IHOP Classic Egg Burritos with Sausage

IHOP Classic Egg Burritos with Sausage are high in histamine. The cultured and aged dairy in them, buttermilk and an aged jack and cheddar blend, is the main reason, with diced tomatoes and tomato puree adding a liberator on top.

Why ihop classic egg burritos with sausage is rated high

The eggs, potatoes, onions, poblano and jalapeno peppers and cilantro in this burrito are not the problem. The problem is what was deliberately done to two of the ingredients before they ever reached the griddle. Buttermilk is cultured on purpose, and the jack and cheddar blend is aged cheese, and both of those processes are exactly how histamine gets made: bacteria working on protein over time. That histamine is finished and built in before the item is assembled, and nothing in the kitchen removes it. Layered on top, the diced tomatoes and tomato puree are classic liberators, meaning they can prompt your body to release its own stored histamine, and the sodium metabisulfite in the statement is a preservative that rates high as well. The pork sausage, enriched bleached flour, soybean oil and margarine each sit at moderate and add to the pile.

What changes your risk

• The aged and cultured dairy carries the rating — the buttermilk was cultured and the jack and cheddar blend was aged. That is the process, not the freshness of the batch, and it cannot be cooked out.
• Tomato is a liberator riding along — the diced tomatoes and tomato puree do not need to contain much histamine to matter. They are on the classic liberator list, so they can add to a reaction on their own terms.
• A preservative is on the tally too — sodium metabisulfite rates high, and it is in this item's published statement.
• Warm holding matters for the protein parts — the eggs, pork sausage and cheese are protein rich, so a burrito held warm for a long stretch before it reaches you has more room for histamine to climb than one served straight off the line. The potatoes and the tortilla are not the concern on that front.
• A hot fresh one is still high — freshly made helps with the protein components, but the cheese was already aged and the buttermilk already cultured before assembly. Speed at the pass does not move this out of the high range.

Lower-histamine alternatives

IHOP publishes a set of lower-histamine items, and a few of them are worth knowing if you are ordering breakfast: Corn Tortilla, Grits, and Black Angus Burger Patty all sit on the lower list. Corn Tortilla is the useful one to notice here, since it gives you the wrap format without the cultured dairy and tomato that put the burrito where it is. Blueberry Topping and Blueberry Syrup are also on the lower list if you want something sweet with a plainer plate.

How to lower the risk

This is a fixed-recipe item, and IHOP publishes what is in it rather than what can be left off, so there is no version of the burrito to request without the cheese or the tomato. That makes the decision an order-something-else decision rather than a modify-it one. Building a plate from the lower published items, such as Grits with a Corn Tortilla, keeps you clear of the cultured dairy, the tomato and the preservative that drive this item. If you do order any protein item at a breakfast counter, one served hot off the line beats one that has been sitting in a warmer.

Common questions

Is it the eggs that make this high?

No. Fresh eggs are not the driver here. The high rating comes from the cultured buttermilk, the aged jack and cheddar blend, the tomato, and the sodium metabisulfite.

Does the pork sausage make it high?

The pork sausage rates moderate, so it adds to the total without being the reason. The cultured and aged dairy is doing the most work.

Why is aged cheese such a problem when fresh milk is not?

Aging is the mechanism. Given time, bacteria work on the protein in cheese and produce histamine, so the longer and harder the cheese, the more it tends to carry. Cultured buttermilk is the same idea in liquid form.

Would ordering it without cheese fix it?

IHOP does not publish this item as modifiable, so there is no reliable way to order it that way. Even setting the cheese aside, the buttermilk, the tomato and the preservative would still be in it.