Avoid The Dreaded BRI Bagel Related Injury

Who doesn’t love a bagel? It should be a food group right? I admit I have been known to eat a bagel as a meal.

Cream cheese? Yes, please! Keep it coming.

Butter? Yes, please! Real butter please.

However, I was unaware that bagels have a hidden danger. Hidden? Where? In the bagel?

No…. slicing a bagel has turned into one of the top reasons people visit emergency rooms, particularly on the weekends. Hence the categorization, BRI = Bagel Related Injury,  by emergency room doctors and the  United States Consumer Protection Safety Commission. (Well, isn’t everything tracked? The BRI is as well.)

Avoiding The BRI

We’ve all had a few close calls wrangling the bagel. Which knife works, which doesn’t and where the heck is the one knife that works? Bagel slicing experts definitely recommend never-ever-hold the bagel in your hand and then try to slice the bagel from the top down while holding the bagel.

Sounds like common sense, but how often we can forget or are in a hurry. The next problem is trying to hold the bagel steady on a cutting board when attempting the slice the bagel and the bagel wiggles, and the knife slides and it you end up with two very uneven slices or bagel shreds.

Bagel Slicers Offer Solutions

I highly recommend the bagel slicer. It has changed my bagel routine forever and for the better. A self contained guillotine which protects your hands and your bagel and if successful, produces an evenly sliced bagel.

There are many on the market and I’ve definitely tried a few. One of my favorites was the bagelpod, but I have found each one I’ve tried delivers as promised. Storage requirements, color, style tend to generate a preference when choosing a bagel slicer or if you prefer your own knife, try the bagel holder.

I highly recommend a bagel slicer and it is a ‘go to’ tool in my kitchen.

 History Of The BRI

As I mentioned earlier, the  United States Consumer Protection Safety Commission has a National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database  which categorizes  visits to  emergency rooms.  A quick review of the database provides a little insight into the appliances which cause trouble! The BRI falls under the category of laceration visits to the emergency room.

The NEISS stats do reveal a continuing injury trend … the treadmill. It continues to generate high injury statistics for the last three years.