What Pushes My Buttons

Melted Cheese

Ok, so as many of you know I used to work in a bagel shop in college, on the "graveyard shift" - which in college was the 9pm-5am Friday and Saturday night shift. Although it wasn't as much of a graveyard as it was the drunken food fest shift. I whipped up hundreds of egg & cheese sandwiches every night, along with other oddball drunken requests, like roast beef, egg and cheese and pickles, jelly, egg & cheese (don't ask about that one).

Anyway the staple quick breakfast at any deli is the simple egg & cheese on a roll or bagel. You can add sausage, bacon or even turkey, and put the whole thing on a wrap. Either way that sandwich is pretty standard.

Anyway you'd be surprised by how many screw this up. I know most places crank out their egg & cheeses as fast as possible. But more and more delis have been slapping the cheese on the cold roll and then putting the warm eggs on it afterwards in an attempt to melt the cheese. It's one thing if the roll/bagel is toasted so it gives the cheese something to melt into. But the eggs aren't hot enough to melt the cheese so the result is cheese that sticks to the roof of your mouth. Some people like that, but i prefer to have my cheese down my throat instead of saving it for later.

So if you're a deli owner or short order cook reading this...and someone asks for an egg and cheese on a roll/wrap that hasn't been toasted, please melt the cheese on the eggs on the heating element. It takes two seconds more, but the result is a lot better. Trust me. Just ask the hundreds of hungry fraternity, sorority and college drunks I used to cook for at 3am.

Melted cheese = yummy goodness.

Sticky cheese = annoying toothpicks in the gums. Try stabbing yourself in the gums with a toothpick someday...not so pleasant is it???



I leave you with a picture of a shirt I bought at Lee and Ricks Oyster Bar in Orlando. Despite what the shirt may appear to mean...it's actually plugging the oyster bar, which is a great, out of the way, non tourist spot for delicious oysters and shrimp. Considering its in the middle of nowhere they must spend a pretty penny to bring the oyster shipments inland but awesome spot if you're ever down in Orlando. But beware, it's about a 30 minute drive outside downtown Orlando. So be prepared to pay $35 in taxi fees, plus keep a cab number nearby. The only thing close, besides nothing in particular, is a gas station. And bring your worst clothing because the beer flows and shells go flying everywhere!