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The Toast-N-Serve Magic Bag

Jason Perlow

By Jason Perlow
in Kitchen Consumer

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Jason Perlow

Jason Perlow

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Do you think it would be good for reheating pizza? :blink:

Yes, in the documentation that comes with it they suggest inserting pizza slices into the bags. I intend to try it shortly.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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Jason Perlow

Jason Perlow

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Are the magic bags only available from the Toast-N-Serve website? I checked the site and couldn't find links to buying them elsewhere.

Yes I think they are the exclusive seller of the bags. However, they are soliciting distributors.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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Jason Perlow

Jason Perlow

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I'm wondering if you can make cuban sandwiches and other kinds of panini in them.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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Rachel Perlow

Rachel Perlow

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My perspective:

I think you need to go a bit into WHY it's better. Does the bread taste different? Are the ingredients more evenly cooked? Is it simply neater?

Also: Cool $7 toaster. I think eGullet should have a topic about the best cheap toasters. I mean why the hell should a toaster cost $60? All it does is heat bread.

No, the bread doesn't taste different (but it was better than expected. I thought it was going to taste like a toasted cheese sandwich, but it did taste like grilled cheese). Although it is a little less squashed then when I usually make grilled cheese. The cheese was uniformly ooey-gooey, and I didn't have to pay attention as to when to flip it when perfectly browned. I suppose it is a little neater, but not much more than cleaning a pan & skillet.

"Also": exactly. I didn't want to risk cheese oozing out of the bag if lain flat in the toaster oven, Jason found the cheap toaster & bought it. Works pretty well for a cheap toaster.

Doesn't the cheese slide down to the bottom of the bag when you are making a "toaster" cheese sammich?Just a little.

Do you press the two sides of bread together to stop the cheese from spreading?No.

Do you have to use the $7 Target Toaster with this baggie thing?

No, you may use any pop-up style toaster, although the manufacturer does recommend the wider slot kind that accepts bagels.

Great pictures... like the bathrobe.Thank you. Got it on sale at Nordstrom's last year. It's reversable: satin on one side, terry on the other. Comfy.

So how does it clean up? Did you have to turn it inside out?The PB sandwich left less residue in the bag and cleaned up very easily. There was some cheese seepage in the other bag, and required a little more effort to clean up, but not much.

And how is PB, banana and bacon anyways?I prefer the grilled cheese, but it was good.

But once you head down the bacon road you are already commited to a greasy pan, aren't you? Or do you use leftover bacon from breakfast?

When we get bacon, I cook the entire package at once on sheet pans in the oven. Leftover bacon gets rolled up in paper towels and stored in a plastic bag in the fridge. Used sparingly to flavor salads, omelets, and to accent sandwiches, it lasts for a couple weeks that way.

The question everyone wants answered:

Is it truly the most revolutionary new product this century?

No, but it's fun and not inconvenient. :raz:

The real question here is:

Are these things worth buying a toaster so you can use them?

Only if you love grilled cheese, but just can't stand the (oh the headaches) mess and inconvenience of using a pan and spatula and possibly burning the bread (such stress!). [i'm trying to make fun of infomercials here.]

I suppose it was worth the $7 toaster. :raz:

[still, being that you can buy a $7 toaster at Target its no big deal if you can't.

Ah, but I would have to get rid of the Cuisinart to make room for it in my tiny kitchen!

Store the cheapy toaster in a closet when not in use.

Do you think it would be good for reheating pizza? :blink:

Jason is checking on that right now.

Are the magic bags only available from the Toast-N-Serve website? I checked the site and couldn't find links to buying them elsewhere.

Primarily, but you can also call an 800 number. I just spoke with the vendor on the phone, here's the price: 2 for $14.95 on the internet, but if you call from the "as seen on TV" way to order or for customer service (1-800-241-7708) you get a 3rd bag free. I suggested to him that they should be sold in groups of 4, since you could have two sandwiches toasting while prepping the next two.

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Bux

Bux

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I'm wondering if you can make cuban sandwiches and other kinds of panini in them.

But what would either be without the pressure applied to them? But, if you have to clean the bag, I'm also not sure I see the clear advantage of the bag over a teflon pan for grilling the cheese sandwich. Can you clean the bags in the dishwasher?

autotapas.jpg

Why don't you just get the big automatic machine. The grilled cheese sandwich machine is the one at the right. The machine in the foreground served hot dogs. In all fairness to the citizenry of Logroño, I didn't see anyone actually use either machine while the tapas bars in the area were all packed to the brim, but Logroño must have it's share of junkies with the late night munchies. Who the hell would buy a hot dog from a machine when you can get jamon and fried clamari down the street?

Robert Buxbaum

WorldTable

Recent WorldTable posts include: comments about reporting on Michelin stars in The NY Times, the NJ proposal to ban foie gras, Michael Ruhlman's comments in blogs about the NJ proposal and Bill Buford's New Yorker article on the Food Network.

My mailbox is full. You may contact me via worldtable.com.

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snowangel

snowangel

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When we get bacon, I cook the entire package at once on sheet pans in the oven. Leftover bacon gets rolled up in paper towels and stored in a plastic bag in the fridge. Used sparingly to flavor salads, omelets, and to accent sandwiches, it lasts for a couple weeks that way.

While I fully believe that cooked bacon would still be good after a week in the fridge, I can't imagine a pound of cooked bacon lasting that long in my fridge. Maybe an hour or two, but only if I'm the only one home. Such restraint in the Perlow household!

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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Jason Perlow

Jason Perlow

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Do you think it would be good for reheating pizza? :blink:

i859.jpg

Yes.

This was a slice of Lou Malnati's Chicago Deep-Dish pizza with spinach and sausage. It did a very good job of reheating and re-crisping the crust but I had to put the toaster all the way up to dark.

With NY-style thin crust pizza I would probably leave it at the regular 3/4 setting.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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jhlurie

jhlurie

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I think you need to go a bit into WHY it's better.

The main thing this is better than is one of those press & seal toaster sandwich things. We have one of those and it doesn't work as well, was more expensive and is harder to clean than these teflon bags.

Hah. Last time I was at Target, the Toastmaster sandwich press was $9.99. So not MUCH more expensive than the Toastmaster Toaster. And they DO have the advantage of sealing up the edges!

Jon Lurie, aka "jhlurie"

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Rachel Perlow

Rachel Perlow

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Nah, that never works very well, sealing the edges I mean. And it is a PITA to clean if the cheese oozes out of the sandwich.

From the Toast-N-Serve website: "Send us your favorite recipe for a snack or sandwich and if we publish it we will send you a free packet of Magic Bags." Now that sounds like a job for eGulleteers!

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Jason Perlow

Jason Perlow

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Okay here is some foccacia we bought in Connecticut at Jerry's Pizza (also known as their White Sicilian)

i860.jpg

i862.jpg

The Toast-N-Serve did a marvelous job on this, and it came out PIPING HOT. I mean burn your hands off hot.

i861.jpg

Here's a pic of it being toasted in the bags. If you look closely, you will see there is smoke coming out from the inside of the bag. Thats totally normal.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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Squeat Mungry

Squeat Mungry

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Still, being that you can buy a $7 toaster at Target its no big deal if you can't.

Ah, but I would have to get rid of the Cuisinart to make room for it in my tiny kitchen!

Store the cheapy toaster in a closet when not in use.

Closet? Sigh... I wish! Maybe I could just balance the toaster on top of the Cuisinart, which itself already lives atop the fridge, but then I'd need to use the stepladder to put the bags in. Hmmm... I'll work something out.

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hillbill

hillbill

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The Toast-N-Serve did a marvelous job on this, and it came out PIPING HOT. I mean burn your hands off hot.

I am in awe. :shock:

I believe that

burn your hands off hot

would be a much better and unique slogan than the mundane

the most revolutionary new product this century
Gustatory illiterati in an illuminati land.
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Jason Perlow

Jason Perlow

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Doesn't the cheese on the pizza get all schmushed by the bag?

Nope.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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