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What do the pros buy when they need a quick start to the morning?
Last year, my husband started a tradition he dubbed “Breakfast Sandwich Saturday.” It was the perfect excuse (not that he needed one) to try the many frozen breakfast sandwich options he’d been eyeing at Costco.
After trying many sandwiches from many stores, we realized each member of our family had their own favorite style. My husband loves English muffins, my son prefers anything with bacon (though sometimes he eats only the bacon), and I’ve become partial to breakfast burritos.
As we were looking for a new one to try recently, I started to wonder: What do the pros buy when they need a quick start to the morning? So I asked a few chefs and recipe developers to share their favorite store-bought frozen breakfast sandwiches. It turns out, they all reach for a classic brand.
The Breakfast Sandwich Experts
- Brittany Apodaca: Executive chef and general manager at Scramble, a Breakfast & Lunch Joint in Phoenix, Ariz.
- Kathleen Boureston: Recipe developer and founder of Gonna Want Seconds
- Isaac Bernal Carbajo: Executive chef for the Representation of Spain to the United Nations
- Cynthia Christensen: Chef, recipe developer, and founder of But First We Brunch
The Best Frozen Breakfast Sandwich, According to the Pros
For the experts I spoke with, Jimmy Dean stands out because it delivers on all fronts: a flavorful filling, a good bread base, plus “it’s available everywhere,” says Boureston.
When it comes to frozen breakfast sandwiches, “the bread is probably the most important component because it can ruin the whole sandwich if it becomes tough, soggy, or chewy,” says Christensen.
“When the bread isn’t right, the rest of the product loses much of its appeal,” adds Carbajo.
In fact, everyone agreed that English muffins outperform biscuits and croissants. “If we’re looking for the variety that reheats the best, it will always be the English muffins. The croissants tend to get mushy in the microwave, and it takes a lot more work, like using the air fryer, to make them taste good,” explains Boureston.
Apodaca reaches for the brand’s sausage, egg, and cheese on an English muffin when she needs a convenient breakfast. “It’s a good quick grab when running out of the house for work, an early morning road trip, or a pre/post workout meal that’s high in protein,” she says. The chef also appreciates that Jimmy Dean “has also branched out to include healthier options with whole grain breads and egg whites, or turkey sausage. The variety they provide is vast and targets any of your dietary needs when in a pinch.”
For Christensen, the appeal is equal parts flavor and nostalgia. “The English muffin reheats well without becoming overly chewy, and the sausage has the classic flavor I remember from the tube of Jimmy Dean sausage that my dad used when I was growing up.” She adds that “it has just the right amount of sage, so it tastes close to my homemade breakfast sausage.” Boureston also praises Jimmy Dean for its meat. “I really prefer brands with high-quality protein. Whether you pick sausage, bacon, or ham, it needs to be solid and not cheap.”
Carbajo agrees that quality sets the sandwich apart from its competitors. “Over the years, I’ve tried quite a few brands out of professional curiosity and to better understand what the market really has to offer. Jimmy Dean remains one of my favorites.” He usually buys the turkey sausage variation because “the filling provides plenty of flavor without feeling overly heavy or greasy,” and avoids anything that “relies too heavily on sauces or flavor enhancers to make it appealing.”
How you reheat it makes a difference, too. “The package directions are a good starting point, but I usually make a small adjustment. If I’m using the microwave, I let the sandwich rest for about a minute before eating it so the heat has time to distribute more evenly. And if I have a little extra time, I like to finish it in a skillet or an air fryer,” advises Carbajo. “A lot of the time, you just need to give the product one more minute to make it taste like it was freshly made.”
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Read the original article on Simply Recipes
