I grew up in a family that preferred toasted cheese sandwiches over grilled cheese ones. I credit this melted cheese and toast phenomenon to the fact that my mother was always looking for ways to make meals healthier. Butter was typically the first casualty under her command. However, not knowing that there was a world of buttery, grilled cheese sandwiches out there, my sister and I were perfectly content with the toasted version that our parents provided. These sandwiches were made easier by the fact that we were toaster oven people, making it easy to get an initial toast on the bread before adding a layer of cheese for melting.
There's a new product on the market that could revolutionize the toasted cheese sandwich and make it accessible for everyone, even those who own pop-up toasters. It's called the Toastabag and it is intended to be used for toasting entire sandwiches. I do see some problems with it, though. The most notably the fact that once cheese is melted, it runs to the lowest point. I imagine that if you toasted your sandwich in this gizmo long enough to sufficiently melt the cheese, you'd end up with a puddle of melted cheddar on the bottom of the bag and two greasy pieces of cheese-scented bread. Secondly, you'd never really be able to get a good toast on the bread, as it wouldn't be exposed directly to the heating element. Lastly, unless you've got a wide-slot toaster, wouldn't you be hard-pressed to actually get a full-on sandwich into the toaster slot?
Despite my concerns, I do have to give the Toastabag folks credit for clever thinking. What about the rest of you? Do think this is genius or insanity? Does anyone out there have a Toastabag of their very own?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-15-2008 @ 5:10PM
Daniel said...
As long as you have a bagel-ready toaster, it would be no problem at all to get a sandwich in the slot.
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8-15-2008 @ 10:53PM
Greg said...
Don't have one, but I want one. I imagine if your toaster is wide enough to fit the toastabag, you could just stick two slices of bread in together to get the outside crispy brown before assembling your sandwich in the toastabag for the final melt.
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8-15-2008 @ 11:54PM
bunny said...
I make cheese toasties in a cast iron pan that has been handed down for 4 generations!!! Yes, it can be a BIG mess and take lots of time to "properly" clean the pan. I do it and figure that the clean-up is part of the deal......
I can't imagine this machine in my kitchen. I think my husband would make the sandwiches without the bag and ruin it on the first try with all the melted cheese that would oooooooooooze out into the bottom!!!!!!!
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8-16-2008 @ 1:06AM
Ed T said...
I had a college roommate who tried making garlic bread in my pop-up toaster. The puddle of melted oleo at the bottom of the device and the scent of burnt garlic should have given him a hint, but I actually had to tell the guy to knock it off. This "burn-in" bag is testament to the fact that some people will try darned near anything.
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8-16-2008 @ 2:17AM
Taina said...
I have one of these. Surprisingly, the cheese does not sink to the bottom (well, my supermarket cheddar doesn't), and the bread gets quite crisp.
The main problem I have is getting my toastie out of the bag without burning my fingers!
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8-16-2008 @ 12:03PM
Linds said...
Toastabags have been around for many years here in the UK. I've never used one myself but my Gran had them in her kitchen and they seem to work fine.
Having spent the last 3 years of my life as a student, I have also spent a lot of time making toasties. Electric toastie makers (like waffle irons for sandwiches) are usually the gizmo of choice even though the cheese always leaks out of the sides and back. I reckon Toastabags would prevent a lot of mess. As for the cheese running down to the bottom of the bag? I think the toaster should hold the slices of bread quite tightly together to prevent this.
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8-18-2008 @ 10:35AM
Ian said...
I thought I was the only one who didn't know the difference between grilled cheese and toasted cheese. I grew up only thinking you put the sandwich in the toaster oven. I didn't really care for it because it was always a little dry. I was 17 before I found out you could make it in a frying pan with butter. I was addicted and I kept saying to my mom "Why didn't you tell me people made it this way?"
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8-18-2008 @ 10:37AM
Marisa McClellan said...
Ian, I had a very similar reaction when I learned about grilled cheese as well. However, these days, I find myself returning to the toasted cheese sandwich over the grilled cheese, because it tastes more "right" to me.
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