The Genius (But Odd) Way Ina Garten Cuts Her Bagels

Whether you love your breakfast sandwich loaded with candied bacon, old-school New York-style lox and cream cheese, or you keep it simple with egg and cheese, it's hard to beat a fresh bagel as your morning sandwich canvas. Food Network icon, chef, and cookbook author Ina Garten recently shared a surprising tip on how she elevates the taste of her bagel-based breakfast sandwiches, and it has nothing to do with how she chooses to fill them. To really highlight the fillings of bagel sandwiches, Garten cuts her bagels into thirds instead of cutting them in half.

Garten simply says, "I think it tastes better," in the TikTok video where she shares her bagel slicing tip, and what she's saying makes sense. When you're cutting down on the amount of bread in your bagel sandwich, you're getting the chance to taste more of the cream cheese, sausage, or whatever else you decide you're going to stuff inside your breakfast sandwich. While you could certainly create a club sandwich-style bagel with this method, you don't have to. In the video, Garten slices two bagels this way, allowing her to make a total of six sandwiches.

Now that you've got Ina Garten's bagel slicing method down, it's time to create breakfast sandwiches that would hold their own in the Barefoot Contessa's Hamptons kitchen. Garten has shared her love for smoked salmon (if you don't have time to head out on the open sea, catch your own salmon, and toss it into your smokehouse, store-bought is fine), and it's tough to beat a smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich on a fresh bagel. Be sure to bring your cream cheese to room temperature before slathering it on your thinly sliced bagels. Garten has also been known to add guacamole to her salmon sandwiches — give this a try if you're not in the mood for cream cheese (or throw a little bit of each spread on your sandwich if you're looking for serious decadence).

If you'd prefer a sweeter sandwich filling on your bagel, give Garten's upscale peanut butter and jelly a try. Garten Hampton-ifies this classic treat by using Eli Zabar's raspberry jam (be warned: it's an investment). You can also use your bagel thirds to create a great brunch BLT. If you want to add a touch of Garten's fabulousness, add a few ounces of lobster atop your pile of crispy bacon. Mix a bit of bacon fat with a few tablespoons of mayo, slather it on one (or both) sides of your bagel, and enjoy the saltiness of bacon alongside the savory sweetness of lobster — each made all the more flavorsome with the thinly sliced bagel.