ToAsTieS

Here at Red Badger we often talk about being proud of our culture, and a defining part within our culture is the mighty toastie. YES that's right; not that you're surprised of course. 

The toastie is another word for happiness for fellow badgers, most of us like a good toastie; who doesn't? 

Who would have thought the toastie has a history dating back to the 1920's. I wouldn't be surprised if there toastie historians nowadays, here's a brief overview - cooked bread and cheese is an ancient food, according to food historians, popular across the world in many cultures; evidence indicates that in the U.S. the modern version of the grilled cheese sandwich originated in the 1920s when inexpensive sliced bread and American cheese became easily available. Wow!

An interesting fact: Where do you think you can buy the most expensive toastie? Sydney of all places. For AU$22 you can buy two slices of brioche, stuffed with five different kinds of cheeseand shoved full of Aussie black truffles, so no wonder it's the most expensive toastie out there, but I bet it tastes good. I think some of the Badgers are planning a 'conference' trip over there, I wonder what the real reason could be, maybe a AU$22 toastie perhaps? 

Other interesting facts about ‘fanatical fans’ of the toastie:

1. There is a song about toasties by 'Streetband', called - Toast. Some of the lyrics are: 'Put the grill on, slip a slice under and have toast, a little piece of toast.’
2. There are also global leaders in toastie research and development would you believe, have a look for yourself http://thetoastieproject.com

But what makes a toastie, a toastie? good question, here's the answer

"A toastie is not simply a sandwich made with toasted bread, nor is it a dry, crusty panini filled with any old rubbish and shoved into a sandwich press to warm it through for a minute. Whether made in a toastie machine, a press or a frying pan; whether you butter the outside of the bread or the appliance itself."

The Guardian, March 2014 

To be technical, a genuine toastie needs to be buttered on the outside and must have applied pressure from a heat source so that its exterior develops a magical golden crust.

We use one of these to create our magical toasties. 

toastie

And this is the mouthwatering piece of indulgent cheese crispiness which is made from this machine, on a daily basis :-)

cheesetoastie

Some of our favourite toasties here at Red Badger, that I recommend include: 

1. Of course the plain classic grilled cheese toastie 
2. Ham, cheese and mustard
3. Spinach rolly on wholewheat
4. Roasted Poblano and mushroom with grilled cheese
5. Smoked Gouda and roasted red pepper grilled cheese
6. Garlicky ham and swiss cheese
7. Soppressata and Provolone grilled cheese
8. Mozzarella in Corrozza

In case you're worried about how detrimental a toastie can be to your health, be warned, very! No only joking, see below some nutritional facts on a basic cheese and ham toastie, the most common one made. 

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