English Muffin Sandwich - Deal of the Day Review

McDonald's Egg McMuffin may be sweating cheesy bullets because Weight Watchers Smart Ones English Muffin Sandwich are showing up in my local 99c only Stores. Especially when McMuffins are in the $3 dollar range, and you get 2 Smart Ones sandwiches for 99.99 cents!

Of course, Weight Watchers have to deliver in flavor to detour a Mickey D's customer to this frozen Deal of the Day breakfast sammie.

First, the cheese is an American processed type and that is okay with me. It is a small looking square, but  is enough to melt nicely into the English muffin crevices.

Do be careful with your first bite, as the cheese can microwave molten lava-hot. Melty cheese with egg is a perfect combination.

Egg puck heats up perfectly. It keeps a scrambled egg texture - a little more solid, but still moist and fluffy. The egg is well mixed and a bright yellow. It's a thin puck, but enough to fill the English muffin.

I do prefer McDonald's McMuffin blended egg, where you can see the white is not totally mixed into the yolk, so there is a strong yolk taste that contrasts with milder egg white.

When you remove the sandwiches from the plastic wrapper, make sure to shake out any ice crystals that may have formed in the bag, or you will have damp spots on the English muffin.

Microwave instructions direct you to heat for a minute, 20 seconds. I did one minute and that was enough. I would start at one minute, then add 10 or 15 second increments so you don't turn the cheese into a watery paste.

Do watch as the sandwich heats up because the melted cheese is slippery and the English muffin will slide off and leave a cheesy mess on the microwave oven plate.

Click on any photo to see larger.

The English muffins are an Achilles' heel of this cheap$kate Deal of the Day. Microwaving bread is always a problem. The texture becomes mushy with strange chewy bits. I mean, it taste fine like typically baked sourdough and it has all the nooks and crannies.

Maybe the solution is to microwave the egg puck separately; reheat the English muffins in a toaster; and place the room temperature cheese slice between the hot egg and toasted bread. Oh, in most cases I probably won't do this, but sometimes?

What is nice about having the McDonald's-style McMuffin at home is you can add whatever you like. Me, I go for a thick tomato slice and mayo.

I am not wise in the ways of Weight Watchers, but I assume this is a low-calorie meal, that is, if you just eat one English Muffin Sandwich. One sandwich was enough for me when I added tomato. It is easy to have just one as each sandwich is wrapped separately.

The ingredient list is a little long, when you add in the processed cheese. But overall not unusual for frozen fare.

Since this sandwich is only cheese, egg and bread, it's a lighter meal, compared to an Egg McMuffin with Canadian bacon or sausage. And it quickly microwaves, and travels well on the road to work, if you are in a rush in the morning.

So how does Weight Watchers Smart Ones English Muffin Sandwich Deal of the Day rate on my Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best? Well, I give this tasty breakfast sandwich a strong 7.

If you don't have time to wait in the drive-thru line at McDonald's in the morning, my latest Deal of the Day may satisfy your Egg McMuffin urge.

As a bonus to my visitors, here is my Homemade Egg McMuffin, with easy to follow directions, so you can make your own one day?

Homemade Egg McMuffin - Sandwich VIDEO

The master of low-priced cuisine raids the corporate kitchens of the world's largest fast food purveyor (and California native,) McDonald's, and builds his own Egg McMuffin. In the final video of February Sandwich Month, this culinary sleuth takes you from the drive-thru to making your own egg frying ring -- you know that eggs don't come out of the shell in the shape of a hockey puck, right? And in a stop motion animated style, you'll see all the easy cooking steps -- entertainingly so. 

I lost my Egg McMuffin cherry at Mickey D's in the 1970's. It was love at first bite -- a crunchy English muffin with a soft, sour-doughy texture, segueing into hot melted American cheese covering a firm springy disc of egg, and finishing up with smokey-sweet Canadian Bacon. A truly international melding of flavors, the Egg McMuffin is built to satisfy.

Initially, McDonald's corporate elites threatened to close down the Santa Barbara-adjacent franchise that created this breakfast treat. But when its owner, Herb Peterson (who also invented it), served it to McDonald's big cheeses, it took hold, and took off from there.

The trick to an Egg McMuffin's pleasing visual aesthetic is a metal frying ring. You saute the egg in it, and you also cut out a circle of ham and cheese. (Canadian bacon is normally used, but hard to get here, so I am substituting similar tasting ham.) I made my own egg frying ring from a discarded can of water chestnuts that I got for 49 cents. Its diameter is about the same as an English muffin.

Any can with a similar diameter is fine to use, just make sure you can remove both ends with a can opener -- a tuna can would be perfect, but it has a rounded bottom that is too hard to cut through, so stick with cans where the bottom is the same as the top lip. I originally used a 16-ounce tomato sauce can, but changed to a shorter water chestnuts can so I could better photograph the frying egg. You can also use the metal lid of a canning jar. I've cooked up half a dozen Egg McMuffins so far and the ring is holding up fine.

McDonalds Egg McMuffins cost $2.59 plus tax. Except for the thick ham slice (I could've bought a package of thin sliced ham for 99.99 cents,) all the ingredients I picked up are cheap. For about $4 worth of supplies I can make six Egg McMuffins easily -- that's way less than a dollar apiece, and I still have eggs left over. And I don't have to eat breakfast in the parking lot!

So if you don't want to waste gas in the drive-thru or wait in line, be sure to watch my easy-to-follow video directions and make your own Egg McMuffin while wearing your pajamas - 99 Cent Chef style.

Since I have a frying ring, now I need to figure out how they get that syrup into a McGriddle pancake breakfast sandwich -- so I can start making my own!

Homemade Egg McMuffin - VIDEO 

Play it here. Video runs 3 minutes, 15 seconds.

To view or embed from YouTube, click here.

Ingredients (one sandwich)

• 1 egg
• 1 slice of ham or Canadian bacon - I used a thick slice of ham, but you could also use cheap regular packaged thin-sliced ham.
• 1 slice of American cheese - or any favorite cheese.
• 1 English (style) muffin
• Oil for metal egg ring - I used cooking spray. You could also smear-on regular cooking oil.
• Salt and pepper to taste - optional for seasoning the frying egg.

Directions

I made my own egg frying metal ring. You want a can that is as wide as a muffin, so the egg is not too large or too small. I found that 16 ounce tomato sauce cans work well. You want a can that does not have a rounded bottom, as it is too hard to remove. I used a short can of chestnuts for this video -- so you could easily see the egg cooking. One can that does not work is a tuna can (although it is the right diameter) because it has a rounded bottom.

Remove the top and bottom of the tin can with your can opener and empty it. Wash and rinse out the can so canned flavors do not contaminate the frying egg. When the can is damp it is easier to remove the label. If you do not get it all off, that's okay -- the sides of the can do not get that hot. Dry off the can.

I found it easy to use the can to stamp/cut-out the American cheese and ham. My ham slice was thick, so I had to use a knife to slice it all the way through. Set aside round cut cheese and ham.

Use your favorite omelet pan over a medium heat. Lightly oil the inside of the egg metal ring with cooking spray (okay to wipe on regular veggie oil.)

Place the ring in the heating pan. Add one egg into the ring. You can scramble the egg first (anyway you like it ) in a bowl, and then add it, or just break the egg directly into the ring. A little egg may leak out the bottom of the can, but not that much. Take a fork or knife to break the yolk (or not, it's up to you.) Over medium heat, it takes about 5 minutes for the egg to cook through, since it is a thick puck you are frying.

 

It's best to leave the can alone so the bottom of the egg gets a nice crusty bottom. As the top of the egg starts to get firm, it's time to add the ham, and toast the English muffin.

You can heat up the ham in the same frying pan, if there is room. When the top of the egg looks firm enough, take a butter knife and loosen the egg from the inside of the can. Remove the can from around the egg - and depending on how hot the pan gets, be careful when handling the egg frying ring. Use a spatula to loosen the egg from the frying pan and flip it over.

Add the cheese to the egg. Heat ham through as muffin toasts. Egg only needs to cook for barely a minute more. Remove the egg and cheese if the ham takes long to heat through -- no need to overcook it all.

When the muffin is lightly browned, and the ham is heated though, assemble the Egg McMuffin.

Hindsight

If you don't like a crispy skin on your egg, you can add a 1/4 cup of water to the frying pan or a pot with a cover (once the egg is in the ring,) so the egg poaches, instead of frying (add more water if it cooks out before the egg is firm.) Drain out the water when it is time to remove the ring and flip the egg over (to finish cooking.) Obviously you will heat up the ham in a different pan, or just microwave.

McDonald's sells a Sausage McMuffin, too. That's easy enough to make at home as well. Just start the sausage cooking earlier or pre-cook it. An Egg McMuffin is just as tasty without meat - egg and cheese is satisfying enough.

McDonald's brushes the muffin inside with butter, I left it off. Instead, I like mayo on my breakfast sandwiches. You can also add lettuce and tomato for fresh roughage.

If appearance is unimportant, don't cut the ham and cheese into discs, or even cook the egg in my homemade frying ring. Just cook everything the way you like it and build a breakfast muffin sandwich to suit your own taste.

Patty Melt VIDEO - Sandwich Month

It's sammy month at the chintzy chateau -- and The 99 Cent Chef has your seat saved at the  head of my dining table. Do you like rye, sourdough, pita, or multi-grain. Should I make it toasted, open-faced, plain; or are you one of those who like their bread edges sliced off? As for what goes on between two slices of bread, well let's just say the variations are endless.

Looking back on my food blog, I've done my share of sammy construction, just click on any name to see them. Scallop Roll, Picnic Sandwiches with Amy Mann, a Big Easy Po' Boy Tour, Meatball Sub, Pita with Scrambled Eggs, Vietnamese Bahn Mi, Muffaletta, Salmon Schmear, Veggie Wrap, Salmon and Portabella Mushroom Burgers, Grilled 3 Cheese, and a Cuban Sandwich. Plus, for Super Bowl Sunday any of these sandwiches will keep the cheerleading section happy.

For the month of February, I have a chalkboard menu of sandwich videos and recipes, including: crunchy spheres of herb infused Falafels in Pita Bread; a homemade version of the classic McDonalds Egg McMuffin; a special sandwich edition of Restaurant Nocturnes; a way out Alligator Po' Boy by my Cajun nephew Chef Matt, and right now, a decadent and luscious Patty Melt.

I think the first time I tried one was from a street corner food truck. After scarfing one down, this is one lunchtime nap inducer. Although Patty Melts seem to have fallen out of favor lately. (I used to see them on every hamburger joint's menu.) Maybe they are seen as just too plain with the advent of the $12 burger (which, on principle, I have refused to shell out for!)

Most sandwiches have crunchy, healthy lettuce, cucumber, pickles and/or tomato to offset the protein and carbs; however, in a Patty Melt there is no pretense. This sandwich cuts right to the chase, just carbs, meat, and oozing cheese -- even the onions are cooked down to a sweet caramelization.

For my take on the Patty Melt, ground hambuger is too expense, so I used ground chicken instead. Most grocery store frozen deli cases stock ground chicken and turkey for a little over a dollar a pound. I got mine at the local 99c only Store. So for this calorie bomb of a sandwich, ground poultry has less fat -- it's a lighter way to go.

I have a slew of sandwich orders to get in, so place your order now, and check back soon. And in the meantime, check out my Patty Melt recipe video below -- warning, may induce drooling!

Patty Melt Recipe - VIDEO

Play it here. Video runs 2 minutes, 55 seconds.

To view or embed from YouTube, click here.
 
 Ingredients

• 1/3 pound of ground meat - per hamburger patty. I used ground chicken, but turkey or ground beef is okay.
• 1 whole onion - small to medium.
• 2 slices of bread - normally rye bread is used for a Patty Melt, but you can use any type of bread (or buns) you like.
• American cheese - 2 slices. Again, if you have a favorite (like cheddar or Swiss) go ahead and try it out.
• 1 tablespoon of butter - for toasting bread in the pan.
• 1 tablespoon of cooking oil - for caramelizing the onions.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions
Since caramelizing onions take the longest, start with that. If you use a larger pan the onions will brown quicker. First slice and/or cube-cut the onions. Don't worry about the size of the pieces, they will cook down considerably.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a medium to low heating frying pan. Add chopped onions and stir around for a couple of minutes. Now you can sit back and let them lightly brown. It will take a while but the flavor of sweeten caramelized onion is worth it. You need to still stir around the onions every once and a while, so they don't blacken and burn. This process takes 10 - 15 minutes.

If you are making a few Patty Melts, then you can brown several chopped onions at once -- you may want to do a few onions anyway, as caramelized onions are good on almost any grilled sandwich (including a simple Grilled Cheese, or as the base to French Onion Soup, recipe here.) It's also okay to make caramelized onions ahead of time, just store in the refrigerator until you need them. When onions are done, set aside.

Next, form a meat patty (or patties) that is slightly larger than the bread slice. Depending on the water or fat content of the ground meat, the patty will shrink. I got three patties from one pound of ground chicken.

Add one tablespoon of oil to a frying pan, over a medium heat. Add patty and season with salt and pepper. Brown each side of the patty, until done. If you are cooking ground poultry then cook it all the way, until juices run clear when pierced with a knife. For ground beef you can cook it the way you normally like it (medium to well done.)

Now time to put it all together. You may need to clean out you frying pan to start fresh. Add a tablespoon of butter (or favorite substitute) to medium heating pan. Coat bottom of pan so butter will coat the bread slice.

Add one slice of bread, a slice of cheese, meat patty then top with caramelized onions and one more cheese slice. Top it all off with the last bread slice.

Your Patty Melt is built and now just brown each side as you would a typical grilled cheese sandwich. It only takes 5 minutes or so. Watch as the cheese melts and mixes with the caramelized onions -- my cheapie Patty Melt is one decadently tasty sammy!