Merry Cheesemas: I ate everything with cheese for a day, including some dubious TikTok recipes, and here's how it went

We are less than two weeks away from Dec 25, and with more festive food specials being launched each day, it's beginning to look and smell a lot like Christmas.

As a cheese lover, one festive special in particular caught my eye. That is, Burger King's spread of Cheesemas delights. From burgers with cheese rings to all-new cheese coins, I couldn't resist but add them to my list of new foods to try.

Coupled with the many cheese food trends popping up on my TikTok FYP recently, this got me thinking: how about I try eating everything with cheese for one day and take the chance to experiment with some of these funky yet intriguing food trends?

I couldn't find any reason not to, so I gathered some of these recipes I've been yearning to try and got down to some serious cheese feastin' for a day.

Breakfast

I started off my day bright and early with Burger King's new Cheesemas Turkey Ham Croissan'wich with Egg. I'm a huge fan of their usual Croissan'wich as it always hits the spot when I'm craving something savoury, so I could barely contain my excitement to try this.

Featuring a new burger build, their Cheesemas Croissan'wich came with the standard turkey ham, a fluffy egg, mayonnaise and a brand new cheese ring. 

The fried cheese ring turned out to be a nice touch, adding some crunch and more texture to the burger. As an elevated version of the usual Croissan'wich, this breakfast sandwich did its job of curbing my cravings for a hearty first meal of the day.

Lunch

Feeling adventurous, I decided to whip something up in the kitchen for lunch. When I first saw Gordon Ramsay bashing this grilled cheese ramen recipe on TikTok, I knew I had to try it out for myself.

The original recipe from TikTok user mythicalkitchen is pretty straightforward; all you need is any packet of ramen, sliced cheese, two pieces of bread, butter and some Colby-jack cheese. As I couldn't find any Colby-jack cheese at the supermarket nearby, I substituted it with some creamy gouda cheese.

The execution required a few components to it. The ramen noodles had to be cooked and mixed with the sliced cheese, while a grilled cheese sandwich was made separately. After both parts of the recipe were completed, the final step was to assemble them.

I have to say my end product looked almost identical to the original video, which was basically a zhnged-up version of a usual grilled cheese sandwich.

Now, for the verdict. The gouda cheese was the undisputable star of this dish with its rich and nutty flavour, while the ramen helped to add more texture and dimension to the dish. All in all, this recipe was worth a try, and just my opinion, Ramsay didn't have to go so far as to rip this apart.

Snack

When 4pm rolled around, I started feeling peckish. My successful first attempt emboldened me to try out another recipe, so into the kitchen I went again.

This time, I went for a bolder and more controversial recipe I saw on TikTok. Posted by TikTok user 614lyfe, the recipe – which has more than 24 million views and counting – was referred to as a "classic New Jersey nutella cheese breakfast omelette".

What won me over was the simplicity of this recipe which required only two ingredients – some form of shredded cheese and good ol' nutella. Even though the final dish shown in the video appeared to be a dubious mash of the two, my love for nutella gave me a (much needed) confidence boost.

No surprise there, my experience in mixing the two turned out to be as unappealing as the video. And after soldiering through the process, I ended up with a brown, gooey mix of cheese and nutella.

But as the saying goes, don't judge a book by its cover. Looking past its unappetising appearance, the nutella cheese omelette was actually a workable combination, though I must mention that it was a tad oily.

Dinner

It was time to go big or go home for my last meal of the day. For a challenge involving cheese, how could I miss out on Burger King's new Cheesemas burgers?

The main agenda for dinner was none other than the Cheesemas Beef Burger, which consisted of a beef patty, some fresh onions, lettuce, tomatoes, turkey ham, sliced Swiss cheese and the highlight of the burger, a cheese ring.

My first bite was a delightful explosion of flavours. I was expecting the cheese ring to be quite prominent but I appreciated how it didn't overpower the flavours of the other components. In fact, the ingredients complemented one another and it was an overall satisfying burger.

Oh well, looks like I'll have to give the Cheesmas Chicken Burger a try too.

For some extra sides to munch on, I also had the festive special, Santa's Bucket, which was filled to the brim with their new cheese coins, onion rings, chicken drumlets and nuggets.

The classic sides no doubt lived up to expectations, but what stole the show for me were the cheese coins. Fried to a golden crisp, each coin was filled with warm and chewy cheese that oozed in the middle. Safe to say, I couldn't stop at one.

Finally, to satisfy my sweet tooth, I finished off my decadent meal with Burger King's chocolate pie. Boasting a crispy pie crust filled with warm and gooey chocolate, I'm sure this will be a new favourite, especially for those with a penchant for chocolate.

It's time to spread the Cheesemas cheer

A full day of dairy products has left me in a serious food coma, but in all honesty, I wouldn't mind taking up this challenge again.

While the TikTok recipes were out of my comfort zone, they brought my taste buds on wild adventures that I otherwise would never have experienced. On the other hand, Burger King's Cheesemas specials were a hit with my taste buds and I'll definitely be making a beeline for them while they're available.

If you're planning for your year-end gathering or Christmas party, Burger King also has a sharing bucket and delivery combos for up to six pax. Be sure to check out their website for offerings that are perfect for hosting guests this festive season!

For my fellow cheese lovers or those who simply want a taste of these Christmas specials, now's the time to get to feastin' and indulge in some Cheesemas cheer.

This article is brought to you in partnership with Burger King Singapore.

yukiling@asiaone.com

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