wtf exactly are the "egg" in frozen breakfast sandwiches?

[QueBert]

I forgot to cook it at 30% power for 1.5 minutes before zapping it at full power and nuked it for 2 minutes at 100%. The Sausage came out so hot it would probably cause scabbing in the roof of my mouth if I tried to eat it right out of the microwave. And the biscuit was still so hot it was hard to hold even through a paper towel. But somehow the round "egg" like disc thing was super cold and was still frozen in the middle. I know these aren't made from actual fresh cracked eggs, but I'm scared to Google to find what exactly the damn thing actually is. I don't eat these more than once every 3-4 years, but I seem to recall regardless of the brand you have to start the cook at defrost power or the "egg" stays frozen. I'd like to know the science-y reason the "egg" stays basically frozen while everything else is steaming hot.

 

[Newbian]

Sometimes it's better not to ask these kinds of questions if you want to keep eating 99% of processed foods.

 

[lxskllr]

I eat the ones from aldi fairly frequently. My nuker is fairly low power. Probably 700w, but I don't know for sure. A sandwich goes in for 1:00 on high, then gets flipped over and nuked 1:33. Comes out perfect every time. I don't use any setting but high on my microwave.

 

[Torn Mind]

Sounds like the "egg" got dehydrated somewhere down the line and the microwave has no water molecules to excite.

 

[Spacehead]

"egg-like substance"...

 

[WelshBloke]

I forgot to cook it at 30% power for 1.5 minutes before zapping it at full power and nuked it for 2 minutes at 100%. The Sausage came out so hot it would probably cause scabbing in the roof of my mouth if I tried to eat it right out of the microwave. And the biscuit was still so hot it was hard to hold even through a paper towel. But somehow the round "egg" like disc thing was super cold and was still frozen in the middle. I know these aren't made from actual fresh cracked eggs, but I'm scared to Google to find what exactly the damn thing actually is. I don't eat these more than once every 3-4 years, but I seem to recall regardless of the brand you have to start the cook at defrost power or the "egg" stays frozen. I'd like to know the science-y reason the "egg" stays basically frozen while everything else is steaming hot.

I mean you could have fried an actual egg on the time it took you to do that.

 

[darkswordsman17]

OP I'm not sure if you know how cheap eggs are (they're probably cheaper than the biscuit) at the scales they're working with, so it actually is an egg (likely cracked, cooked and then frozen in the span of minutes). Its that microwaves still kinda suck at heating things evenly through. There were supposed to be some newer microwaves that have multiple radiators and or ways of reflecting it to provide a more even dispersion, but I'm not sure if they're in anything but high end units right now.

Which is why if you turn items you'll often get a better "cook" of it, as lxskllr comments.

You might try putting it in a container of some sort that can help even the heat out as well. Heck if you just keep it in the plastic wrapper or put a paper towel around it it'd probably help, but I'd still recommend flipping it over.

Which, for someone that subscribes to 30lbs of bacon a month and spends hours (wasn't it like 4) making french fries, I'm a bit...perplexed that you're having this much trouble prepping a pre-cooked breakfast sandwich.

 

[dank69]

I mean you could have fried an actual egg on the time it took you to do that.

Plus cleanup...

 

[QueBert]

OP I'm not sure if you know how cheap eggs are (they're probably cheaper than the biscuit) at the scales they're working with, so it actually is an egg (likely cracked, cooked and then frozen in the span of minutes). Its that microwaves still kinda suck at heating things evenly through. There were supposed to be some newer microwaves that have multiple radiators and or ways of reflecting it to provide a more even dispersion, but I'm not sure if they're in anything but high end units right now.

Which is why if you turn items you'll often get a better "cook" of it, as lxskllr comments.

You might try putting it in a container of some sort that can help even the heat out as well. Heck if you just keep it in the plastic wrapper or put a paper towel around it it'd probably help, but I'd still recommend flipping it over.

Which, for someone that subscribes to 30lbs of bacon a month and spends hours (wasn't it like 4) making french fries, I'm a bit...perplexed that you're having this much trouble prepping a pre-cooked breakfast sandwich.

I can cook pretty well, but I hardly ever use a microwave, and I guess I don't understand exactly why they do certain shit. I did flip the sandwich halfway but still had a frozen egg with everything else hot as lava. Apparently, it's easier for me to make a pizza 100% from scratch than it is for me to heat up an Aldi's breakfast sammich. I'm not sure exactly what that says about me lol. I had tossed the box so I didn't know what the instructions said, I just figured 2 minutes @ 100% with a flip 60 seconds in would cook it, if anything it would be passed done, guess I was wrong.





Here's a pic of a pizza I made recently. 72 hour CF dough, pepperoni, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Mozzs, olive, onions and Buratta cheese dolloped on the top at the end. So it would at least appear I do know what I'm doing in the kitchen. Yet I also failed at using a microwave, so I don't know... *sigh*

 

[WelshBloke]

I can cook pretty well, but I hardly ever use a microwave, and I guess I don't understand exactly why they do certain shit. I did flip the sandwich halfway but still had a frozen egg with everything else hot as lava. Apparently, it's easier for me to make a pizza 100% from scratch than it is for me to heat up an Aldi's breakfast sammich. I'm not sure exactly what that says about me lol. I had tossed the box so I didn't know what the instructions said, I just figured 2 minutes @ 100% with a flip 60 seconds in would cook it, if anything it would be passed done, guess I was wrong.

View attachment 46020



Here's a pic of a pizza I made recently. 72 hour CF dough, pepperoni, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Mozzs, olive, onions and Buratta cheese dolloped on the top at the end. So it would at least appear I do know what I'm doing in the kitchen. Yet I also failed at using a microwave, so I don't know... *sigh*

Putting burrata on a pizza makes me sad.

 

[dullard]

I can cook pretty well, but I hardly ever use a microwave, and I guess I don't understand exactly why they do certain shit.
...
Yet I also failed at using a microwave, so I don't know... *sigh*

Microwaves should be used only for items that (1) are close to a single ingredient and (2) are water-based. Microwaves work quite well on that and suck on just about anything else. You failed on microwave usage since you tried something a microwave sucks at. A frozen breakfast sandwich has far more than 1 ingredient and has components that are not water-based. That sandwich violates two of the two necessary conditions to have a good microwave result.

 

[WelshBloke]

Hold on. Is this like a sandwich all frozen in one thing? Like with bread?

 

[lxskllr]

Hold on. Is this like a sandwich all frozen in one thing? Like with bread?

Yup. They aren't too bad for what they are. I like the sausage/egg/cheese on a croissant from aldi. I can stick it in the microwave while I get other stuff together for work. Homemade is much better of course, but it takes way longer, and requires 100% attention.

 

[WelshBloke]

Yup. They aren't too bad for what they are. I like the sausage/egg/cheese on a croissant from aldi. I can stick it in the microwave while I get other stuff together for work. Homemade is much better of course, but it takes way longer, and requires 100% attention.

I get that egg takes a few minutes to fry but cutting up some cold sausage and cheese and putting it in a croissant would probably be quicker than microwaving one.
Also sliced ham and cheese is better in a croissant!

 

[Captante]

My guess is that cooking @ 50% power allows time for the heat to spread to the sammich parts that stayed frozen in the OP's case.

And "Chef-Mic" has "his" uses in the kitchen lol ... mostly for re-heating.

 

[nakedfrog]

I get that egg takes a few minutes to fry but cutting up some cold sausage and cheese and putting it in a croissant would probably be quicker than microwaving one.
Also sliced ham and cheese is better in a croissant!

Yes, in that it's less time, but you're actively busy with food prep and cooking during that time, versus heating up the frozen sandwich, you're free to do other things during cook time. And then there's the matter of having croissants on hand, which are only good for so long, and as mentioned, a lot more washing up in the end.
And yeah, when I've cooked these, it's typically on like 30% power/defrost for a couple minutes with a flip, and then heating again on regular power. It's more of an art than a science, based on your specific microwave.

 

[Ajay]

I forgot to cook it at 30% power for 1.5 minutes before zapping it at full power and nuked it for 2 minutes at 100%. The Sausage came out so hot it would probably cause scabbing in the roof of my mouth if I tried to eat it right out of the microwave. And the biscuit was still so hot it was hard to hold even through a paper towel. But somehow the round "egg" like disc thing was super cold and was still frozen in the middle. I know these aren't made from actual fresh cracked eggs, but I'm scared to Google to find what exactly the damn thing actually is. I don't eat these more than once every 3-4 years, but I seem to recall regardless of the brand you have to start the cook at defrost power or the "egg" stays frozen. I'd like to know the science-y reason the "egg" stays basically frozen while everything else is steaming hot.

Freeze dried scrambled eggs. Awesome :barf:
Dullard pretty much answered the question. The microwave frequency used for home microwave cookers is mostly tuned to excite water molecules. Since the eggs in these sandwiches are dried, they don't have much water content and hence take longer to heat up than other components of the sandwich.

 

[sdifox]

Powdered eggs - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Captante]

Powdered eggs - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Being aware that these exist and actually EATING them (in a non-starvation/survival situation anyway) are two VERY different things.

 

[lxskllr]

You haven't experienced hell til you've attempted to eat an MRE omelette. I don't know how hungry you'd have to be to get one down, but I've never been close to hungry enough.

 

[dullard]

Also sliced ham and cheese is better in a croissant!

Close. BACON and cheese is what is needed in a croissant.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I'm sure it's those folks at Pfizer at it again...

 

[Pohemi]

Freeze dried scrambled eggs. Awesome :barf:
Dullard pretty much answered the question. The microwave frequency used for home microwave cookers is mostly tuned to excite water molecules. Since the eggs in these sandwiches are dried, they don't have much water content and hence take longer to heat up than other components of the sandwich.

It's a correct notion about the food needing moisture or water for the microwave to work properly, but...these sandwiches are specifically designed for microwave prep. Most of them don't even offer another method such as oven-prep.

The product directions for using lower wattage initially is obviously key, but I'm not sure how/why only the egg "patty" remained cold. Seems a processed-food oddity.

 

[WelshBloke]

Yes, in that it's less time, but you're actively busy with food prep and cooking during that time, versus heating up the frozen sandwich, you're free to do other things during cook time. And then there's the matter of having croissants on hand, which are only good for so long, and as mentioned, a lot more washing up in the end.
And yeah, when I've cooked these, it's typically on like 30% power/defrost for a couple minutes with a flip, and then heating again on regular power. It's more of an art than a science, based on your specific microwave.

I mean theres not a huge prep time in slicing a croissant open, getting a slice of ham and a slice of cheese and putting it in the croissant!

 

[dullard]

The product directions for using lower wattage initially is obviously key, but I'm not sure how/why only the egg "patty" remained cold. Seems a processed-food oddity.

I don't know the specific product nor how it is made. I'll just guess that it was something like the Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwich (it has 30% power instructions for 1.5 minutes):

Sausage, Egg & Cheese Croissant

The best days start with easy but tasty breakfast sandwiches. These sausage croissant sandwiches from Jimmy Dean® makes getting up well worth it.

www.jimmydean.com

If the egg portion had lower moisture content than the surrounding sausage and cheese portions, then the sausage and cheese will absorb most of the microwave power. You could microwave at (A) 100% power for 27 seconds or (B) 30% power for 1.5 minutes and get the same total power in the sandwich. The difference between (A) and (B) is that option (B) has an extra minute for the heat to conduct from the sausage/cheese into the egg. That extra minute is the key. Actually, it is probably well over a minute since it takes time for the user to open the microwave, flip the food over, and restart the microwave.