What's a bagel and why do they taste so good in New York?

Essentially, the ingredients of a bagel are simple. They contain flour, water, salt, sugar (or honey or malt) and yeast. Out of all these ingredients, it is widely thought by bagel lovers, that the water is the key ingredient to great tasting bagels. New York city tap water or Brooklyn tap water give bagels the famous reputation they deserve. Not only is the water an ingredient, it is also what the bagels are boiled in. They are dropped into this boiling key ingredient for about 1 to 3 minutes. They are then baked for about 30 minutes. They also taste best when they come right out of the oven. The inside of the bagel should be soft and moist and have a slightly salty taste. The outer crust should be crusty but not too hard.

Of course, what you choose to put on a bagel can also make or break the perfect bagel. You might hear bagels being ordered with a schmear. In case you're not from New York, a "schmear" refers to cream cheese. And a popular bagel sandwich is a layer of cream cheese followed by lox, an onion slice and topped with a tomato slice. It is important you keep them in that order or you will have a big mess on your hands.

Another very important bagel issue is how to slice a bagel. Many people make the mistake of holding it in one hand and slicing downward toward the palm. Big mistake. This slices your hand as well as the bagel. Place the bagel on a cutting board and slice while keeping the other hand on top of the bagel. This will make your bagel eating experience much more enjoyable. There are many devices to help you with this task: Halve Your Bagel or Bagel Aide are two safe tools for bagel slicing.

There are many types of bagels, from plain to pineapple. A plain bagel has about 150 calories. The addition of other ingredients such as nuts, chocolate chips, seseme seeds, etc., increases the calorie count. Even when bagels get stale there are edible uses for them. You can make them into bagel chips or bread crumbs. They are a perfect food.