Do You Use Toaster Bags?
 

About a week ago my grandson and his family gave me a package containing two toaster bags. I had never heard of them before so they had to explain just what I might do with the bags. It is suggested that one make up a grilled cheese sandwich with or without the butter on the outside. Place the sandwich in one of the bags and pop it in the toaster. In approximately three minutes when the toaster pops up one can remove the sandwich from the bag and you will have a nicely toasted sandwich crispy on the outside and full of melted cheese on the inside. A bit of experience may be needed to know just where to set the control on the toaster to come up with the proper degree of browning. My grandson uses these bags to let their children make sandwiches when they come home from school. There is no need for adult supervision as they do not need to use the stove nor do they use a skillet. The bag can be reused many times and can be used to heat pizza, waffles, chicken nuggets, etc. One should use a wide slot toaster, preferably the kind in which you can toast bagels but regular wide slot toasters will work too. I have enjoyed the times to date that I have used my bags. I have made grilled cheese, cheese and peanut butter, garlic bread to name a few. I am wondering if other members of the board use these bags and just what do you place in your bags. I thought it might be fun to share ideas. My experience is that the bags leave crisp foods crisp when reheating making for a more desirable end product.

I have never used these bags, but I did see them somewhere, and thought....huh??? How do you keep the melted cheese from sliding down to the bottom? We're a really gooey grilled cheese style family. Interesting concept.

Interesting! I didn't even know these existed. Will have to look...

I have had some before that looked like the Hot Pocket sleeves but in bag form. Reynolds Wrap has a parchment on one side and foil on the other side on a roll. That works great to wrap sandwiches/rollups for toasting or airfry. I never had a problem with cheese running when the bread is held together.

How do you keep the butter from pooling at the bottom of the bag? Sounds like a solution to a problem I don't have. Grilled cheese in a pan is super easy and good.

What are the bags made of? How do you wash them?

how long can you use one? A new one each time? ummm, as I don't have kids, I think I will stick with my little frying pan. On a budget here and trying to cut down my "waste" foot print, and I have a very small kitchen and not much storage space. I am doomed when it comes to more specialty items.

I love this stuff:
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I've seen them but never used them. I can see where they could be useful not only for kids but also elderly or disabled people. Could still have independence without risk from using a stove

I saw them in the grocery store today. Then I realized I like my grilled cheese done in a skillet.

I don’t even have a toaster, heck, I don’t even have a microwave or even a coffee maker. I am a kitchen gadget girl, but there are some things that taste best the old fashioned way, and I prefer mine made in a cast iron skillet. But like others, I gotta wonder what happens with the cheese when it starts melting?

The cheese stays in the middle of the slices. It sticks to the bread. I use a cast iron skillet but the grands use the toaster or airfryer.

Thank you abc123xyz, for introducing me to something new!

So how do you folks with cast iron skillets clean them. My grandfather used to make us kids breakfast and I remember he said never, ever wash a cast iron pan, he just simply wiped it out. Nothing ever really stuck to it.

I found out about these when we were trying to figure out a way to heat up left over pizza without using the microwave (soggy pizza) or cranking up the big oven. We finally settled on a toaster oven which I LOVE. I never bought any of the bags but liked the concept of them.

Grilled cheese sandwich in a fry pan on stove top.

I make DH an egg sandwich most nights. Then I make a grilled cheese. A quick wipe with a damp paper towel cleans the pan.

if you Google you will see many different methods. I use one that works for me but I don’t use my cast iron skillet often because I don’t fry all that much. Probably everyone who comments has a slightly different method. Whatever works.

I use hot water and the chainmaill scrubber to clean my cast iron. If it is properly seasoned nothing sticks so much you have to spend more then a minute to clean it. I use soap every so often, just be sure to heat dry after rinsing and recoat with oil. All my cast iron is Lodge and now it comes pre seasoned which saves you a lot of hassle. Lodge has quality cast iron that gets better with age. I had one cast iron skillet made in China that pitted and the pan split in two pieces. Shoddy casting.

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I use mine once in a while for frying. I do wash it and still doesn't stick. I have had it for years. I don't fry often. I have little green life pans I use most often. Never sticks and washes easily.

Cast iron skillet
 

Cast iron skillets are used daily in our home. My husband keeps them well season. All of them are antique Griswold. You can’t beat it and it’s a little lighter than Lodge. When we get a “new” one, he puts it in the self cleaning oven and gets all the crude off. Then it’s a two day process of heating, oiling cooling over and over until it gets a good finish on it. When we are finished using it to fry an egg or sauté vegetables or whatever, we either just wipe it out with a damp cloth or give it a quick rinse and a quick soap and then we put it on the gas stove to get it dry watching carefully. As soon as all the water is evaporated when it starts to smoke we turn off the flame and spray it for oil it. Better than Teflon any day!
What is the official name of the Toaster Bags? May be good stocking stuffers!

Walmart has the toaster bags but I don't reuse them but they are reusable. Ten bag for about $12.

If you google "toaster bags" you will come up with several suggestions. I think the ones I have are called ToastaBags. They came from Amazon. Two in a package. I believe HyVee has the same thing. Walmart carries them from several different suppliers. You can order them on line. I placed an order for ten and cost is $14.41. I have yet to receive them so can't compare them with the ones I have as yet. By ordering larger quantities the cost per item decreases. It was mentioned to use each bag just once but that seems to me to be rather costly. I have used the same bag over several times and although it was a small pinhole and a partial slit in the bottom seam it works well and I can see no difference in the results when i use it. They are very light and made of some type of microfilm so won't take a lot of abrasion. I merely shake or wipe mine out and reuse. Directions say they can go on top shelf of dishwasher but I don't feel this would be advisable. Sandwiches coming out of these bags are more toasty than those prepared in a skillet. Personally I like them better and no dishes to wash. There are a lot of different recommendations for care of a cast iron skillet. I received mine as a shower gifts years ago and don't treat it as special. If I have something that sticks a little I just let it soak in my soapy dishwater and it cleans up fine. I use it for more than frying It works great if one wants to place raw meat or vegetable in it to cook in the oven. It is great for holding the heat and doing a super job of cooking I know some people use them to bake cornbread, coffee cake, apple crisp, and lots of other things. I use mine almost every day. It is funny how we use a certain pan or appliance and it becomes our favorite and the one we always reach for.

I spent 3 days fixing a cast iron frying pan my MIL gave me. She hadn't used it in at least 30 years and it was all rusted and crusty, so there was a good bit of work to be done. About a week after I had it all cleaned up and seasoned, my oldest son scrubbed the snot out of it with lots of soap and a scrubby. 🤦 I couldn't get mad at him because he was honestly trying to help. But we did have a chat about the proper treatment of cast iron! 😜

I not only wash my cast iron pans but if needed I let them soak in the dish water. They're fine.