Consumers looking to enjoy a traditional toasted treat this weekend could be in danger if they don’t follow these essential preparation instructions
It’s one of the culinary joys of Easter time – a toasted hot cross bun on Sunday morning. But consumers are being warned that their favourite baked goods could cause a danger in the kitchen if they’re not prepared properly.
We love a hot cross bun in Britain with over 20 million packs flying off the shelves each year. But Brits have been warned that some brands could cause a fire hazard if they are heated in the wrong way. Marks & Spencer recently issued a warning to customers not to toast its ‘Extremely Cheesy’, ‘Extremely Chocolatey’ and ‘Salted Caramel’ hot cross buns in the toaster, as they pose a potential fire risk. Instead, the advice is to heat them under the grill.
A caution on the packaging reads: “This product is not suitable for toasting in a domestic toaster”, which might baffle some customers keen to enjoy the traditional fruity snack. It’s not just M&S’s fancy flavours that aren’t suitable to heat in a toaster, either. Advice from different brands varies on whether to grill or toast your buns. Some are safe either way, while others only recommend heating under a conventional grill – or explicitly warn against toasting.
The high content of added ingredients in certain luxury brands in particular mean they could catch alight more easily. Extra ingredients such as dried fruits, nuts, chocolate chips and savoury additions can easily drop off the buns when sliced and added to the toaster, leaving them to burn in the base of the unit or to stick to the heated elements and catch alight.
Slightly bigger buns could also cause a problem as the sliced halves are thicker than bread and may be a tight fit in the toasting slots, leaving them too close to the elements and more likely to burn. And less traditional flavour combinations that have become popular on the shelves in recent years, such as apple, cheese and glazed can cause buns to have a higher sugar or fat content which can also burn at a lower temperature. So, if you don’t want to end up hot and cross like your buns this Easter, be sure to check the packaging for instructions and watch them carefully while heating so you can enjoy a stress-free treat.
