Cheesesteaks at midnight

NoNo · February 6, 2005

Friday night/Saturday morning myself and my merry band of MINI-owning fools decided to head to Philly for some cheesesteaks. Of course, I live nearly 4-hours away, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. In all we had nearly 20 MINIs that headed into South Philly for some midnight snacking. Here are a few of my pictures.

We went to Pat's:

You had better know how to order, or you will get yelled at:

The fixin's bar:

The midnight crew:

Even though I got home at 6 in the morning, it was all worth it for some good food with good friends! :thumb

wxwax · February 6, 2005

That's dedication to cheeseteaks! I like the first piccie, nice shot of the corner store.

Andy · February 6, 2005

wxwax wrote:

That's dedication to cheeseteaks! I like the first piccie, nice hsot of the corner store.

reminds me of college days at bucknell, we used to go to this greasy truckstop diner at 3am for "curly fries"

patch29 · February 6, 2005

andy wrote:

reminds me of college days at bucknell, we used to go to this greasy truckstop diner at 3am for "curly fries"

Atlanta has the Varsity, plenty of grease there.

Someday I will journey to eat a cheesesteak at those great greasy halls.

NoNo · February 6, 2005

wxwax wrote:

That's dedication to cheeseteaks! I like the first piccie, nice shot of the corner store.

Thank you! Yes, we're an odd bunch, but that's why we have so much fun. We're already planning the next trip, possibly for hot dogs at Nathans. That's much closer to me, and I hope it's during the day - staying awake for 25 hours doesn't work too well for me. :snore

wxwax · February 6, 2005

patch29 wrote:

Atlanta has the Varsity, plenty of grease there.

I went to get my body fat measured at Ga Tech last week... then walked across the street to have a slaw dog at the Varsity. :uhoh

fish · February 6, 2005

"cheeze whiz steaks"? :puke1

NoNo · February 6, 2005

fish wrote:

"cheeze whiz steaks"? :puke1

Cheese Wiz is the way you're supposed to get them. "Wiz wit" = wiz with onions. That's the traditional cheesesteak. It's actually not that bad because it melts on there.

fish · February 6, 2005

NoNo wrote:

Cheese Wiz is the way you're supposed to get them. "Wiz wit" = wiz with onions. That's the traditional cheesesteak. It's actually not that bad because it melts on there.

Hmmm. Last time I was in philly, I was told the only way was with white cheddar. Dude must have been pulling my leg.

Is there actually any cheese in Cheez Whiz® Pasteurized Processed Cheese Sauce?

After a little googling, I found this from Chemical and Engineering News:

When I was in first grade, I went through a cerebral cheese period. My cousin Michael got me started because he brought a jar of Cheez Whiz to school in his lunch box every day. Naturally, I was jealous, but I was also curious. What was pasteurized process cheese sauce? He would spread it on crackers, his sandwich, or dip a celery stick into it.I used to daydream about bringing Cheez Whiz to school for lunch—but, alas, it never happened. Yet other questions later arose: What was cheese food? Cheese spread? Cheese product? Imitation cheese? How were they different from just plain old American cheese? Anyhow, I forgot about it.

With this past holiday season, however, I had a renewed interest in cheese. I began to dig up some cheese factoids. Cheese is perhaps the oldest processed food known to mankind and one of the most ubiquitous foodstuffs in the world. In 1910, the average American ate 5 lb of cheese per year, but that had grown to 28 lb per year by 1998. Process cheeses, around for more than 50 years, have had a great impact on this growth spurt. I witnessed plenty of big cheeses during the holidays who had a cheese ball in the fridge, set out slices of American cheese for sandwiches, or served melted Cheez Whiz or Velveeta mixed with salsa as queso dip for nachos during college football bowl games.

To determine the difference between all the types of process cheese, I thought I could just phone Northfield, Ill.-based Kraft Foods —makers of Cheez Whiz and Velveeta—and find out all I wanted to know. However, a spokeswoman had to cheese it on providing any information for proprietary reasons. So I ended up on the Internet plowing through Title 21 Part 133 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, which governs cheeses, and I contacted Dairy Management Inc. , a Rosemont, Ill., firm responsible for increasing demand for dairy products on behalf of U.S. dairy farmers.

Beginning with the basics, cheese is a concentrated dairy food made from milk. A starter culture of bacteria is first added to convert some lactose—the primary milk sugar—to lactic acid. An enzyme, commonly chymosin, is next added to coagulate casein—the major milk protein—into a soft solid, or curd, that consists of calcium caseinate and milkfat. Milkfat exists as globules of a triglyceride wrapped in a phospholipid-protein membrane.

The remaining liquid—the whey, which contains soluble proteins and lactose—is next removed to leave the fresh cheese. The curd is then stirred and heated, salt is added or the curd may be treated with brine, and the cheese is pressed into molds. For ripened cheeses, the curd is further treated with select strains of bacteria, mold, or yeast that generate enzymes that can hydrolyze fats, proteins, and lactose. These biochemical changes modify the cheese's flavor and texture as it ages.

Two criteria used by the Food & Drug Administration to define cheeses and set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations are moisture content and milkfat content. Cheddar, for example, is allowed a maximum moisture content of 39% and must contain at least 50% milkfat. Cream cheese, on the other hand, is an unripened cheese that can have a maximum moisture content of 55% and must have at least 33% milkfat.

There are a number of different types of process cheese specified by FDA, and because the federal regulations stipulate that the type of cheese must be indicated on the package label, many people have been left scratching their heads wondering exactly what they are buying and consuming.

Pasteurized process cheese, for example, is made from one or more cheeses, such as cheddar or colby, and may have cream or anhydrous milkfat added. The cheese is blended and heated with an emulsifier—typically a sodium or potassium phosphate, tartrate, or citrate—and other optional ingredients such as water, salt, artificial color, and spices or other flavorings.

The cheese is then poured into molds to solidify and is later packaged. This processing produces a smooth, mild-tasting cheese that melts easily. For pasteurized process cheese, the final product can have a maximum moisture content of 43% and must have at least 47% milkfat. An interesting twist is that the product alternatively can be labeled as pasteurized process American cheese when made from cheddar, colby, cheese curd, granular cheese, or a combination of these; when other varieties of cheese are included, it must be called simply American cheese.

Here are some of the other definitions:

Pasteurized process cheese food is a variation of process cheese that may have dry milk, whey solids, or anhydrous milkfat added, which reduces the amount of cheese in the finished product. It must contain at least 51% of the cheese ingredient by weight, have a moisture content less than 44%, and have at least 23% milkfat.

Pasteurized process cheese spread is a variation on cheese food that may contain a sweetener and a stabilizing agent, such as the polysaccharide xanthan gum or the Irish moss colloid carrageenan, to prevent separation of the ingredients. The cheese must be spreadable at 70

F, contain 44 to 60% moisture, and have at least 20% milkfat.

Pasteurized process cheese product is process cheese that doesn't meet the moisture and/or milkfat standards.

Imitation cheese is made from vegetable oil; it is less expensive, but also has less flavor and doesn't melt well.

For the record, Velveeta is pasteurized process cheese spread and Velveeta Light is pasteurized process cheese product. Cheez Whiz is labeled as pasteurized process cheese sauce, although that type isn't noted in the Code of Federal Regulations. A Kraft spokeswoman confirms that the word "sauce" just seems to be an add-on.

This array of information has brought me full circle on my cheesy odyssey that began in first grade. It has left me pondering about where we would be today without process cheese products such as Cheez Whiz or Velveeta to put on top of a burrito or on top of broccoli or cauliflower—all "dangerously cheesy" stuff, as my own first-grader now says.

Steve Ritter

NoNo · February 6, 2005

fish wrote:

Hmmm. Last time I was in philly, I was told the only way was with white cheddar. Dude must have been pulling my leg.

Is there actually any cheese in Cheez Whiz® Pasteurized Processed Cheese Sauce?

After a little googling, I found this from Chemical and Engineering News:

When I was in first grade, I went through a cerebral cheese period. My cousin Michael got me started because he brought a jar of Cheez Whiz to school in his lunch box every day. Naturally, I was jealous, but I was also curious. What was pasteurized process cheese sauce? He would spread it on crackers, his sandwich, or dip a celery stick into it.I used to daydream about bringing Cheez Whiz to school for lunch—but, alas, it never happened. Yet other questions later arose: What was cheese food? Cheese spread? Cheese product? Imitation cheese? How were they different from just plain old American cheese? Anyhow, I forgot about it.

With this past holiday season, however, I had a renewed interest in cheese. I began to dig up some cheese factoids. Cheese is perhaps the oldest processed food known to mankind and one of the most ubiquitous foodstuffs in the world. In 1910, the average American ate 5 lb of cheese per year, but that had grown to 28 lb per year by 1998. Process cheeses, around for more than 50 years, have had a great impact on this growth spurt. I witnessed plenty of big cheeses during the holidays who had a cheese ball in the fridge, set out slices of American cheese for sandwiches, or served melted Cheez Whiz or Velveeta mixed with salsa as queso dip for nachos during college football bowl games.

To determine the difference between all the types of process cheese, I thought I could just phone Northfield, Ill.-based Kraft Foods —makers of Cheez Whiz and Velveeta—and find out all I wanted to know. However, a spokeswoman had to cheese it on providing any information for proprietary reasons. So I ended up on the Internet plowing through Title 21 Part 133 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, which governs cheeses, and I contacted Dairy Management Inc. , a Rosemont, Ill., firm responsible for increasing demand for dairy products on behalf of U.S. dairy farmers.

Beginning with the basics, cheese is a concentrated dairy food made from milk. A starter culture of bacteria is first added to convert some lactose—the primary milk sugar—to lactic acid. An enzyme, commonly chymosin, is next added to coagulate casein—the major milk protein—into a soft solid, or curd, that consists of calcium caseinate and milkfat. Milkfat exists as globules of a triglyceride wrapped in a phospholipid-protein membrane.

The remaining liquid—the whey, which contains soluble proteins and lactose—is next removed to leave the fresh cheese. The curd is then stirred and heated, salt is added or the curd may be treated with brine, and the cheese is pressed into molds. For ripened cheeses, the curd is further treated with select strains of bacteria, mold, or yeast that generate enzymes that can hydrolyze fats, proteins, and lactose. These biochemical changes modify the cheese's flavor and texture as it ages.

Two criteria used by the Food & Drug Administration to define cheeses and set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations are moisture content and milkfat content. Cheddar, for example, is allowed a maximum moisture content of 39% and must contain at least 50% milkfat. Cream cheese, on the other hand, is an unripened cheese that can have a maximum moisture content of 55% and must have at least 33% milkfat.

There are a number of different types of process cheese specified by FDA, and because the federal regulations stipulate that the type of cheese must be indicated on the package label, many people have been left scratching their heads wondering exactly what they are buying and consuming.

Pasteurized process cheese, for example, is made from one or more cheeses, such as cheddar or colby, and may have cream or anhydrous milkfat added. The cheese is blended and heated with an emulsifier—typically a sodium or potassium phosphate, tartrate, or citrate—and other optional ingredients such as water, salt, artificial color, and spices or other flavorings.

The cheese is then poured into molds to solidify and is later packaged. This processing produces a smooth, mild-tasting cheese that melts easily. For pasteurized process cheese, the final product can have a maximum moisture content of 43% and must have at least 47% milkfat. An interesting twist is that the product alternatively can be labeled as pasteurized process American cheese when made from cheddar, colby, cheese curd, granular cheese, or a combination of these; when other varieties of cheese are included, it must be called simply American cheese.

Here are some of the other definitions:

Pasteurized process cheese food is a variation of process cheese that may have dry milk, whey solids, or anhydrous milkfat added, which reduces the amount of cheese in the finished product. It must contain at least 51% of the cheese ingredient by weight, have a moisture content less than 44%, and have at least 23% milkfat.

Pasteurized process cheese spread is a variation on cheese food that may contain a sweetener and a stabilizing agent, such as the polysaccharide xanthan gum or the Irish moss colloid carrageenan, to prevent separation of the ingredients. The cheese must be spreadable at 70 F, contain 44 to 60% moisture, and have at least 20% milkfat.

Pasteurized process cheese product is process cheese that doesn't meet the moisture and/or milkfat standards.

Imitation cheese is made from vegetable oil; it is less expensive, but also has less flavor and doesn't melt well.

For the record, Velveeta is pasteurized process cheese spread and Velveeta Light is pasteurized process cheese product. Cheez Whiz is labeled as pasteurized process cheese sauce, although that type isn't noted in the Code of Federal Regulations. A Kraft spokeswoman confirms that the word "sauce" just seems to be an add-on.

This array of information has brought me full circle on my cheesy odyssey that began in first grade. It has left me pondering about where we would be today without process cheese products such as Cheez Whiz or Velveeta to put on top of a burrito or on top of broccoli or cauliflower—all "dangerously cheesy" stuff, as my own first-grader now says.

Steve Ritter

WOW!

That was mighty informative. I too have often wondered just what the heck a "cheese product" is.

David_S85 · February 7, 2005

What about Cheetos™?
I have some Cheetos left over from the Super Bowl XXXIX party. Are those safe to eat? ...and I bought them. :uhoh Just wondering.

NoNo · February 7, 2005

David_S85 wrote:

I have some Cheetos left over from the Super Bowl XXXIX party. Are those safe to eat? ...and I bought them. :uhoh Just wondering.

Mmmmmmmm..........I like Cheetos. Now if you could melt them and throw them on top of some steak-ums you'd have a new cheesesteak. You'd put Pat's and Gino's right out of business!

fish · February 7, 2005

David_S85 wrote:

I have some Cheetos left over from the Super Bowl XXXIX party. Are those safe to eat? ...and I bought them. :uhoh Just wondering.

This food company has failed to disclose its policy on Genetically Engineered (GE) ingredients to Greenpeace. There is no guarantee that GE derived ingredients such as oils or GE animal feed are not being used in its food products.
source: http://www.truefood.org.au/popup2b.html?productid=535

Ingredients
Enriched Corn Meal (Corn Meal, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, and Folic Acid), Vegetable Oil (Contains One or More of the Following: Corn, Cottonseed, Partially Hydrogenated Corn or Cottonseed Oil), Whey, Salt, Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Salt, Cheese Culture, and Enzymes), Maltodextrin, Disodium Phosphate, Sour Cream (Cultured Cream, Nonfat Milk), Monosodium Glutamate, Lactic Acid, Artificial Color (Including Yellow 6, Extractives of Turmeric, and Annatto), Citric Acid.

source: safeway.com

Phil U. · February 7, 2005

NoNo wrote:

Friday night/Saturday morning myself and my merry band of MINI-owning fools decided to head to Philly for some cheesesteaks. Of course, I live nearly 4-hours away, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. In all we had nearly 20 MINIs that headed into South Philly for some midnight snacking.

There's a trip that is definitely "All about the food". (Do I have to pay Andy any royalities for using that phrase?)

Cool pics, good times, and great food. Sounds like a fun evening...

fish · February 7, 2005

Phil U. wrote:

There's a trip that is definitely "All about the food". (Do I have to pay Andy any royalities for using that phrase?)

Cool pics, good times, and great food. Sounds like a fun evening...

I think we've found our first dgrin-originated acronym: AATF -all about the food.

Me: "So andy, why on earth did you go to Taco Bell?"
Andy: "AATF, mang"

Which reminds me...there's a smilie I need to add here...

okay...smilie added: :eat (pity andy already has a smilie named after him)

Andy · February 7, 2005

fish wrote:

I think we've found our first dgrin-originated acronym: AATF -all about the food.

Me: "So andy, why on earth did you go to Taco Bell?"
Andy: "AATF, mang"

Which reminds me...there's a smilie I need to add here...

okay...smilie added: :eat (pity andy already has a smilie named after him)

: andyfood ?????

i love that smilie, it's about time we had a food smilie.

fish · February 7, 2005

andy wrote:

: andyfood ?????

i love that smilie, it's about time we had a food smilie.

there are some other new smilies...can you find them?

David_S85 · February 8, 2005

fish wrote:

there are some other new smilies...can you find them?

A couple weeks ago I asked about this very thing - food smilies. Harry B. told me to ask Andy.

Here are some food related smilies on the extended list:
Beer and spirits have a few...

,

, :slosh ,

,

, :slurp . These usually lead to... :puke1 and :flush .

Food; the only one I see is :eat . (Hint - one food smilie isn't enough)

fish · February 8, 2005

David_S85 wrote:

Food; the only one I see is :eat . (Hint - one food smilie isn't enough)

Agreed. There was only one other food-related smilie loaded on the server, which is now : food ->:food

If you have any suggestions for other food smilies, pls PM the links to me.

NoNo · February 8, 2005

Phil U. wrote:

There's a trip that is definitely "All about the food". (Do I have to pay Andy any royalities for using that phrase?)

Cool pics, good times, and great food. Sounds like a fun evening...

Absolutely all about the food. It all started when two guys were talking on our message board. We have a thread where you post two things, and the next person picks one and then posts two more things. So someone posted Gino's or Pat's, and the reply was When do you want to go? Thus a run was born.

Note: As further proof of our insanity, a pack of us will be driving north to Hudson Bay in two weeks. I'm not quite sure what to expect, but I know it's going to be colder than anything I've ever felt before. I'm hoping to get a lot of nice shots up there, though I'm not entirely sure what there will be to take pictures of.

Cheesesteaks at midnight

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