So I rolled out of bed at the crack of Noon today and went down to greet my family (the dog and the husband.) Feeling somewhat hungry, I had my first cup of hot tea, and then prepared my breakfast. I took a half of a plain bagel, popped it in the toaster, turned the toaster up so it would do a little more than lightly tan my bagel, then proceeded to slather it with around 1/4" of cream cheese. There was not a part of the top of the bagel that did not have at last 1/4" of cream cheese. I then poured myself a glass of iced tea, sat down on the couch with my bagel, and chowed it down. (Edited to add - the bagel half was about an inch thick. I’m eyeballing that based on a ruler I have hanging on my wall and the size of the slots in my toaster - it took up the whole slot.)
I did not notice until I was almost finished the look of horror my husband was giving me. He asked me if I always toasted it that much (it was medium brown - not burnt or anything) and always put that much cream cheese on it. I said of course! After being together for 18 years this is the first freakin’ time you’ve ever seen me eat a bagel? He actually gave that some thought and said that yes, it actually probably was. He then proceeded to inform me that I was a barbarian and not fit to live with normal people because it is widely known and accepted in polite and sane circles that bagels are toasted lightly, spread with a thin layer of cream cheese, and not only one half is eaten, both halves must be eaten.
So I told him he was an ass, there are no “acceptable/standard” bagel practices, told him to go play in the garage, and leave me alone. So now I put it to you all:
How toasty do you make your bagels, do you eat both halves, and, most importantly, how much cream cheese do you put on them? I’d hate to be kept away from society at large because of my bagel preferences!
I’m more of a barbarian than you, as I think cream cheese is overrated and prefer butter on my bagel (lightly toasted). I eat both halves, and then eat both halves of another one. If I am eating cream cheese, yes, I want a thick layer so you can actually taste the stuff.
Has your husband ever been to NYC? He’s crazy if he thinks a thin later of cream cheese is the “accepted” way to eat a bagel. That may be the way he likes it, and that’s fine. But that’s not standard practice. I don’t much care how toasted it is, so long as it isn’t burned.
In short, he’s dead wrong.
I will say that I’ve never only eaten a half of a bagel, but that’s just a function of appetite.
Your husband is a barbarian, but I have to admit, I eat them the same way he does. A Jalapeno-cheese bagel, slightly toasted, with a light schmeer of jalapeno cream cheese.
Good, fresh bagels need no toasting. The outside will be just as crunchy as it would be toasted (if the outside is not crunchy when fresh it wasn’t boiled and is just round bread, so you can eat it the same way you do slices of bread).
If they’re a day old, it starts to help; the crust starts to soften and it’s far less satisfying.
As for cream cheese, the more the better.
Favorite these days is an everything bagel with vegetable cream cheese, though onion, poppy seed, and sesame seed are good. Plain is OK in a pinch. I’ll also go with plain or pimento/olive cream cheese. A tomato is a nice touch, as is leaving off the cream cheese and putting on tuna salad, onion, lettuce, and tomato.
If it’s a fresh, good bagel, no toasting, and just a light smear of cream cheese on them, and lox if I’m in the mood. If it’s just a decent bagel that’s been sitting around for a bit, just enough toasting to get it warm, but not crunchy. If it’s just a generic bagel, then toasted to the point it starts getting crunchy.
I like eating both bagel halves smeared with cream cheese, because that just doubles the yummy cream cheese (though my waistline would disagree). Agree with RealityChuck (for once) - a good, fresh, boiled bagel should never be toasted. Every other bagel out there, knock yourself out.
I agree with RealityChuck - a bakery fresh, well-made NYC style bagel is best straight out of the bag. But if I’m toasting an older bagel, it’ll be heavily toasted. Personally, I eat bagels like a sandwich - two halves pressed together. If I’m not that hungry, I’ll just have half of the “sandwich.” As for cream cheese . . . well, let’s just say that to me, 1/4 of an inch is spreading it thinly.
The most common is not all that far away from what the OP does. However, I do prefer lightly toasted (the same level of doneness that I like regular toast at). I’m pretty much of the opinion that you cannot have too much cream cheese. However, I like to put a dab of cream cheese on each bite of the bagel. I like the hot/cold contrast, I don’t like melty cream cheese, and I like being able to vary how much cream cheese I put on each bite. (Plus, I don’t have to answer for how much I put on; it’s harder for others to judge just how much is being used.)
The other way is toasted in the oven under the broiler with butter put on before toasting. I go for a darker toasting this way - the butter should brown as well as the bagel - but I certainly don’t want anything turning black. No cream cheese needed with this method.
As others have said, fresh bagels don’t really need toasting, but fresh bagels are a luxury I usually go without. For one thing I’m not very close to any stores that do proper fresh bagels. For another, a single fresh bagel costs as much as a bag of 6 at the grocery store. Fresh bagels are not better enough to justify that kind of premium price.
I knew it - I KNEW IT! He was wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong! I am going to print out this thread and put it on the cabinet above the toaster so I may gloat when I have my next bagel with lots of cream cheese!! HAH - Take THAT Husband!! (Yes, I know - I’m way to invested in breakfast. Or being right. Or something.)
My favorite combination is an onion bagel with regular cream cheese, but I’m pretty limited to the different types of cream cheese I can get here - I would LOVE to try the pimiento/olive cream cheese that RealityChuck mentioned - I haven’t ever seen it though. I am really going to have to start paying closer attention when I’m at the grocery store in the cream cheese section - maybe there are more selections than I remember, but the last time, I know I was pretty limited. I know there was vegetable and chive and onion but that was about it other than the plain.
In other news, I don’t think I have ever had a fresh bagel - the ones I’ve always had came from either the grocery store or were at a meeting at work. Someone once brought Eintein Brothers in for a meeting, but they had been in the bag for hours and didn’t seem any different than the ones I buy in the store. Same with Dunkin’ Donuts - but the Dunkin’ Donuts around here suck so there’s always that.
puly, do you know where I could find a fresh bagel in the NW Suburbs (preferably Palatine)? I know you mentioned in another thread that you were down here a lot - any ideas? I’d really like to try one - as long as I can get all the cream cheese I want on it.
He’s SOMETHING all right - you should just hear the controversy around here when it comes the milk/no milk on breakfast cereal debate! And the when is the proper time to have dinner debate. And the Oreos - do you split them and eat the frosting first or eat the whole thing together debate. And let’s not forget baked potatoes - do you eat the skin or don’t you debate. Oh, and don’t forget the fast food restaurant just order what’s on the damn menu versus wanting it MY way debate. And he wonders why I don’t like to eat around him!
