I would think that 1/8 inch would be about as thin as I can manage. You might well be able to do better.

Your knives are pretty good. I'd suggest
freezing the beef until it's firm but not hard
frozen and then slicing.

We actually have several grades of knives. There is the normal sort of chef's knife which I try to keep sharp as best I can. Then for

And they're pretty okay. Once or twice over the years
I've requested a sharpen, but generally you do a good job.

something that requires a finer shave, I use a ceramic knife that our

I'm not a fan of the ceramic knife because of the lack of
heft in the hand, but then I prefer a longer and heavier
chef's knife than most of my friends do.

daughter gave us a few years ago. With fresh beef I can do 1/8 inch or
maybe a little bit thinner. I have heard of slicing semi-frozen meats,
and do that occasionally -- but I'm usually not taken the effort.

You just toss the meat into the freezer for a couple
hours, and then everything is just fine. I'd guess
I could get 1/10" by slicing and maybe quite a bit
thinner by shaving.

For a recipe of this
nature one could use "shaved steak," a product
which I don't have much use for, but here it
looks appropriate.

We do have some of that in the freezer -- it is carried by BJs and Giant
on occasion. It does work well for Philly cheese steak sandwiches.

Another thing that would work well is the H-Mart
bulgogi meat, which comes frozen and doesn't cost
too awfully much - though I've seen the price jump
a lot in the last few years, thanks probably to the
Food Network.

We would not put any of the Additional toppings onto our PCS. Only additional topping might be fried or sweated onions (not raw). Also the
only cheese for us is Cheese Whiz. That is pretty much the only thing
we use whiz for.
Title: The Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich
5 oz Steak (read below)
Water to moisten

Steamed meat can be good, unlikely as that sounds.
Clean Dave drove me an hour to Ted's, a place that
served steamed hamburgers, and, guess what, they were
pretty decent.

2 1/2 oz Desired cheese (read below)

A lot of cheese: overbalancing the meat, I'd say.

9 1/2-inch hoagie roll

I'd say 9.5 oz of meat, and then the cheese would
be in proportion.

Fried onions

Needed for sure.

Additional Toppings:
Mushrooms, raw onions,
Sweet red & green peppers,
Pizza sauce, lettuce,
Tomato

Pizza sauce I can almost see. The other ingredients
make it not-a-cheesesteak.

At Olivieri Prince of Steaks in Philadelphia, chef/owner Rick Olivieri
(third generation) tells us about the original. "It all started in
1932 with my grandfather Pat. He owned a small hot-dog stand but got
tired of eating hot dogs every day, so he sent his brother around the
corner for sliced steak. He prepared it, slapped it into a hot-dog
bun and was just about to eat it when a cabbie pulled up and said,
'Hey, that looks good.' The rest, as they say, is history, part of
which included the addition of cheese in the late 1940's, when they
were looking to try something new."

The oddity of this story (though the gist is repeated
everywhere) is why would his brother have been around,
and who would be selling "sliced steak." The fortuitous
appearance of the cabbie and the willingness of Mr. Olivieri
to give up his lunch are also interesting.

To make one cheese-steak sandwich, take the steak (Olivieri's
recommended cut: the eye of the chuck) and slice it very thin. Panfry
in large skillet with no grease or oil, just enough water to moisten.
Right before it's done, top with desired cheese (American, provolone,
mozzarella or Cheez Whiz) until melted. Put meat and cheese on the
hoagie roll, then top with fried onions. Add additional toppings if
desired. *Article from Woman's Day magazine*
From: Michelle Bruce Date: 01-31-95

In my scanty experience (not in Philadelphia) my favorite
has been Swiss. Mozzarella is way too bland, provolone tastes
like puke, and American and Whiz are intrinsically poisonous,
though, as in your experience, I find that it goes with a
properly greasy cheesesteak.

In Philadelphia. Lilli and I had this ambitious plan to sample
all the big name products in town, but as soon as we got to
the Pat-and-Geno neighborhood, my taste buds and smeller seized
up and the thought of a sandwich of any kind repulsed me. As
soon as we left the area, things returned to normal.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.00

Title: Pepper Steak Strips
Categories: Main dish, Meats
Yield: 5 servings

1 ea Env. meat marinade (0.8 oz)
1 ea Med. onion, chopped
1 t Bottled brown boquet sauce
1/2 t Dried thyme leaves
1/4 c Red wine or water
8 oz (1 can) mushrooms, drain
1 lb Round steak, 1/8" strips
2 T Butter or margarine
8 oz (1 can) stewed tomatoes
2 T Unbleached flour
1 md green pepper, strips
3 c Hot cooked rice

Prepare marinade as diredcted on envelope. Marinate beef as
directed on envelope; drain well. Cover and microwave onion and
margarine in 2-qt casserole on high (100%) 1 minute. Stir in bouquet
sauce, tomatoes, and thyme. Mix in beef. Cover and microwave 8
minutes; stir. Microwave on medium (50%) 10 minutes. Shake flour and
wine in tightly covered container. Stir into meat Mixture. Add pepper
strips and mushrooms; mix into sauce. Cover and microwave until meat
is tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Serve over hot rice. Source unknown

MMMMM
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