On a cold plate the three square logs sit close to one another; what brings out the difference is the toastie press. When buying ham for toasties in bulk, the decision is not made by reading product descriptions but by cutting one slice from each log and making three toasties in the same press for the same time. This guide describes what happens in those three minutes.
The products compared are Mortella Beef Jambon (Square Log), Mortella Turkey Jambon (Square Log) and Mortella Chicken Jambon (Square Log); all three come in 3500 g and 1750 g, all three are cured and all three have a square section. Same form, different meat; heat magnifies the difference.
Why do beef, turkey and chicken ham behave differently in a toastie press?
Because even though all three are made by the same method, the structure of the meat itself stays decisive after curing. Chicken breast is the softest and least fibrous meat; curing makes it moister still. Turkey breast is larger, firmer and slightly darker. Beef is red meat; despite the softening effect of curing, its fibre structure and meat flavour hold their own.
What the press does is simple: it drives the water out of the slice with heat and pressure. The slice that gives up water most readily is the moistest, the slice that keeps its colour best is the firmest, and the slice whose flavour comes forward most is the one with the most pronounced character. The three hams land in three different places on those three scales.
Moisture release in the press: how the three hams behave
Chicken ham gives up its water fastest in the press. Wetness on the inner face of the bread appears first with chicken; as press time lengthens, that wetness travels to the outer face and the toastie softens. Turkey ham sits in the middle; it releases moisture but does not wet the bread. Beef ham releases the least; the section stays dry and tidy.
This behaviour is managed rather than prevented:
- With chicken ham the cheese goes between slice and bread; the melting cheese slows the passage of moisture into the bread.
- Press time can be shortest for chicken and longest for beef; turkey falls between the two.
- Wet ingredients such as tomato are left out of a chicken ham toastie or added after pressing.
Slice thickness changes moisture behaviour as well: a thin slice releases water faster. Chicken ham can be cut one step thicker and beef ham one step thinner; since the square section covers the bread with a single slice in all three products, a change of thickness alters nothing except the weight.
Colour under heat: which ham keeps its colour in a toastie?
In the cold section chicken ham is the palest, turkey slightly darker, and beef, although red meat, is not dark but a section tending towards pink. In the press chicken and turkey lighten and turn whitish; beef keeps its colour and its edges brown slightly. In the cut section of the toastie the difference is visible at first glance: a beef ham toastie looks "meaty", a chicken ham toastie stays in the same tone as the cheese.
For a shop with a display counter or a photo menu this is a visible selling point; in the photograph of a premium toastie beef ham shows itself in the section. In the economy toastie there is no colour expectation and the pale tone of chicken ham causes no problem.
Which ham's flavour comes forward under heat?
Beef. On a cold plate beef ham already carries a pronounced meat flavour; heat strengthens it and, together with the cheese, it sets the character of the toastie. Chicken ham is neutral; when heated its flavour retreats further and the toastie takes on the taste of the cheese. Turkey ham stays in between; curing has softened the pronounced character of turkey, but under heat it gives a fuller flavour than chicken.
The cold-plate difference between chicken and beef ham is detailed in the production and flavour differences between chicken jambon and beef jambon; a toastie press roughly doubles that difference. In a simple toastie this favours beef: a full toastie from few ingredients. In a multi-ingredient toastie the other ingredients are used with restraint to balance the beef, or the toastie reads as a single flavour.
The catalogue values also explain the flavour behaviour: beef ham carries 21.5 g protein and 2.5 g fat per 100 g, turkey 20.4 g protein and 3.7 g fat, chicken 20.6 g protein and 2.8 g fat. The salt order is different: turkey 3 g, beef 2.8 g, chicken 2.5 g. Because salt perception rises in a heated slice, a lightly salted cheese is chosen for a turkey ham toastie.
Pairing with bread type: white toast, wholemeal and flatbread
Bread either hides or exposes how a ham behaves under heat. Thin white toast bread shows moisture immediately; if it is used with chicken ham the cheese barrier is essential. Wholemeal and wholegrain toast bread tolerate moisture with their firmer structure and give a balanced result with turkey ham. Flatbread and thick-cut bread withstand a long press time; only this bread can take the time needed to bring out the colour and flavour of beef ham.
The advantage of the square section is the same across all three breads: because toast bread is square, the slice sits without empty corners and the bread-to-meat ratio stays constant in every bite. A round slice achieves the same coverage in none of the three.
Choosing ham by customer segment
The table below matches heat behaviour to customer segment; a business can change the rows to suit its own menu.
| Segment / use | Recommended ham | Behaviour in the press | Bread | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy toastie, fast service | Chicken Jambon (Square Log) | Releases moisture, pale, neutral | White toast with a cheese barrier | No complaints at low weight |
| Standard café toastie | Turkey Jambon (Square Log) | Balanced moisture, mid colour, full flavour | Wholemeal or white toast | Keeps balance in a mixed build |
| Premium and breakfast toastie | Beef Jambon (Square Log) | Little moisture, keeps colour, pronounced flavour | Thick-cut, flatbread | Full toastie from few ingredients, visible in the section |
| Children's menu | Chicken Jambon (Square Log) | Soft, neutral | White toast | Soft texture and neutral taste |
| Club and multi-layer sandwich | Turkey Jambon (Square Log) | Does not slide in the layers | Square sandwich bread | Square slice stays aligned at every layer |
What the table says is that the three products are complementary rather than competing. All three can sit on one café menu; the question is not which to buy but which to use in which toastie.
Mixed ordering: turning three logs over in one kitchen
If three varieties stay on the menu, the number of open logs is also three, and the cut face of each meets the air. What lowers the risk of waste is the choice of size: 3500 g for the best-selling tier and 1750 g for the slower ones. In a café where the economy toastie sells heavily, chicken at 3500 g with turkey and beef at 1750 g is a typical split.
Slicing order is organised too: on the same machine the pale chicken goes first, then turkey, beef last, with the blade wiped in between. That way no beef colour or flavour carries into a chicken slice. Slice count, weight and cost-per-toastie logic are completed in the square-log ham guide for toastie shops with slice and weight maths.
Buying checklist: three square logs for toasties
The bulk decision is made in these steps:
- Samples of the three logs are requested and three toasties are made with the same bread, the same cheese and the same press; the sections are photographed side by side.
- The ham type and weight are written for every toastie on the menu; the segment table is filled in accordingly.
- Daily toastie count is counted per tier; the split between 3500 g and 1750 g is made on that count.
- The nutrition declaration on the label is read; the salt figure is a reference for salt perception in the press, and the WHO food safety fact sheet (yeni sekmede açılır) is a reminder that accurate product information and temperature control run together through the chain.
- At receipt the surface temperature is measured within the 0 °C to +4 °C range and recorded.
- The cut faces of open logs are wrapped in film and the opening date is written on each log.
Request samples of the three square logs, run the ten-minute test in your own press and build the split on that result; talk to EMKA FOOD about mixed ordering and a trade account.
