So. The Consumer Report has decided to play with fire. It has sent "trained tasters" to review and rate various brands of New York bagels - from fresh to frozen.

And in the decision that will surely live in infamy, they have declared bagels from Dunkin' Donuts, Lender's original (frozen!), and Costco as the best:

Our trained tasters tried eight plain bagels and four with “everything”: onion, garlic, sesame seed, poppy seed, and other toppings. They also tried Thomas’ Bagel Thins, which cut calories and let you eat a bagel sandwich without unhinging your jaw. Per bagel, prices ranged from 31 cents to $1.44 (for a gluten-free bagel). [...]

Bottom line. Dunkin’ Donuts, Lender’s Original, and Costco are the best choices, but be careful which Lender’s you choose: Its refrigerated Bagel Shop version was just so-so. Thomas’ Bagel Thins are a decent option if you’re watching your weight, though they taste more like rolls than bagels.

Needless to say, New Yorkers howled in disagreement. Kevin Fasick and Bill Sanderson of the New York Post wrote:

It’s a schmear job.

Everyone knows the best bagels come fresh from their local bagel shop — except the “experts” at Consumer Reports magazine, who actually prefer the frozen kind.

In a study that must be aimed at out-of-towners who don’t know their lox from their gefilte fish, Consumer Reports rated as “very good” the rock-hard Lender’s bagels sold from supermarket freezers.

“Tastes freshly baked,” the venerable consumer mag’s tasting panel gushed of Lender’s Original frozen bagels.

You’d think a magazine based in Yonkers — just a hop, skip and jump from the world’s greatest bagels — would know better.

What do you think? Which bagels deserve top billing?