How to make a great sandwich

It's a paradox, but the best sandwiches are always the ones that someone else makes for you. Though this is hardly uncommon, dissatisfied chefs constantly refute their patrons' claims that the meal was spectacular, what we want to explore here is how you can make a great sandwich.

There's an overwhelming number of sandwich options for you to choose from (anything from hot to cold, from toasted to soft, from the hotdog to the croquet-monsieur, from PB&J to the hoagie), so your first job will be to select what you're hungry for. If you're dining at home, I'm sure it's a safe bet to assume that you'll likely make a PB&J, grilled cheese or a garden-variety cold meat sandwich-and for the purposes of this article we're going to make the latter.

Making sure that you select the freshest ingredients possible, you'll next want to select an appropriate bread. You can use a typical store-bought loaf, but if you're looking to make a great sandwich, you might as well invest in a solid foundation and visit a bakery. If you're making a cold meat sandwich, then you'll either want sour dough, pumpernickel or a Parisian baguette (it's denser than a French baguette).

Once the foundation has been laid, you'll want to give your sandwich some structure, which comes in the form of meat and cheese. What you choose is a matter of taste, but I'm going to throw on some prosciutto, smoked turkey, and smoked Gouda. After your walls are up, it's time to paint them (hint, you might want to paint the walls before you put them up). Two paint options that I consider nearly mandatory are Dijon mustard and mayonnaise. Spreading mustard on one slice of bread and mayo on the other is recommended, as doing so will create a barrier of sorts and prevent your bread from getting soggy.

Your last step in preparing a great sandwich will be to decorate it with the stuff that'll make it light and fresh. I'm a bit of traditionalist here; I prefer iceberg lettuce, tomatoes sliced to an 1/8th of an inch, and some Spanish onions from time to time. More often than not, I like to give my sandwiches some flare with some banana peppers.

Now that all your ingredients are in place and the sandwich is built, all that remains to be done is the fold and bite. Dig in and enjoy.

The sandwich that Jack built
Contrary to popular belief, the sandwich isn't as American as apple pie (its origins are attributed to a Jewish sage). When the sandwich was introduced to the U.S. in the 19th century it was considered an elegant evening meal, but when the 20th century rolled around the sandwich quickly became a working-class hero, providing a jolt of midday nutrients to hard-working men throughout the nation.

Learn more about this author, Shawn Loeffler.
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