Making a Perfect Sandwich - Food Tips (India Network)

"Sandwich architecture can mean the difference between a great meal and a mess that will ruin your tie," says Sisha Ortuzar, cofounder of New York City's gourmet sandwich shop,'wichcraft. The messier your ingredients, the thicker you want the bottom piece of bread to be. For a dense sandwich, like the Bistro Baguette, slice off the top third of one slice, and use the thicker piece on the bottom. Don't blast your bread in the toaster. Instead, sear it on one side in a stove-top skillet on medium-high heat until it's browned and crisp. Stack the sandwich with the toasted sides facing in--the toasty barrier will prevent sogginess and the soft outward sides won't scratch the roof of your mouth. The right sandwich can turn a bad day into a good one. Try these simple steps to the perfect sandwich. Take two slices of your favourite type of bread. Toast the bread in a toaster until the bread is slightly brown. Place three thin tomato slices, slightly overlapping, on the slice on which you spread the mayo. If you don't like tomatoes simply use ketchup. Place a lot of large romaine lettuce leaves over the tomato slices. Spread mayo on the second slice of toast, and complete the sandwich. Slice the sandwich diagonally, and use sandwich toothpicks to hold the sandwich halves together. Serve with potato chips and a dill pickle spear and a glass of milk.

How to choose the perfect fillings

Once you've picked out your bread it's time to add a great filling. Really, there are no rules when it comes to sandwich fillings, although a great melting cheese is always nice. Add to these deli meats, sliced vegetables and a range of antipasto. To make the sandwich extra tasty, add two layers of cheese. Here are a few of favourite toastie fillings:

Salami, roasted capsicum, rocket and provolone cheese
Chicken, bacon, avocado and Swiss cheese
Prosciutto, sun dried tomatoes, Gouda cheese
Roast beef, seeded mustard, sliced fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese
Chicken, avocado, fresh basil and Havarti cheese
Tomatoes, fresh basil and mozzarella cheese
Turkey breast, tomatoes, cress and Swiss cheese
Salami, rocket and fontina cheese

Use Perfect Combinations

There are several options to make your sandwich shine, so team up the right bread to the right heat source for an irresistible combination:

Sandwich press

This is the toasted sandwich maker of choice for delis and cafes, allowing you to successfully toast almost any type of bread. Even the biggest sandwich is no match for the sandwich press, and they are a great choice if you're watching your waistline as there's no need to add butter, oil or batter to the bread. Available either flat or griddled, the sandwich press also includes a handle so that you can apply pressure as the sandwich cooks.

Jaffle maker

The original jaffle maker was once family favourite, allowing leftovers to be transformed into a toastie treat. This handy device seals the edges of the bread, melting the cheese and heating up the goodies contained inside. This is the toasted sandwich press of choice for use with pre-sliced supermarket bread.

Grill

If you opt for an open sandwich, or you don't own a dedicated sandwich maker, you can use your grill to great effect. For an open sandwich, toast your individual slices of bread, pile up the fillings, and add a layer of cheese and then place under a preheated grill.

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