Norpro Bread Slicer with Crumb Catcher Brown .5in/1.25cm Import To Shop ×Product customization General Description Gallery

Good, but a bit flimsyIf you like to bake your own bread and/or buy freshly baked bread (as opposed to the processed stuff), this is good to help you get even slices. The one drawback, however, is that the plastic part is a bit flimsy and can break unless you use it very gingerly. That is what knocks it down a couple of stars for me. But, as far as the evenness of the slices, it is great, and the crumb catcher is very handy making it easy to dump the crumbs out.

perfect little kitchen aidIt’s amazing that a simple, practical little product like this could generate such controversy! I almost didn’t buy it because of all the negative reviews, but was convinced by the balance of the good reviews, and I’m very happy that I did. I’ve only recently started baking bread after about 25 years. Used to roll and knead and let rise, etc., because my dearly departed grandmother (Bessie May) made white bread so good, it melted in your mouth, and I wanted that memory, and her recipe, to live forever. Eventually I stopped, because I was never going to keep it up too long for all the work it took. A week ago, though, I ordered a $60 Sunbeam bread machine from Amazon (I’m on a budget), found the Bushman honey wheat recipe from Outback on the Internet, and I’ve been living in heaven ever since. Something this delicious, this healthy, with so little effort or expense is just too good to be true. And to top it all off — I now have a nifty little bread slicer that makes the job that much easier!First, let me address some of the more common criticisms on this site: This tool is exactly as described: acrylic screwed into pine. You cannot manhandle, bang it around or otherwise mistreat it, or it will probably break. Second, the slice size is not adjustable, but you do get, in a matter of maybe 60 seconds, an entire loaf neatly divided into slices neither too thick nor too thin, ready to eat, freeze, or plan lunches a week ahead. As far as the platform being too wide, I presently have only a 9-inch serrated knife — that is to say, not long — and the board still accommodates it quite easily — though, again, I’m careful about what I’m doing. I intend to order a longer bread knife just because I want one, not because I have to have one with this slicer.Finally: extremely easy to assemble, cute (love the “Our Daily Bread” touch), handy, stress- and worry- and work-saving — inexpensive. Amazon has come through again, pretty much as always. Thanks Amazon, and Norpro, for such a convenient and serviceable little product for the average time-pressed, budget-conscious American housekeeper.*****One day after writing the above review, I really feel I should follow up with my experience with my second loaf of bread. My first use of the slicer was so easy, I was totally mystified at the 50 percent of reviews that were negative, but my second loaf was quite an effort to get through. It was not hot, but it was moist — freshly baked and placed in a ziplock bag for a little while. I had exactly the same experience as the negative reviewers — I had to struggle to get the knife through the bread without banging the point of my knife against the somewhat fragile acrylic. So this pretty much bears out the caveats in other (positive) reviews: make sure the bread is cool (and I would add, dry), and make sure you have a knife at least 10 inches long. These precautions should result in a really great experience with this slicer.

Handy, useful, & no frillsI normally don’t purchase items with only a 3-star average rating, but I’m glad I purchased this bread slicer guide. Before I purchased this, I used a cutting board to cut my bread on. Crumbs ended up everywhere! I would have to clean up the widely scattered crumbs before chowing down on my delicious bread 🙁 With this the crumbs are kept in check & easy to dispose of. I rated it 4-stars for 2 reasons.1) The sides need to be about an inch taller to accomodate the height of a loaf of bread better (I make 2 lb. loaves.) Some have commented that the slicer guide is too wide. I too originally thought that it was too wide until I thought of turning the loaf on its side to cut. My 2 lb. loaves fit this way, & the side guides are just about right in height…just about, they still need to be a little taller.2) I also agree with other reviewers that the guide slots could be just a hair wider as well. I use an electric bread knife so length of my knif is not important as with other reviews. My problem here is that there is a little knob where my bread blades connect to each other. The guide slots are not wide enough to allow that little knob to go through. I must take care with the placement of the knife when I start to cut & its removal after cutting so that I do not hit the guides with the knob. This is minor for me.As other reviewers have stated, the wood is easily dug into with your bread knife. Personally, I would rather have the wood gouges rather than a harder material that might damage my knife as it would be cheaper to replace the slicer guide rather than my electric knife. This item is adequately sturdy for its intended purpose. I would not consider it to be “heavy-duty”, so do not be “heavy handed” with this thing, to include assembling it. I can see where it would be easy to strip out the holes for the screws & you can conceivably crack the clear plastic sides. Tighten the screws sufficiently tight to hold the sides on, but not as tight as you possibly can. Use common sense, an electric knife, & a gentle touch; it will work just fine.

Isn’t There Anything Better??I titled this review such because there HAS to be something better out there! Are we not living in the 21st Century? I read numerous reviews on the seemingly few bread slicers out there because I wanted a quality product at a good price that was easy to use and would help me slice my precious bread machine loaves consistently. What I ended up getting (and what you will get if you order it): A box containing a wooden board with crumb catcher and three plastic pieces with some screws for you to assemble the product. The wooden part of the product is great and the crumb catcher is great but the plastic pieces that screw on are a bit flimsy and do not stay on tight so when you cut the bread (like other reviewers mentioned, get a *long* bread knife) it wobbles a bit and does not always make it easy to get even slices. The plastic end piece on mine says “Our Daily Bread” which is a bit cheesy. The end piece will not stay put either because the sides are a bit wobbly. I disagree with some of the reviewers who think the board itself is too wide. It is a little wider than a bread machine loaf but I think that is a good thing as you wouldn’t want a slightly misshapen loaf to not fit inside the slicer at all or worse, risk putting your fingers through a loaf by trying to cram it between the slicer guides.Still trying to make an informed decision? It *may* help you slice a bit more evenly, but maybe not. I find that sometimes I get a more even slice if I manage to hold the plastic sides just right. Will it save you time? Maybe. It all depends on if the plastic sides will stay on tight.Bottom line: either have your kid design and make you one in wood shop class (or make one yourself) or just buy a cutting board with a crumb catcher and wing it on the slicing. The third option is to buy this product and put up with it (I guess that’s where I’m at since I like the crumb catcher and my patience hasn’t ebbed quite enough).My question is: Why hasn’t someone invented a counter top electric slicer that is more or less a scaled down version of the industrial sized slicers you sometimes see at bakeries or in stores overseas? Maybe someone is afraid they will be sued if their child drops their hamster into it (or worse)? We do have Cuisinarts with rotating metal blades… Please, someone hear us frustrated bread makers!!

The Perfect Accessory for Bread Machines!I really wish I had bought this sooner! I’ll be using my bread machine much more frequently now that I can cut neat, uniform slices that will actually fit in my toaster.I chose this model because I know that Norpro makes good quality kitchen gadgetry, and because I knew that a non-foldable model would be much more sturdy. That is absolutely the case. I have read in other reviews for multiple bread cutting guides, and people who bought collapsible models tend to complain that they are not sturdy, while the people who bought models like this one complain that they cannot fold compactly for storage. You cannot have both, so choose according to your primary needs and you will not be disappointed.The guide was quick and easy to assemble, but you do need a Philips head screwdriver to get the job done. The model I received DOES say “Our Daily Bread” on the end. I wish that the end plate was plain rather than worded, but it’s a minor cosmetic issue that really doesn’t matter.I cut my loaves by laying them sideways, with the bottom of the loaf facing me, and sliced starting at the end plate and working out using a manual bread knife. Do not bother trying to use the guide with a knife that is not a bread knife. I saw that some purchasers recommended an electric bread knife, but I don’t think it’s necessary. My manual Cutco bread knife works just fine.After having to clean huge piles of crumbs off of my counter when cutting loaves (crookedly) on my cutting board, it is extremely nice and convenient to be able to just dump the crumbs out of the catcher and into the trash. That wasn’t a feature I was particularly interested in when I bought the cutting guide, but it is a wonderful thing!I give this 5 stars because it is extremely well-priced, well-made, easy to assemble, and performs as advertised. Definitely worth buying if you are a bread machine user who is sick of wonky slices and crumb mess all over your countertops =)