Evolution of the Cheesesteak

[Andrew Fenton]

Are there other processed cheese "spread" products out there?

Processed cheese sauces:

"It's So Cheesy"

Kraft has a whole range of processed cheeses, including "ChedaSharp" and "Old English". (Funny how upscale food products don't get named after the English; pretty much cheez and malt liquor.)

I'm sure that there are other brands, like the one you've eaten at Widener. I have a vague memory, from my college days, of an off-brand whiz product: sorta the Treet to Cheese Whiz's Spam, if that makes any sense.

Lots of processed cheese spread products out there; just look the next time you're at the supermarket. Interestingly enough, the first two results when googling "processed cheese spread" are products from Romania and India, respectively. (OK, it's not THAT interesting.)

[guzzirider]

...

This all leads me to wondering, who else besides Pat's and Geno's (and Jim's and Rick's) sells their steaks with Whiz as an option? I know none of the local places around me offer it (I live dangerously close to Dalessandro's). It is my belief that most places use American as the default cheese, and that Whiz is only used by a handful of places in Philly.

←

Sonny's Famous Steaks on Market offers a choice of cheeses, but recommends the use of Whiz. I really like Sonny's steaks, BTW. When I have family visiting from out of town, that's where I take them if they want a cheesesteak.

__Jason

[I_call_the_duck]

Are there other processed cheese "spread" products out there?

←

Mail order catalogs Hickory Farms and Swiss Colony has tons of processed cheeses.

And there's always aeresol spray cheese. They even come in a special star tip so you can make pretty designs. Please don't ask me how I know this.

[KatieLoeb]

And there's always aeresol spray cheese. They even come in a special star tip so you can make pretty designs. Please don't ask me how I know this.

How do any of us know that?

[CoolPapaBell]

Harry wouldn't let anyone put cheese on the grill, because a lot of their immigrants who came to this country were kosher and wouldn't eat meat and cheese together. So when Harry was on vacation, Frank put a pot on the grill, put some chez whiz in it to melt it, and that's when Pat's started making cheesesteaks.

I heard the NPR piece too, and was really struck by this point. An interesting multicultural note to the cheesesteak's origins. I bet the Olivieris took orders in multiple languages, too...

←

Well I wouldn't classify that sensitivity as multicultural; otherwise he wouldn’t serve steak at all as to not offend people from India or at least not on Fridays as to not offend Catholics. But I’m with you on Geno’s expecting assimilation as being a bit barbaric. Communication is a bit old fashioned.

Edited July 26, 2006 by CoolPapaBell (log)

[cinghiale]

More steak history, in the context of the Rick's/Pat's spat: A battle royal, with cheese

[WHT]

I remember seeing on a television segment about cheesesteaks that the recipe for Cheez Whiz has changed over time, for the worse. Is there anything to that?

←

A higher amount of oil in it now.

[Parkdoc]

So much to reply to and so little time.  The "traditional" Philadelphia steak sandwich was made from eye rolls that were trimmed of the grissel and membranes.  Copies of the steak sandwich, typically outside of Philadelphia, were rib eyes.

 

Marinade, apparently our paths did not cross since you indicated you worked there in the 70's.  I worked there many summers in the mid sixties. The only Jimmy I recall was a short black guy who was built like a jockey.  Do you have any recollection of when Sylvester Stallone delivered "original" pizza shells? His step father, Tony owned "original pizza".  You said you were there in the 70's, but I thought by the end of the 60's,  Allied did away with the metal molds.  The meat came in cardboard cases that could weigh as much as 130 lbs, 4 molds to a case. If you cried about how heavy the boxes were, you were fired. The molded meat was provided by Rothschild Packing in Chicago. I don't know why, but I still have a couple of the old metal molds that found their way as a border in my garden.  The New Zealand meat you refer to was used for the hamburgers.  However, there were a couple of customers, Luigi in Willow Grove and a place on Rising Sun Ave. not far from Levick St. with an Italian name who bought the frozen eye rolls and sliced them on their own.

 

Each steak consisted of 3 very thin slices, so that the total weight was between 2-4 oz.  The slice in the middle was reversed by hand as it came off the slicer.  That reversal was a "secret".  When I was there, there were about 5 slicers going all day long.

 

To John who asked the source of the hot dogs. For most of the years I recall, the hot dogs came from Burks or Burkes in Allentown and were private labeled. Not Smith and Wesson.   The cases were 60 pounds.  I recall when I made deliveries to George or Nick in Wildwood, the cases often had to be checked in one at a time because when your back was turned they would steal a 10 lb box out of the case and complain they were "shorted".  Sausage was from Dick Kleinert's which was located somewhere on a tiny street in the middle of row houses near K and A.

 

Also, there was a government inspector on site every day keeping an eye on things. Some of the most memorable characters there were "hambone", Louie who always had a stogie in his mouth and a knive by his side, Tommy who smoked like a chimney in the office, "Frankie" on one of the slicers who dressed like an LA hooker and looked quite "hot" on a Friday night.

 

The company was sold in the 90's and taken over by Susan Fletcher (daughter of Norman Braiman? who was once owner of the Eagles. The name was changed to Allied Food Specialties, is located in New Jersey and probably does a fraction of the business done by the original Allied Steaks, which once had locations in Philadelphia, Wildwood, Atlantic City (Weiss and Co.), and Cologne, New Jersey.  Via Allied, the Philadelphia steak sandwich found its way around the country by way of Marriot restaurants and K-Marts.

 

[hramz3]

Not that I'll be attendign, but in general interst: http://www.cheesesteakfest.com/

 

You could sample 50 different cheeseteaks, I'm sure somebody will....

[gfweb]

I saw that cheesesteak fest notice.  Might be good if the steaks are prepared a la minute. If not it'll be like the dreck at the ballpark.

Edited October 2, 2015 by gfweb (log)

[huiray]

I see the Barclay Prime cheesesteak is still being offered. 

http://www.eater.com/2015/10/8/9479739/philly-cheesesteak-cheez-whiz-champagne-video

http://www.barclayprime.com/_pdf/dinnerMenu.pdf

 

I wonder if it is still Dom Pérignon that is served with it? 

http://www.grubstreet.com/2012/08/barclay-prime-upgrades-its-hundred-dollar-cheesesteak.html

 

(Anybody here eaten one of these?)

 

ETA: And,from last year, here's Mark Twersky showing how this is put together...

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2014/06/20/the-100-cheesesteak-at-barclay-prime.html

Edited October 10, 2015 by huiray (log)

[gfweb]

Wonder how many they sell?

 

Can't be that many gullible New Yorkers in Philly....

[scubadoo97]

Didn't sound half bad except the cheese wiz and the price

[pbear]

Of which speaking, here's an article on the question raised by Fat Guy back in 2006: The day they took the Cheese out of Cheez Whiz.

Edited October 11, 2015 by pbear (log)

[AlaMoi]

I was born in the Philadelphia Naval Hospital; to celebrate my birthday, the USA dropped a biggie bomb.  lived in/around Philadelphia all my life.  did the Mummer's Parade every year.  I know where to find the eagle.  went to college at UoP.

 

in my subsequent travels I've ordered / seen / eaten / tossed in the garbage...  so many restaurant/eatery things labeled "Philadelphia Cheese Steak" I've lost count.  outside of Philadelphia vicinity, it's extremely rare to find anything resembling the sandwich.

 

and none of the combatants can lay even a shadow of an "invention" claim.  but who cares.....

 

so what makes a good Philly Cheese Steak? 

 

the roll - Amoroso.  there is no substitute if you want "Philly" - goes for hoagies as well.

good beef - it can be anything - just has to be tasty

a cheddar flavor cheese - provolone?  never heard of it....

 

I'm about 75 miles left of Philadelphia now-a-days.  we have one, and exactly one, pizza/hoagie shop in the area that makes the real stuff.

 

he's Italian, grew up in Germany, relocated to Philadelphia.  he does not comprise - so he has a "standing" deal with a courier company to bring him Amoroso rolls on a daily basis.  the same people that courier vehicle tags/licenses/etc to/from Harrisburg.  their car smells really good.....

[gfweb]

Agree on the importance of the roll, though Amoroso isn't the only good one.  Liscio and Serpe and others are great and maybe better than amoroso which can be a little soft.  Wiz is the classic taste, but American slices don't ruin it. Re the beef, to me its more how it is cooked and sliced than the particular cut. And ketchup is a good addition.

 

I read somewhere that two slices of pizza have more fat than a cheesesteak.  I can believe this.

 

When were you at Penn? '73 to 86 for me.

[AlaMoi]

bit earlier than that - left in '70.

[hramz3]

Agree on the importance of the roll, though Amoroso isn't the only good one.  Liscio and Serpe and others are great and maybe better than amoroso which can be a little soft.  Wiz is the classic taste, but American slices don't ruin it. Re the beef, to me its more how it is cooked and sliced than the particular cut. And ketchup is a good addition.

 

I read somewhere that two slices of pizza have more fat than a cheesesteak.  I can believe this.

 

When were you at Penn? '73 to 86 for me.

 

Agree on the roll. Amoroso's are the minimum, when nothing better is available, one step above a hotdog roll. Liscio and Serpe are the standard.