# Bagels & Cream Cheese **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 26, 2014, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070 "2014-04-26T18:48:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070/21 "2014-04-27T00:11:23Z")
Prebuttered, toasted golden brown in toaster oven, moderate cream cheese. If feeling decadent, I use Brie instead of cream cheese. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070/22 "2014-04-27T00:14:54Z")
Lightly toasted for me, with the barest hint of browning. Sometimes I accidentally set the toaster too high (for blackened English muffins) and it’s a disaster. ☹ Toppings: usually margarine only, or cream cheese if it hasn’t started growing mold. Occasionally I’ll break free of the “starving bachelor” routine and cook up a fried egg w/cheese, slathered with mayo instead of other condiments (kinda like an Egg McBagel, if they still sold those.) ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070/23 "2014-04-27T02:51:04Z")
Thin layer of cream cheese? Hubby has never bought a bagel from Brueggers or any number of other places, has he? They practically fire-hose the stuff on. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070/24 "2014-04-27T03:14:44Z")
The OP probably toasts her bagels darker than I would like, but so does my wife, and I don’t look at _her_ funny. 1/4 inch might be a bit on the heavy side, but if the husband is complaining, he probably doesn’t put _enough_ on. I don’t toast bagels fresh from the store, but we freeze extras, and toast those. Since they’re pre-sliced, I can mix-and-match bagel halves, and often have _three_ halves for breakfast. 🆒 When I was in college, the local bagel store put so much cream cheese on, you could buy a second plain bagel, and have enough cream cheese for both. ---
**Author:** ![FallingLeaves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/54ee81/32.png) [@FallingLeaves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallingLeaves)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070/25 "2014-04-27T03:15:10Z")
The only time you put just a thin layer of cream cheese is when you open the fridge and realize you only have a tiny bit left and forgot to buy more. So you use what you have and then cover it with raspberry jam. When I buy a bagel with cream cheese from a local bakery/cafe I eat it like a sandwich, but at home, I tend to eat them separately. I don’t think I realized I did this until thinking about it now. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070/26 "2014-04-27T03:57:21Z")
Toasted good and brown, an almost obscene amount of cream cheese, and lox or even better apricot preserves. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070/27 "2014-04-27T04:15:50Z")
> [@Missy2U](#): > > 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! 😃 I hesitate to say anyone is wrong or right. Perhaps a pole thread is in order? And if, in your household, the loser has to nibble cream cheese off of the winner… well then I can’t honestly see anyone losing that bet. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070/28 "2014-04-27T04:36:42Z")
If I am buying from a true bagel place in New York, a non-toasted Everything with a schmeer of olive cream cheese, eaten like a sandwich because that’s how they give it. Up here, grocery store bagels get toasted and each half gets a generous (yeah, 1/4" is about right) layer of onion and chive cream cheese over it, and the halves are eaten separately, open-face. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070/29 "2014-04-27T06:23:25Z")
Your husband has no business criticising for you liking things different than he does, regardless of whether anyone else in the world likes it your way or not. Sorry, but he sounds like a giant ass. Personally, I like bagels toasted, untoasted, whatever. My favorite: Pumpernickel bagel -toasted, with onion cream cheese and lots of it. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070/30 "2014-04-27T08:07:14Z")
After lightly toasting a jalapeno bagel, broil it in a toaster oven for about 2-3 minutes with pepperoni slices lying on top, so that the pepperoni cooks and the oil permeates the bagel. Remove the pepperoni, apply a thick spread of cream cheese, and then put the pepperoni back on top. Consume. You’re welcome. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070/31 "2014-04-27T13:32:01Z")
You get one of those big blocks of cream cheese with a square cross section, maybe 4 or 5 pounds in the block. Slice off a square block of cream cheese about 1/2 inch thick and stick it between two bagel halves. That’s a reasonable amount of cream cheese. You still need lox to make it worth eating, and if it’s a real bagel and fresh you’d never put it in the toaster. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070/32 "2014-04-27T14:33:21Z")
Well, speaking of sandwich wise, three times in the last month I’ve gone into Brueggers and ordered a bagel (Asiago Parmesan usually) with egg, cheese (pepperjack or provolone) and turkey breast. Pretty good breakfast sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070/33 "2014-04-27T14:38:56Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > I hesitate to say anyone is wrong or right. Perhaps a pole thread is in order? And if, in your household, the loser has to nibble cream cheese off of the winner… well then I can’t honestly see anyone losing that bet. 😉 I don’t think a thread about poles is going to generate much interest. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070/34 "2014-04-27T14:48:20Z")
Lots of folks [here](http://www.seriouseats.com/2007/09/the-best-bagels-toasted-or-untoasted.html), including the author, seem to side on the “schmear” not piles of cream cheese front, just for the record. [Here’s Ed Levine’s 2003 NYTimes column on it](http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/31/dining/was-life-better-when-bagels-were-smaller.html): > [@](#): > > A few more stipulations. Bagels do not need six ounces of cream cheese on them. They only need a schmear. Cream cheese made without guar gum is optimal, but it is hard to find. (You can still find fine natural cream cheese at the Fairway markets and Russ & Daughters in New York, and Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor, Mich., makes a great, larger curd cream cheese that is available by mail.) On the subject of salmon, it should be Nova, and it should be sliced to order. A good bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon does not have to be toasted, as contrast with the fat and salt will be provided by the crunchy crust of a properly made bagel exterior. So, while I don’t really care one way or another–I’m not a New Yorker; I’ll stick to opinions about ketchup and hot dogs–it doesn’t seem your husband is crazy for proclaiming that a thin layer of cream cheese is perhaps the more accepted practice. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070/35 "2014-04-27T17:00:09Z")
Sorry. Forgot a terminal quote in the first URL. Here is the beginning of the post as meant: > [@pulykamell](#): > > Lots of folks [here](http://www.seriouseats.com/2007/09/the-best-bagels-toasted-or-untoasted.html), including the author, seem to side on the “schmear” not piles of cream cheese front, just for the record. [Here’s Ed Levine’s 2003 NYTimes column on it:](http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/31/dining/was-life-better-when-bagels-were-smaller.html) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070/36 "2014-04-27T19:40:05Z")
Ed Levine is right, you don’t need six ounces of cream cheese on a bagel, four or five ounces is sufficient. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070/37 "2014-04-27T20:44:03Z")
Toast the hell out of it cream cheese on one half and butter on the other half, a metric fuckton of each. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070/38 "2014-04-27T22:22:48Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Lots of folks [here](http://www.seriouseats.com/2007/09/the-best-bagels-toasted-or-untoasted.html), including the author, seem to side on the “schmear” not piles of cream cheese front, just for the record. [Here’s Ed Levine’s 2003 NYTimes column on it](http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/31/dining/was-life-better-when-bagels-were-smaller.html): > > So, while I don’t really care one way or another–I’m not a New Yorker; I’ll stick to opinions about ketchup and hot dogs–it doesn’t seem your husband is crazy for proclaiming that a thin layer of cream cheese is perhaps the more accepted practice. I think Levine wrote that article because several ounces actually is the accepted practice, and he doesn’t like it. Every time I’ve been to NY, or delis that mimic NY style bagels, I’ve received more than just a shmear. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070/39 "2014-04-27T22:34:13Z")
I don’t add salt to very many things but after I toast my bagel and put a little butter on it followed by a thick coat of cream cheese I sprinkle it lightly with salt. I eat at least one (both sides) usually two. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070/40 "2014-04-27T22:47:49Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > I think Levine wrote that article because several ounces actually is the accepted practice, and he doesn’t like it. Every time I’ve been to NY, or delis that mimic NY style bagels, I’ve received more than just a shmear. Yes, I think you’re right. It seems the piles of cream cheese is more the actual practice, given the comments complaining about how much they use at Murray’s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bagels-cream-cheese/687070.md?page=3)