The lost art of sandwich making.

Ah the wonderful world of food!

Our topic is Making a sandwich!

So many people think that in order to make a sandwich you just toss the ingredients on to a piece of bread and whammo you are good to go. I say there is more to it than that!

First you have to select your bread. do you want regular old sliced bread? or would a roll go better? this is the most important part of the experience I think. the Bread is the foundation! this is what you will build your feast on and not only does it need to taste good but for FULL impact it will have to LOOK good too.

O.K. you picked sliced bread, now what kind of Sliced? pumpernickel? Rye? White? Wheat? the choices are extensive. and each choice will contribute looks texture and flavor nuances that can really make or break the sandwich. If you are going for a sandwich with strong flavors in the ingredients, like Pastrami and Swiss, then you are O.K. with rye or pumpernickel. but if your fillers are going to be light in flavor you may need to go with white so the bread doesn't overpower your taste buds.

All right now that that choice is made we have to decide on the filler ingredients, You have meats, cheeses, vegetables all sorts to choose from, and Condiments.

In meats you have Roast Beef, Corned Beef, Pastrami, Turkey, Ham, Chicken, Meatloaf, Salami, Bologna (yes it is a salami, yes I still list it separately).

and there are even different meat types within each category... smoked, roasted, slow roasted, caramelized, Baked...

In cheeses you have Cheddar, Jack, Mozzarella, American, Swiss, Gouda, Monterrey jack, Provolone, Colby, Muenster... And the list goes on there as well.

After you select your ingredients you have to lovingly build the sandwich.

NOW my BIGGEST complaint is people skimp too much! There is a place to go easy and there is a place to max out.

If I want a pastrami on rye I want to TASTE the pastrami! I have seen people who think that A single slice of meat is sufficient. let me tell you IT IS NOT.

Pile the meat on! stack that baby well. and when you add your condiments, especially the "stronger" flavored ones like mustard, well that is where a little can go a long way.

If you add vegetables with strong flavors and or odors, rethink that part. you do not need to pile on a whole onion. just add enough that you get a taste of it. if you distribute two or three rings evenly throughout the sandwich you can get a pleasant burst of flavor in every bite without driving your coworkers out the door when you get back from lunch.

Most of the time I prefer the way Americans make sandwiches, although I believe the British did stumble onto a very nice trick.
Butter
If you spread some butter on your bread before construction, your wetter ingredients will find it harder to get to the bread and make it soggy (ewwww).

the butter creates a barrier that helps "hold liquids in" so if you are going to slap a nice big juicy slice of tomato you might want to think about that. (or pickles) And a bonus, I think, is that the butter ADDS TO THE FLAVOR EXPERIENCE. I mean c'mon a win win if ever I heard of one.

You can also add pepper or other spices for a whole new experience.

One last word of caution... for all of you who think quantity over quality is what it is all about. Yeah I am talking to you the guy with the dagwood there.

Sometimes when you really want something that will totally treat and tantalize your taste buds, Try just one or two meats. If you overload on the quantity of ingredients you will miss out on some of the subtler flavor sensations that are out there. And that would be a crime.