Topic: What is the Best Sandwich? (Read 40181 times)

Slick · « **on:** 17 Mar 2010, 19:41 »

So I was going to go on a ramble in the 'what are you eating' thread after reading the words 'ham on rye', but decided instead to see if we can get some more discourse out of this.
Basically, I am a fellow who leaves to bake and loves to eat, and since I spend a lot of time thinking about bread, I also spend a lot of time thinking about my favorite way to eat bread, which is sandwiches. Glorious, beautiful, sandwiches.
And as I spend all this time reflecting on all the wonderful sandwiches I have eaten in my day, I also then wonder, which of these many brave and noble bread-based concertinos is the one, the greatest, that which stands above all else as The Sandwich that I will call upon them to make on my last day before I am hung for the crime of loving life too much and minding no boundary in the quest of perfection. What sandwich should this be? Which sandwich, truly, is the Best Sandwich? I do not know, but before I die, I hope to find out. There are many questions to address.

My long-standing favorite has been turkey & swiss on rye, but lately, I have come to find doubt in it. Is smoked ham not superior to smoked turkey in every regard? Is then, ham & swiss on rye the best sandwich?
Assuming a simple meat sandwich is the subject of discussion, which meat is best? Turkey, ham, sausage? Specialty/regional cuts/preparations? And what goes with it? Cheddar is probably the most useful cheese, but the lovely subtle compliment of swiss, both against a smoked meat and a full and charactered sour rye.
And condiments? Mayonnaise? Mayo is delicious and useful, but does it really belong there? Mustard mustard, which is the best mustard? Spicy or honey? Or how about a delicious kraut? Good lord, an amazing Reuben nearly had me convinced it was the one and only one for me a couple months ago, when it came to me with a side of fries and a pickle.
And pickles! Do you put pickles on your sandwiches, or leave them on the side? Should a side pickle even be a consideration for the best sandwich? A side pickle accentuates a good meal much better than some slices lost in the mess of the sandwich itself. And sliced messy pickles destabilize the whole sandwich! They jeopardize the whole affair, and for what, the convenience of brined cucumber in your bread?
And what about other vegetables? Raw tomatoes, fried tomatoes, raw eggplant, fried eggplant? Fry up some mushrooms and onions, slap them in there? Should the philly cheese steak be included in consideration for best sandwich? Should NHL players be allowed in the olympics?
Life is beautiful. Life is so god-damned beautiful, you know? Think of all the sandwiches you've eaten, and all the sandwiches you've yet to eat. Life is god-damned beautiful, I tell you.

So what's a great sandwich? I've eaten a lot of turkey, swiss, and honey mustard on my yogurt-soured rye bread, and that is a good sandwich. It's a solid, stand-up kind of sandwich. But I sometimes lie awake at night, wondering if I'm really in love with it, or if I just settled for less than I should have because it was safe and available. Some nights, I do not sleep at all.

I need to know. Which sandwich is the bestest sandwich?

the_pied_piper · « **Reply #1 on:** 17 Mar 2010, 19:51 »

A favourite sandwich of mine is to take the contents of your standard fajita and to create a worthy sandwich on a herb-infused bun (preferably granary but while will do).

Chicken seasoned with chilli pepper and a squeeze of lime, mature cheddar to give it that extra flavour and a slight pungency, a standard tomato salsa (i prefer the other ingredients to add the extra flavour but i'm sure that a lime salsa would go down very well) and soured cream with chive (usually store-bought as i can't really be bothered to make it myself). A bit messy to eat if the salsa and soured cream are not positioned correctly but very tasty.

KvP · « **Reply #2 on:** 17 Mar 2010, 19:52 »

sandwich

Lunchbox · « **Reply #3 on:** 17 Mar 2010, 20:15 »

I must say I am not usually a giant sandwich fan but there was this sandwich at a cafe I used to work. It was situated right on the beach and this was the perfect sandwich to scoff hot or cold with a fresh lemonade and the salty breeze in your face.

Turkish bread lightly grilled
Poached Chicken breast in garlic and lemon
Cream cheese spread thick on the top slice and covered with a generous helping of chopped chives and coriander
Sweet chilli sauce
Rocket

Simple and amazing! I need to make it again.

Inlander · « **Reply #4 on:** 17 Mar 2010, 20:26 »

For the last couple of days I've been eating sandwiches filled with prosciutto, pecorino, and kalamata olives, on ciabatta rolls.

Basically cured meat and cheese is a champion start to any sandwich.

Alex C · « **Reply #5 on:** 17 Mar 2010, 20:46 »

I forget what greens are on it, but there's a coffee shop where I live that serves a panini w/ turkey, bacon, red onions, mild pepper jack and chipotle mayo that is just ridiculously good.

BrittanyMarie · « **Reply #6 on:** 17 Mar 2010, 20:47 »

fried egg sandwich on plain wheat bread with lots of butter.

Emaline · « **Reply #7 on:** 17 Mar 2010, 21:00 »

James, an addition to a sandwich that you forgot is bacon.

I can get down with the turkey on rye, and it is even better with a slice or two of bacon, but I agree that there might be something better out there.

I almost want to say that something with rare roast beef is a pretty good sandwich. The Billy Club at Jimmy Johns is still one of my favorites(it is:Roast beef, ham, provolone, Dijon mustard, lettuce, tomato, & mayo). As for chain food places go, it is pretty fantastic. Another chain sandwich I really like is the Sierra Turkey from St. Louis Bread Company/Panera, which is "smoked turkey breast with chipotle mayonnaise, field greens & red onions on our Asiago Cheese Focaccia."

But yeah. Since I've started making my bread, I've also started seeking out better things to put on it. I've stopped buying pre-sliced cheese, and have started trying different kinds of cheeses. I've also started buying higher quality meats for them as well.

Dollface · « **Reply #8 on:** 17 Mar 2010, 22:33 »

JD · « **Reply #9 on:** 17 Mar 2010, 22:35 »

I had the best sandwich at Earl's once.

This is it: Grilled Chicken and Baked Brie Ciabatta grilled chicken breast, melted brie, roasted apples, spinach, sweet fig jam, garlic mayonnaise, house baked ciabatta.

JD · « **Reply #10 on:** 17 Mar 2010, 22:40 »

I should really go to that place again.

KickThatBathProf · « **Reply #11 on:** 17 Mar 2010, 23:01 »

My mouth literally watered at the description of that sandwich

Emaline · « **Reply #12 on:** 17 Mar 2010, 23:05 »

Also, according to Google Fight, turkey on rye wins out over ham on rye, but smoked ham beats smoked turkey.

The interesting part of this is it is taking google searches and telling you which is the most popular. And Ham On Rye is a book, so you'd think it'd be more popular than turkey on rye which is just an all around good sandwich.

abadname · « **Reply #13 on:** 17 Mar 2010, 23:34 »

Make rolls of french dough, bake.
Spread roasted garlic on toasted roll, put on some roasted tomatoes, roast beef, bacon, then cheddar, broil, Nom.

Same except switch the garlic for pesto. Double nom

E. Spaceman · « **Reply #14 on:** 17 Mar 2010, 23:34 »

My favourite sammich is probably one consisting of:

Ciabatta
Mayo, a thin layer on the bottom bread
Cajun Mustard, a more substantial application on the top bread

Avocado, sliced and arranged on the top bread
Fresh tomatoes, half a tomato should be good for the whole sammich, goes on top (under, once the sammich is complete) of the avocado. Remove any seeds or gooey bits
Onion, thinly sliced rings, on top of tomato

Shredded lettuce. Forming a thin bed on top of the mayo
Jamon Serrano several slives, this is the main component. Goes on top of lettuce
Gouda, Rather thin slices (but plenty of them), on top of Jamon Serrano. Other good cheeses for this are Edam and Brie.

Grill bottom lightly until the cheese starts to soften then put in the top and let it grill a little more.

Optional: Chorizo

scarred · « **Reply #15 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 00:58 »

fuckin

peanut butter jellly

DIIIIIIIIIIICK

Spluff · « **Reply #16 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 01:01 »

I'm not a big fan of dick in my sandwiches. You could even say I actively oppose it.

KharBevNor · « **Reply #17 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 01:54 »

I will once again, probably unwisely, go on record supporting the processed cheese and kit-kat sandwich, the veritable ambrosia of the fucking gods.*

Otherwise I don't really know with sandwiches. Ham and cheese is often a standby for me, and is hard to fuck up with ingredients of sufficient quality. I am pretty partial to a post sunday lunch sandwich of cold beef, a little butter to moisten the bread, and whatever red jelly is currently in stock (crabapple and redcurrant being obvious favourites). Redcurrant jelly also goes pretty well with brie. The brie, redcurrant and lettuce baguette served at the better sort of train station eatery is the only sandwich into which I will admit the presence of extraneous greenery (what is the fucking point?). Mostly, I have not experimented much with more adventurous sandwich making because I cannot afford to buy stuff just to put in sandwiches. The most common sandwich I eat is almost certainly marmite and butter. Which is fine because marmite is fucking awesome.

The fact that I consider mayonnaise to be in the top ten most vile things ever invented by man (slightly better than rape camps, slightly worse than scientology) turns me instantly against most of the sandwiches being discussed in this thread. I have had many frustrating instances of not being able to have a sandwich at, say, a train station, because of the twisted, foul, incomprehensible desire of sandwich manufacturers and purveyors to put mayonnaise in fucking everything. Often I am left with a bargain basement sandwich called 'Just Ham' or similiar, which makes me feel ashamed of myself, like I am a child. A similiar thing happens when I go to Subway and literally all I can create out of what is on offer is a toasted ham and cheese subway, because I do not know what some of the things are and what I do know is revolting on every single level.

*In this take on greek mythology, the milk is, obviously, copious amounts of marijuana.

Alex C · « **Reply #18 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 02:06 »

Mayonnaise isn't all bad. It's a decent base for a number of types of sauces and it's good with pepper as a light layer to keep a bun from getting soggy with some types of sandwiches. I've never been down with the 2 slices of wonderbread and 2 gallons of mayo crowd at all though. It's like they're afraid of flavor.

KharBevNor · « **Reply #19 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 02:10 »

Just the smell of mayonnaise makes me want to vomit. It's such a disgusting thing to look at as well. It's just vinegar and slime. All the sauces derived from it (that I know of) are equally horrible as well.

Alex C · « **Reply #20 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 02:41 »

I'm not arrogant enough to think you'd like ours any better, but I do rather wonder if this is in part a regional/brand thing. I've heard before that the US tends to be a bit quicker to pasteurize the shit out of everything, after all. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm used to rather milder tasting and super processed examples. I know I've had homemade stuff before that I didn't like at all.

David_Dovey · « **Reply #21 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 02:43 »

Quote from: KvP on 17 Mar 2010, 19:52

sandwich

Their best stuff is the specials look at this shit look at it

Emaline · « **Reply #22 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 02:51 »

I used to think that kobe ground beef was stupid as hell, and then I got the Hawaiian burger from a local place and I'm pretty certain that it is my favorite burger ever. Kobe beef, with Canadian bacon, grilled pineapple, and swiss cheese, and a teriyaki sauce. http://www.subzerovodkabar.com/ So delicious. Also, uh I guess they are well known for sushi and vodka, but I wouldn't know anything about that.

Slick · « **Reply #23 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 05:29 »

This is all good stuff, keep it coming, keep it coming.

How about tuna fish? Immediate reaction is 'how the hell can canned tuna compete with prosciutto?' but take a second and imagine a nice light tuna salad with either some greens or small chunks of apple, put open-face on the perfect piece of white bread (crisp crusts, lovely crum, slightly stretchy but still soft and light), covered with cheddar and broiled. That is such a good sandwich. A tuna melt in the cafe by the river before the tourist season starts in a couple months? Brilliant.

Quote from: abadname on 17 Mar 2010, 23:34

Spread roasted garlic on toasted roll, put on some roasted tomatoes, roast beef, bacon, then cheddar, broil, Nom.

I was unsure if roast beef was going to make it in here. It is really not as exciting as other meats but you're right, it takes way better to garlic (especially roasted garlic) than any other meat that comes to mind, and it manages to hold it's own when placed next to bacon.

Bacon, that is a funny thing. Bacon is delicious, yes, but I don't often put it in a sandwich. Bacon doesn't go as nicely with sauces as I'd wish, and I don't like bacon slices that get pulled right out when you try and take a bite, that's just annoying. I personally think it's essential to chop up the bacon before trying to put it in a sandwich to avoid it jumping ship too soon.
Not to hate too much, because your bacon roast-beef sounds pretty great there, I just haven't made it work as well as I'd like.

Lunchy what are the essential qualities of Turkish bread? I have never heard of Turkish bread before. I need to know what it is.

Which reminds me, vegemite! Vegemite is wonderful with a turkey sandwich. If all you've got is plain white bread, add some vegemite to get that nice rich yeasty flavour that you're missing.

Oh man I love sandwiches.

Inlander · « **Reply #24 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 05:39 »

Turkish bread is pide.

It's not entirely dissimilar to naan.

Also one time a little while ago I went to my local organic green grocer/cafe just before they shut and I scored some free sandwiches that they hadn't managed to sell that day. They were just roasted vegetable and I thought "man that's gonna be really boring" but they were delicious. Probably because one of the vegetables was red capsicum which when you roast it is like a magic vegetable. Also I think there was some pesto in there, and some of the other vegetables were pumpkin and eggplant/aubergine and I think tomatoes. Oh and zucchini/courgette.

october1983 · « **Reply #25 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 07:09 »

Pita/pide is an excellent choice when using toppings like roast vegetables, hummus and falafel. Perhaps even throw some nicely seasoned lamb kebab on top. That'd be a pretty good sandwich.

Also, I've been trying to use anchovies more frequently/creatively since a post by Harry ages ago about anchovy mashed potato (which is delicious!) So how about anchovies in a sandwich? A quick search has thrown up this bad boy: Prosciutto, ham, anchovies, roast tomatoes, friend shallots and black olive tapenade. I think I might've found a contender.

Inlander · « **Reply #26 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 07:23 »

Tomato puree, anchovies, and grated parmesan, on ciabatta, grilled, is delicious. It's like a mini pizza!

(Open sandwich, of course.)

KickThatBathProf · « **Reply #27 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 08:45 »

I hereby decree that you must post a picture of the sandwich you are describing (so i can make believe i am eating it)

Yayniall · « **Reply #28 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 09:22 »

You guys sure like puffy butties.

You want

Warburtons Toastie or Super Toastie Bread (buttered)
Lincolnshire Sausages
Brown Sauce

Optional

Muffin/Barmcake instead of bread
Fried egg instead of brown sauce

Barmymoo · « **Reply #29 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 09:25 »

That might be the most British post I've ever read on here.

Theriandros · « **Reply #30 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 09:28 »

Question from an American: What the hell is Vegemite?

Slick · « **Reply #31 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 09:37 »

Vegemite and marmite are similar spreads produced by Australia and the UK, respectively. They are a by-product of beer making, being concentrated yeast extract. It has a very heavy, yeasty flavour, and is high in vitamins and also maybe some nutrients?
As a Canadian I prefer vegemite to marmite but then I tried vegemite first so that is the standard to me.

Johnny C · « **Reply #32 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 09:57 »

There's a serious lack of grilled sandwich discussion here when those are obviously boss. Earlier this week I made a killer grilled sandwich with aged cheddar, roast beef, wine-soaked shallots, pickles and port-peppercorn bbq sauce. It also makes bacon easier - try this sandwich on for size. And the best part about them is really that they don't particularly require fancy breads, although they're certainly not hampered by them. If you have a Foreman grill they're also super low-effort; if you don't have one, what the hell they're so cheap.

While living on my own I've been finding that sandwiches are a great way to eat on the cheap because you can make a nice big meal for yourself one night and then have about a week's worth of sandwichable leftovers. Later today I might have a sandwich with leftover roast pork, for example, and top it with the applesauce & carmelized onions i made to go with it last night. I also still have some of that cheddar left...

Ozymandias · « **Reply #33 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 10:05 »

Theriandros · « **Reply #34 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 10:59 »

In honor of yesterday's holiday, there should be discussion of corned beef as a viable sandwich material (past Reubens, anyway).

Nodaisho · « **Reply #35 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 11:15 »

I think I'm going to have to go to one of the sandwich places around here as soon as I can, this topic is making my mouth water. I love the grilled sandwiches some places have, not all sandwiches would be good grilled, but some of them just become even more juicy and delicious.

abadname · « **Reply #36 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 11:17 »

Quote from: Slick on 18 Mar 2010, 05:29

Quote from: abadname on 17 Mar 2010, 23:34
Spread roasted garlic on toasted roll, put on some roasted tomatoes, roast beef, bacon, then cheddar, broil, Nom.
I was unsure if roast beef was going to make it in here. It is really not as exciting as other meats but you're right, it takes way better to garlic (especially roasted garlic) than any other meat that comes to mind, and it manages to hold it's own when placed next to bacon.

Bacon, that is a funny thing. Bacon is delicious, yes, but I don't often put it in a sandwich. Bacon doesn't go as nicely with sauces as I'd wish, and I don't like bacon slices that get pulled right out when you try and take a bite, that's just annoying. I personally think it's essential to chop up the bacon before trying to put it in a sandwich to avoid it jumping ship too soon.
Not to hate too much, because your bacon roast-beef sounds pretty great there, I just haven't made it work as well as I'd like.

I combat this by using lardons, it's what we have on the line at work so I just steal a couple off. Also, the thing that really makes this sandwich is the roasted garlic. We did this with sliced steak the other night and once again, roasted garlic made it.

Also, Make Crostini, spread roasted garlic, put on anchovie, parmesan flake. Great little bite.

KharBevNor · « **Reply #37 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 12:09 »

By grilled sandwich I take it you mean toasties? My local does a pretty damn nice bacon and stilton toastie, apart from that I'm not really adventurous.

@AlexC: I am fairly sure it's not a regional thing. It's more to do with the fact that anything which distinctly tastes or smells of vinegar at all makes me feel ill. This isn't an allergy thing, I'm perfectly ok with vinegar in, for example, chinese sauces where the flavour is all masked. It's probably related to some childhood trauma or illness, I dunno. But vinegar, mayonnaise, ketchup, salad dressings, any sort of pickle, sushi (with the rice) etc. are all absolutely off limits to me, to the extent where I can find it hard to eat my own food if someone near me is eating, say, a ploughmans lunch.

Nodaisho · « **Reply #38 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 12:16 »

I have never been to the other side of the atlantic, so I can't be sure, but it sounds like mayonnaise really does smell different over there. The jar in my fridge doesn't smell at all like vinegar, at least. A little goes a long way, though.

Toastie? I've got no idea, that might be the same sort of thing, stripped of the silly slang.

KharBevNor · « **Reply #39 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 12:21 »

Sorry milud, a 'toasted sandwich'.

KickThatBathProf · « **Reply #40 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 12:30 »

Yeah they are the same

JD · « **Reply #41 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 13:09 »

We call them toasties here too.

Malek · « **Reply #42 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 14:25 »

Turkey Breast on Wheat Bread. Does me fine everyday, all this fancy shit isn't needed.

ZJGent · « **Reply #43 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 14:33 »

Sandwiches are my ideal foodstuff. My profile picture, for a very very very long time, was:

... and for good reason!

There are some excellent ideas in here that I am soon to set about making for myself! Although (sadly) my favourite sandwich (my definition of sandwich being any filling layer between two or more layers of bread) wasn't permitted in the last sandwich thread, I'll replicate the recipe here just because whatever this is, even if it doesn't qualify as a sandwich, is delicious.

1. Put some pitta breads in the toaster to warm 'em up and open 'em out.
2. Whilst they're doing, get a big flat pan on high heat on the hob, fill it with red onions (chopped fine); the red and the yellow bell peppers, sliced up, but not the green ones; the big steak tomatoes with the middles taken out (chopped up chunky-style); and some strips of either chicken or beef depending on your preferences that day. If you have a tongue likes spicy things, some jalapeno sections and chilli oil can go in there too.
3. Douse the entire thing with plenty honey, and frazzle that shit til it is glazed the right kind of golden-coloured.
4. Once this looks about done, your pittas will be ready. Rip the tops off, open 'em out, pour your wondergoop from the saucepan into them, serve with a tall glass of ice-cold water.
5. Dee. Fucking. Licious.

Scandanavian War Machine · « **Reply #44 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 14:37 »

bland deli turkey + perfect bacon

adjust details to suit taste

Barmymoo · « **Reply #45 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 15:06 »

Vegetarian sandwiches? Delicious ones? I am far too boring in my sandwich experiments.

beat mouse · « **Reply #46 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 15:45 »

Quote from: Zombiedude on 17 Mar 2010, 22:35

I had the best sandwich at Earl's once.

This is it: Grilled Chicken and Baked Brie Ciabatta grilled chicken breast, melted brie, roasted apples, spinach, sweet fig jam, garlic mayonnaise, house baked ciabatta.

When i worked at earls i consumed more of those than any human being should

Lunchbox · « **Reply #47 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 15:59 »

May I echo the sentiments of Harry re: roasted/grilled vegetable sandwiches.
Some pesto, grilled capsicum, eggplant, zucchini, pumpkin/sweet potato... all excellent.

Also may I direct you to one of my favourite blogs, Neverhomemaker, who feature a lot of vegan recipes including the behemoth of a vege sandwich, including sweet potato fries.

scarred · « **Reply #48 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 17:54 »

this thread makes my mouth wet

Blue Kitty · « **Reply #49 on:** 18 Mar 2010, 17:58 »

I don't know why but I want to try a BLT with some soft shell crab

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Author Topic: What is the Best Sandwich? (Read 40181 times)