Toastabags grill cheese sandwiches in your toaster with reusable bags
Making a croque madame with a toaster is an apocalyptic affair. However sublime a toaster may be for its primary purpose, things turn foul when you insert two pieces of bread, then feed in some ham, cheddar cheese and crack an egg all over the top. These "Toastabags" (phonemologically Bostonian, apparently) are a novel solution: reusable bags to feed a sandwich into, which trap your sandwich's gooey juices as it toasts. My only question is what kind of toaster can accommodate a whole sandwich: mine chokes on itself on any slab of bread thicker than an inch. Two bags for 12 euros.
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What a, um, nifty? idea... Question is, isn't easier to clean a frying pan than clean a bag? And John, some people have wide slice toasters... not me persay, I don't have a pop up toaster at all- I went for a toaster oven when bulking up my kitchen stuff. Popup toasters are so niche.
Aren't grilled cheese sandwiches better when they're "squished" more? Most of the ones I remember seeing (I'm not a big fan, myself) often end up thinner than a single slice of bread, anyway.
But I bet the bread doesn't taste the same as if it was toasted in the pan. Also, most people I know who like this sort of thing will usually butter the outside of the sandwich (or at least, butter the pan) so that the bread kind of "fries" at the same time it toasts. I wouldn't do that with those bags... unless they're melted butter leak-proof, in which case they'd be perfect for making garlic bread that's been buttered on both sides.
Now, that I could get behind.
"they'd be perfect for making garlic bread that's been buttered on both sides."
You just blew my mind.
Yum.
I have a couple of these. They are sealed at the bottom and teflon coated. Have made ham and cheese and garlic bread in them. To clean, rinse quickly under the tap and chuck in the dishwasher. Not quite as good as pan fried but good after the pub.
Phenomenologically Bostonian? I'm not sure what rhoticity has to do with phenomenology, but I do know that Boston isn't the only place with non-rhotic speakers of English.
Trying to sell me bags!
Cheese will collect in the bottom!
Toaster oven!
George Foreman type grill works better, quicker, and less messy.
Just use an old iron like your forefathers. All the flavor without the pan. This has been a common solution in areas where cooking appliances are prohibited for nearly fifty years.
I had these a few years ago in the UK. It was a pain in the arse. Hooking the hot bag out of the toaster was messy and dangerous.
Works like a charm at my office for leftover pizza. Put a slice of (square cut) pizza in the pouch and put in the toaster. Leaves the pizza crunchy and delicious instead of soggy and chewy like the microwave. And the cheese doesnt collect in the bottom either.
Messy AND dangerous? That's what SHE said!
Heh... OK, I know, lame. But I LOL'd when I said it out loud, so I bet at least one of you will chuckle.
I've been doing this for years with nature's pocket, the pita bread. Sure I've made the kitchen smoky a couple times, but for the most part it works fantastically.
Have similar type product from Pampered Chef. They are great for reheating leftover sandwiches. Never tried making a grilled sandwich fresh with the ones we have.
John, please explain your method for 'cracking an egg' over top of a grill cheese sandwhich, and then cooking it. Fans of bread, egg, and cheese would like to know.
I've been told that things like this are handy for people who have gluten allergies or celiac disease - you're not supposedly to use a toaster that people have put normal bread in, so baggies like this let you share a toaster with gluten eatin' folks.
For North Americans, Kinnikinnick Foods stocks them as well - they have them for $9.88 Cdn for two. They specialize in gluten free products, and the few products I've tried from them have been decent. I've heard good things about their donuts.
My toaster is adjustable for bagels and thick breads. Hell, I could probably squeeze a turkey into the damn thing.
This idea is perfect for expanding the usability of a one trick appliance. Now if we just figure out a way to turn my blender into a jacuzzi...
Craig, The recipe you're looking for is a Croque Madame:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/CROQUE-MADAME-107184
Not to pimp any particular seller, but you can these from a number of online retailers without the Euromarkup.
You can do beans in the too...if your so inclined.
I almost bought these but realized in the nick of time that I don't actually own a toaster.
...
Re: #2 Love the garlic bread notion. But for a grilled cheese I'd much rather go with misted-on EVOO (or VOO, or even just OO) in place of the butter. I forget where I got this tip (may have been Alton Brown) but you get the great bread-browning and crispiness, and haz better flavur, with way fewer calories. IMHO EVOO FTW. QED. IANAL. BBQ.
Also: shred the cheese cuz it melts better, and go nuts with the *fresh-cracked* pepper. And the exotic cheeses (Wensleydale?), and the add-ins, and the...
Great now I'm salivating.
Toasted cheese sandwiches in a pan? You American's are so kooky. That's what a grill is for!
I can see the bags being better than a grill when you don't have a grill or stove, such as when you live in a small apartment. As for cleaning, it might be possible to just turn the bag inside out and sponge it off, and it takes less real estate than a pan.
A few years ago I saw a bit of a show by the UK TV chef Jamie Oliver. It started at his home, where he showed us "his way" of making toasted cheese for breakfast. He turned the toaster on its side, and put the bread in cheese-side up.
Of course, the cheese leaked grease all over the heating elements, it turned in to a smoking mess, and he probably had to toss the toaster. I bet they included that segment in the show, just to show what a "regular guy" he is.
I'm guessing that for the people that have had success with these things, they only really heat the cheese without it melting--unless it has some sort of mystical antigravity effect on melted cheese--which is really kind of missing the point of having a toasted cheese sammich, IMO. Look, there's this thing called a toaster oven, it's great for all sorts of stuff. Trust me.
Oh, great. It's midnight, and now I need a grilled cheese. Damnit.
I have a japanese friend who's been making cheese toasties in his toaster for 20-odd years.
He puts his toaster on it's side.
Meh