Internet, would you be so kind as to weigh in on something for me?
You see, my husband and I are at opposite ends of an issue, and I’m not sure if it’s one of those things where there is a definite right and a definite wrong, or if it’s one of those things where there’s a fat grey area in the middle, or if it’s one of those things that no one really cares about at all.
But I care. I really do. And I need you to tell me if I’m caring meaningfully… or if it’s one of those things like “all of the sudden” vs. “all of a sudden,” where I feel Very Strongly about one way, to the point where the other way grates on me a little (I just finished a book that gave me a LOT to think about, and filled my head with horrible images and the woe of a hopeless, heartless, cruelty-filled world, and yet one of the things I remember the MOST is the author’s [incorrect, I maintain!!!] usage of the phrase), even though I am 90% certain that it’s simply a matter of preference or a matter of regional variation rather than a matter of right or wrong.
(See also: the difference vs. “flick off” and “flip off;” and the difference between “pants” and “de-pants.”)
Lest I get riled right off the subject, let us move back to my original request, which is for you to weigh in on something.
Specifically, I’d like you to weigh in on food temperature.
I’ve touched on it briefly before. But I want to discuss it again, and there’s a practical reason behind my request: I’ve recently joined a breakfast-making club at my new job (my policy at least for the first few months will be to say yes to everything, because I want to become part of the team as quickly as possible, and plus, who says no to a breakfast-making club?) and so even though my assigned Breakfast Day is a few weeks hence, I am already fretting thinking about what to bring.
(Let me assure you that I have no idea whether I used “hence” correctly back there. In fact, I’m leaning toward not correctly. But I like the way it sounds there, so there it stays.) (Behold! The deterioration of the English language is before you!)
(I would also like you to know, apropos of nothing, that I am making dinner while writing this post. I’m making tacos, if you must know, because they are easy and delicious. And I am pausing in between sentences to eat freshly grated extra sharp cheddar cheese. My husband and I are at odds when it comes to cheese, too, just to be completely forthright with you. He prefers sharp while I prefer extra sharp, despite the fact that I shredded up some extra sharp for our chili last week and he didn’t know the difference. I even TOLD him that I’d done it and he ADMITTED that he didn’t notice the difference, and yet he still maintains that not only is sharp superior in flavor to extra sharp, but that it melts better, too. I am choosing to see this as very charming instead of infuriating and so have shredded two piles of cheese on the cutting board for tonight’s tacoing. The extra sharp is for me.)
(Perhaps this post would stick a little more closely to the point if I weren’t constantly pausing to stir the taco meat or stuff my face with cheese.)
So: food temperature.
The other day, I was thinking out loud about breakfast foods I could bring for my first breakfast-making club assignment, but I kept hitting on one major issue: heat.
My office is a good 30 minutes from my house, so I ruled out anything that needs to be eaten whilst piping hot. Which is… everything. Bacon. Eggs. (Ack. Especially eggs.) French toast. French toast casserole. Pancakes. Waffles. Grits. Oatmeal. (Gag.) (Are there… other breakfast foods?)
Because I firmly believe that food-that-is-meant-to-be-hot should be hot. HOT. Not warm. Not lukewarm. Not room temperature. Not cold. HOT.
That is why I do not eat cold pizza or take bites of Chef Boyardee ravioli from the can. (Double gag.) That is why I prefer to heat leftover soups and spaghetti on the stove rather than in the microwave. That is why Thanksgiving is so stressful for me: so many meant-to-be-hot items that all need to be ready (and hot) simultaneously.
But my husband avers that I am in the minority when it comes to food temperature. He, after all, doesn’t need a bowl of soup to be visibly steaming in order to enjoy it. (How? HOW does he enjoy it?) And he thinks that I am wrongly – stupidly, even – ruling out a whole list of food that most people would find completely palatable at room temperature.
To that I say ew.
(You are beginning to feel sorry for my breakfast club, aren’t you?)
But I am willing to acknowledge that my food quirks are not universal. And if I AM in the minority, well, why should my entire breakfast-making club have to pass on some perfectly good lukewarm French toast casserole just because I believe it needs to be hot or not at all?
Anyway, what I want to know is, how important is food temperature to you? Is there a range of acceptable hotness? Do certain foods have a wider hotness-spectrum than others? Which foods MUST be served piping hot and ONLY piping hot? You can extend your answers to non-breakfast food, if you like – I’d be interested anyway.
And, as long as we’re thinking about food, what would you like to eat at work on a Friday morning? (Gluten free suggestions and links to recipes would be VERY welcome.)
life of a doctor's wife 
You should make Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls (with cream cheese frosting on top, not her glaze) which are better when they are warm not piping hot and an easy batch of muffin tin frittatas (I like red pepper and spinach and cheddar in mine) which you can Google to find a million recipe suggestions. They heat up in the microwave quite well for anyone wants them piping hot, although you COULD bake them all in the morning, toss them in a pre-warmed CrockPot and then leave the CrockPot on very low at the office so people can serve themselves out of the CrockPot to a very, very steamy hot frittata.
I like the breakfast at work idea, but can see the issue with egg dishes. I need my eggs to be consumed within minutes of being cooked. HOT or forget it. So for this event muffins and fruit and yogurt would be my choice. I have recipes for many yummy muffins on my site (sour cream coffee cake muffins, banana muffins with chocolate chips, and chocolate chocolate chip muffins are my favorites!). Good luck … and good for you to jump right in and participate in these work events!
I VARY a bit, because SOME foods MUST be hot or I will be DEPRESSED and/or the food will be RUINED and/or I will keep re-heating it in the microwave until it’s not worth it—but on the other hand, I’ll eat cold pizza, and I’ll snitch delicious tepid spoonfuls of Thanksgiving food.
I have a baked oatmeal recipe that might be great: I make it ahead and then microwave an individual serving, and the microwave does it nothing but favors. I don’t know if I can use html here, but I will try: Baked Oatmeal. My dad, who likes oatmeal (I normally hate oatmeal), says this is not really oatmeal so much as breakfast cobbler.
My husband puts ice in his soup, I drink cold coffee (and I don’t mean ice coffee) so I am no help.
In your predicament I would bring donuts. Who doesn’t want a donut? Sure, people think they don’t want it because maybe its not the healthiest but they really do. They will eat it.
Or there’s always fruit, granola, and yogurt.
See, that’s why I said donuts.
As far as I know, you’re in the minority (but how would I really know?) I refuse to eat anything that’s HOT hot. You can’t even taste the food! You burn your tongue! It must cool to pleasantly warm before I’ll touch it.
I’m with you on the extra sharp, though.
If your office has a microwave, I think you’re safe. You could make something that you can stick in the oven while you get ready for work, and then take it hot to work. It will still be warm when you get there (wrapped in foil or towels, or one of those fancy carrier things), and if people want it HOT, they can use the microwave. This caught my eye (in a Food Lush Recipe Roundup) the other day, and I *think* most (all?) Paleo recipes are gf? Yeah, I don’t know. http://paleomg.com/breakfast-lasagna/. Also, AndreAnna at lifeasaplate.com has a BUNCH of gf recipes – maybe some muffins or something would work? Good luck!
Okay, my vote is for make your own breakfast tacos. Because most of the ingredients are meant to be cold. You need your eggs and your potatoes to be hot. So the eggs you have in a crock pot and the potatoes you microwave.
I’m with Swistle. Some things must be the proper temperature, but other things I do not care.
Also, let me introduce you to my turkey roaster. It converts into a little three slot steam table. And it keeps all the Thanksgiving side dishes hot!
Since food doesn’t really matter to me, never really has, and unless my stomach spontaneous gains the ability to move (it’s paralyzed) probably never will when eating foods off of my very limited “safe” list food temperature is VERY IMPORTANT (more so when I am preparing food for others). Who likes room temperature pasta salad? Also, I eat slowly, very, very, annoyingly slow and I make no apologies! If I order/prepare a cup of soup, I want it to be boiling when served (I mean that literally)! That way, as I make my way through my few spoonfuls it will remain HOT the entire time. I have been told, soup can’t be served as hot as I request because it’s a “lawsuit waiting to happen (example # 233534395343 that we live in a “SUE CRAZY” nation)!” So, I guess, all that to say that I do really think food temperature is important. Good luck let the Internet know what you decide to bring.
I second Swistle’s oatmeal recipe suggestion! I’ve decided that I like that recipe better cooler rather than warmer =).
Mm, I’m a medium cheddar kind of girl. I love me some creamy-tasting, mild cheese.
Also, not a fan of Hot foods. I abhor burnt tongue. I’ve had good luck with taking a casserole straight from the oven and to my event with an insulated carrier. Though, again, I need a little mellowing time so it doesn’t burn my mouth. I really think you’d be fine if you kept it in a carrier.
I’m a piping hot kind of person. I often heat meals up in the microwave halfway through because they’re not hot enough for me. I have no suggestions for food, but I feel your pain.
First, I’m going to offer up this breakfast strata, which is good both hot and warm (which it would be by the time you got to work) and room temperature: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/10/eat-for-eight-bucks-spinach-strata-with-sage.html
It’s really delicious. Not gluten free, though, unless you tried to make it with GF bread?
Second, there is a range of hotness that is acceptable, to me. Eggs must be hot. Bacon can be room temp. Biscuits must be hot. Basically, any food where the true flavor of it comes out when it’s hot must be hot. Bacon tastes like bacon, no matter what (unless it’s cold, in which case it is delicious on a sandwich).
Also, what about a yogurt parfait bar? Bring in plain yogurt, then line up the mix-ins on the counter: honey, jam, granola, small chopped fruits (mango, strawberry). That way, you won’t have to worry about gluten or about keeping it hot!
The importance of food’s hotness varies by my level of hunger. If I’m reheating something and I’m starving? F*** it, I’m eating it lukewarm. Then again, if I pull a piping hot pizza out of the oven and I’m super hungry? F*** it, I’m burning my mouth. So maybe I don’t care too much about the temperature of food after all.
Playing the devil’s advocate, is there a microwave at work where people could give their French toast casserole serving a little jump if they like it hotter? Also, if you take it straight out of the oven, put it into an insulated travel bag or whatever those things are, arguably, it’ll still be pretty warm when you get there.
Other breakfast suggestions might be muffins or something? But I guess if it’s a breakfast club, I’d feel pretty ripped off if all I got was a muffin or a yogurt & granola/nuts toppings bar. LOL Good luck though! That sounds like a really great idea. My office did a breakfast thing last year for Christmas but I didn’t participate.
You are lucky your husband even likes cheese, mine hates it. Although I guess that means more cheese for me.
I have to go with Swistle on the some things have to be hot and others I could care less about. I am a HOT egg girl, but I eat cold fried chicken and bacon all the time. Pizza and soup have to at least be warm though piping hot is not a requirement. I eat nothing out of a can cold, that is just gross. I will pick off lukewarm or even cold leftovers all day long.
I think you would be safe in most of your breakfast club being fine with lukewarm/warm food, or using the microwave to heat things up.
Personally I wouldn’t do anything with a separate egg component. I don’t think eggs travel well really, but again I only eat eggs straight out of the skillet. I would make breakfast tacos, (which in my world involves all the ingredients (potatoes, eggs, cheese, bacon, and onions) cooked together in one giant goopy mess) and just put them in a crock pot to keep them warm.
There are also a number of tasty breakfast casseroles which are meant to be served warm or cold even, though I have no recipes handy at the moment, I know I have drooled over them in the past.
I agree with the suggestion about muffins and yogurt. I try to be fancy at potlucks, but in this case, the heat issue will definitely be a problem. The only other suggestion that I can think of is making something in addition to the muffins, like a frittata or egg stratta, and transporting it in one of those heatware containers…the ones meant to zip up around a 9×13 Pyrex (I have no idea what they’re called). If the item was hot when it went in there, it would probably stay that way by the time you got to work and people could just individually reheat their plates in a microwave anyway. Good luck!
(Veggie Strata recipe…NOT gluten free: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Vegetable-and-Cheese-Strata-11332)
I think I may be in the minority here but I’ll eat anything at any temperature. Food I made for dinner last night and ate hot I’ll eat cold for breakfast the next morning, or room temperature for lunch. The only exception I can think of is oatmeal. And that’s legit because cold cooked oatmeal is gross. Cold mashed potatoes? Don’t mind if I do. Cold pancakes? Whatever. They are still delicious.
As for your breakfast club, food at work is always a hit. At least where I work, people are not picky at all and will eat virtually anything. I like the muffin tin mini egg thing idea. Sort of like a personal quiche. I think quiche is probably delicious at room temp. I’d eat it (though that doesn’t say much). And baked goods are always a hit. Muffins, or even scones. Scones are delicious (and then when you make them you see how much cream and butter are in them and never eat one again. win!). What about continental breakfast with some muffins, different types of bread, different jams, fruit and maybe some yogurt? As a generally healthy eating vegetarian, I’d appreciate something like that. I’m sure whatever you decide, no one will complain or judge. You just brought them free food!
I cannot think of a single thing that I would only eat hot. Cold pizza for breakfast? Yes. Cold leftover Chinese food for breakfast? Yes.
I *think* eggs would be the only breakfast-y thing I wouldn’t eat unless they were piping hot, but I don’t really love eggs anyway. Cold French toast would be icky to me, but again: eggs. I like Swistle’s baked oatmeal idea, and donuts, because YES, DONUTS.
I’m weird about my fruit – it *must* be kept in the refrigerator, or I won’t eat it. That goes for all fruit, even bananas. I can’t stand reheated chicken or turkey. I’ll eat pizza and Chinese food cold, just like -R-.
Some things must be at least warm to eat (soup and things that congeal when cold), most things I don’t really care.
My default breakfast item to bring would be bagels with cream cheese and butter, perfectly edible hot or cold. (Obviously that is not gluten free, you could also bring yogurt and fruit?) I also second Swistle’s Baked Oatmeal recipe, it is delicious and I have made it many times. (That one is gluten free if you buy a gluten free oatmeal, usually available at Whole Foods. Oatmeal is a gluten free food but is usually processed in the same factories as flour so its usually cross-contaminated.)
This is a slight point of contention in my house too because my husband stresses about ALL the foods being PIPING hot and so he gets all riled up if he “messes” something up in the kitchen that throws off his timing.
For example. he wanted to time our baked potatoes the other night to be done RIGHT when the chili was done. I thought we should cook them ahead (like, a few HOURS ahead even) and just keep them in the oven, wrapped in foil. I maintained they’d be fine, plus we would be topping them with piping hot chili.
That said, I do prefer (most) foods warm-to-hot-(but-not-piping-hot) or room-temperature-to-cool-ish.
Soups/stews/chilis are the exception to the rule — these I like HOT.
I like salads room-temperature-to-cool-ish. That is, I don’t like to pre-make a salad and then put it in the fridge to cool — if I pre-make our dinner salad, say, by an hour or less, then I’ll just leave it out to sit and take the chill off.
I prefer my meats, cooked vegetables, starches to be warm-to-hot-(but-not-piping-hot). I don’t want there to be any cold, and I don’t want it room temperature, but I also don’t want to burn the flesh off my mouth when I take my first bite.
Basically, I like my food, generally, to be a temperature at which I can shovel it in the fastest. Whatever THAT temperature is.
As for breakfast foods, I think most all of them DO need to be hot — I agree with you there. Especially any of the breakfast meats and eggs. DEFINITELY eggs. And toast. Not-hot toast is pointless.
I don’t know the rules of Breakfast Club, but since I like to be healthy-ish in the morning anyway, I’d probably go with something like a variety of bagels and flavored cream cheeses, sliced tomatoes and onions, capers, and lox (although that can probably end up being pretty pricey — not sure how many you need to feed — not to mention not everyone likes lox.)
I have also seen a recipe for a french toast/berry/cream cheese casserole that I bet you could pop in the oven when you wake up that morning and transport to work and still have it be warm-to-hot when you arrive. And even if it’s not, it certainly wouldn’t be COLD and even if it was, I don’t know…French toast and cream cheese seems like something I’d eat at any time, at any temperature.
Here’s the link! http://www.foodlushblog.com/2011/03/feed-me-blackberry-french-toast.html
omg i love this post! i have this issue all the time. i HATE eating cold foods that are supposed to be hot. (wtf with leftover cold pizza?! people are gross) i once caught my roommate eating chili out of a can and i literally gagged and proceeded to take the chili and heat it up for him. again… people are crazy.
on a breakfast idea note… i say do something simple like a yummy fruit salad and bagels/muffins. they have gluten free recipes online a lot of places if you google it. my husband is celiac and we tend to find a lot of good gluten free stuff at fresh n easy or trader joes if you have those where you live. good luck! 🙂
I don’t know about this. I don’t like my food piping hot because I can’t it that way – I don’t want to burn my tongue or the roof of my mouth and my teeth are super sensitive to hot and cold. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want my mac and cheese to be COLD, but if it’s lukewarm, I’ll probably enjoy it even more than if it was super duper hot. Steaming hot soup has to sit there until it’s NOT steaming hot to eat, right?
And, seriously, the yogurt bar sounds AWESOME. Most yogurts are gluten free. You can bring in granola (there are some pre-made GF varieties OR you can make your own if you have GF oats and other ingredients and an incredibly clean cookie sheet, measuring cups, and bowl), fruit, and honey as suggested above. Sweet heaven.
My husband, the person with Celiac’s in our house, also digs some of the GF breakfast goodies made my Udi’s (their blueberry muffins and cinnamon rolls to be specific). I’m only suggesting you buy pre-made GF stuff instead of telling you exact recipes (I have the most delicious pumpkin muffin/cupcake recipe) because if you make something in your kitchen, it will be contaminated with gluten. I know you keep your kitchen spic and span, but I know that my husband is SUPER UNCOMFORTABLE eating something someone else makes at their house because there’s so much room for contamination. He’s so uncomfortable that he gets no enjoyment out of it. So…buy something premade for those folks.
I bet you have no idea how many times a day we talk about cross contamination in our house, do you? Oh, we’re a fun couple.
Extra sharp cheddar (preferably Cabot) is the BEST. No question. Your husband is… peculiar. I think most hot food should be consumed hot, with the exception of pizza, which is acceptable cold, but only for breakfast the next morning.
Gluten-free tepid breakfast? FRITTATA. Can be served cold OR hot! You can fill it with cheese or veggies or ham or WHATEVER and it is yum. Bring pastries and fruit as sides (you can get or make GF muffins or whatevs).
Oh! This is a Thing in our house as well, because the boys prefer their food to be not even mildly warm, but room temperature, thus I have to cook the food hours before I serve it. THEY believe ALL food should be room-temperature. Gregg believes, like you, that some foods should be HOT (so he microwaves), and some should be COLD (so he’s out of luck), and will not eat it if it’s the wrong temperature. And I? Am usually too hungry to care.
Not only do I not particularly care if an item is HOT! or hot, but I also PREFER some stuff cold, the next day. I will eat spoonfuls of thanksgiving stuffing (which is not to be called dressing, even it it never graced the insides of a turkey), and I will slap you if you insist upon heating it up for me.
I think the easiest to go with a fruit salad, yogurt and fixings, muffins and jams. If you have a crock pot or an insulated carrier or even a couple of towels, you can wrap a casserole dish and it will stay very warm. How about some deviled eggs and cheese slices for protein too. I’m sure whatever you bring in will be enjoyed by the office group…..
I’m laughing as I read this because I’m also a HOT food should be HOT person and my husband is much more like your husband. To the point, that on those occasions that we get takeout from more than once location (recently happening more often than I care to admit since our 1 year old fridge is “under warranty” not working and the part back ordered for at least 2 months, and making cooking a difficult task) that we plan our route around getting HIS food first-wherever it is because he doesn’t CARE how hot it is, and I abhor food that is supposed to be hot, but is actually lukewarm. Therefore, whether you and I are in minority or not, I sympathize. And room temperature eggs? Just ew. I like the idea of cinnamon rolls, or anything that could be done in a slow cooker- those tend to keep things well insulated and warm, plus could be put back on warm once you’re in your office. Muffins are good too, and fruit- such a great time of year for fresh fruit.
I make a casserole like this : http://allrecipes.com/recipe/hash-brown-and-egg-casserole/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=overnight%20egg%20potato%20casserole&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe%20Search%20Results
by assembling it in the evening, throwing it in the oven in the morning timed to get it out right before leaving the house, and put it in one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Pyrex-Portables-Baking-Insulated-Carrier/dp/B0008156K0
with the microwave heating pack and wrap the whole thing in a blanket on the floor of my car.
After delivering carpool to three schools, it will still be steaming hot and oven mitt-needing when I get to the church.
good luck!
I think food should be hot but then I grow impatient waiting for it to cool down. And I think ‘next time don’t heat it for so long’ but I really don’t think I’d be okay if it came out at the right temperature – in the end I’d rather it have to cool a bit even though that means I have to wait. lol
So how does this breakfast club work? Does everyone participate? And if not how do you keep hands off it that aren’t a part of the club? I could totally see doing this and setting food out and then someone not in the club come along and just help themselves which would infuriate me!
PS – Maybe bring in or pitch in on a toaster oven for the office to help with reheating most dishes?