5 Things That What Makes A Remarkable Sandwich

A remarkable sandwich has nothing to do with food snobbery or price. What I mean is that, it is not about putting pricey gourmet ingredients such as white truffle, wagyu beef, foie gras, or Bresse (Poulet de Bresse) chicken in a sandwich and charging over a $100. (Although I think that France would attack us if the US used their prized chicken and made it into McNuggets) A great sandwich doesn't even have to cost $20 and come from a restaurant who name their sandwiches after celebrities. I have eaten high priced sandwiches that left me feeling cheated and have had simple BLTs with avocado that were extraordinary.

Here are 5 of my sandwich making tips.

1. Make sandwiches with care - the same care and respect that is used to cook a steak or a stew should be given to making a sandwich. Sandwiches can be made quickly, but it still requires thought, passion and preparation. Cut the vegetables with care, lay out the meat gently, toast the bread just right, put thought in its presentation, etc. It may be a simple meal, but it is still a masterpiece.

2. Don't cheat to make the sandwich look big and skimp on meat - I've been to places that use long bread slices, tons of sauce, lots of shredded lettuce to add height to give the illusion of a big sandwich. When you bite into it, there is little meat. Very disappointing.

3. Vegetables should be bountiful - don't cheat with thinly sliced tomatoes. If you put avocado, be generous. I've ordered sandwiches where the avocado was sliced so thin that you could not taste it..I mean, why bother even offering it?

4. Spread the fillings ...I have seen sandwiches where all the filling was in the middle to make it look thick, then when you opened it, there is nothing on the sides. A sandwich doesn't have to be thick, (in some countries such as the UK, people like their sandwiches thin)but the filling has to be evenly spread. If you use mayo or mustard, spread it on both bread slices.

5. Fresh matters - As I wrote earlier, to make a great sandwich, the meats don't have to be luxury, the cheeses don't have to be exotic, the breads don't have to be fancy or the sauces trendy, but they have to be fresh. If the ingredients are not fresh, the sandwich is no good...period.