If there’s one thing you never want your food supply to run short on, it’s sliced bread. It’s the base of endless quick meals, lunchtime fixes, and late-night bites. It’s one of those grocery staples you never really know when you’ll need, but you just know you will need it at some point.

And, on the occasion you reach for that ever-dependable bag of sliced bread, there’s nothing more horrifying than realizing mold has gotten to it faster than you have. Now, your beloved white bread—as well as your dreams of a quick PB&J snack—are headed to the trash. 

Mold doesn’t have to be the fate of your favorite white bread; Spoilage is almost entirely dependent upon where you store the loaf. Some people swear by the bread box, others by the kitchen counter, while still others keep it tucked away by the eggs in the fridge. With all these differing opinions, how do you know which way is the best? You ask the experts. 

We reached out to Wonder Bread, one of the brands most synonymous with white bread, to find out the very best way to store sliced bread for as long as possible (and avoid any moldy bread misfortunes ever again). So, if you’ve ever found yourself pausing when it’s time to put away the sliced bread, here’s your storage answer, once and for all.

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