That point from lisar14 about creating future problems is spot on. It's not just about fixing your own work, it's about the bad habits you might be teaching the next guy. Those small mistakes get passed down like bad wiring.

Honestly, my old serrated knife was doing the same thing (so frustrating, right?). I switched to a really long bread knife with a thinner blade, and it made a huge difference. Letting the loaf cool completely, like for a full three hours, was the other key part. The crumb just firms up and doesn't tear as easily. A gentle sawing motion with almost no downward pressure gets me those perfect slices now.

Ugh, that's rough. I got deep into a rabbit hole about the flag waving thing once. The book never mentions they twisted the pole to make it look like that, and there's no air to slow the movement down. Felt kinda silly after I read the real explanation.