. As you would expect, the food processor and the blender make really fine, uniform crumbs that are just perfect. But if you don’t own either of these pieces of equipment, a knife will work just fine.

Fresh bread crumbs made from slices of white bread need the crusts trimmed off first. (By the way, Pepperidge Farms bread makes really tasty fresh bread crumbs.)

Then with a bread knife, cut the bread up into crumbs. If the bread is really soft just let it sit on the counter to dry out for a bit, and it should then be easy to cut into crumbs. Try to cut the bread as fine as possible.

Approximately 4 slices of bread will make one cup of crumbs.

Onion rolls make great, already seasoned, fresh bread crumbs! One big roll will make about 2 cups of fresh crumbs. A food processor makes perfect fresh bread crumbs in about 30 seconds.

You can also use a blender to make fresh breadcrumbs. While the motor is running add small chunks of the bread through the hole in the cover of the blender. Don’t over-fill the blender!

“Panko” bread crumbs are a Japanese version of dry bread crumbs that were once only available in Asian markets but you can now get them at the grocery store.

These (trendy) dry bread crumbs are very light and SUPER crunchy. The Whole Foods grocery store in my neighborhood sells spinach flavored ones as well.

You can flavor your own dry or fresh unseasoned bread crumbs with different spices and herbs as well as cheese. The recipe below is one of my favorites that I have used for a topping over baked fish. (But that’s another day!) Cheers!

Seasoned panko bread crumbs:
Makes 1 1/3 cups

• 1 cup plain panko crumbs
• 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons of minced garlic
• 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 Tablespoons fresh basil

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