Over the years I have spoken with a few people regarding the concept of the moist maker, in relation to sandwich making, but not many people understood this concept so I will explain it in further detail here.
The concept of the moist maker came to me from the television show ‘Friends’. In the episode entitled “The One with Ross’s Sandwich’ there is an incident regarding a stolen turkey sandwich with a moist maker in it. If you are unfamiliar with this episode please watch the video. At 1:47 Ross describes the moist maker.
For years friends and family have been asking me to make sandwiches for them because they are so delicious. Again, like with the salads, I was telling them that it wasn’t anything special. It was just a sandwich. But then one day I realized that the reason why my sandwiches were better than other peoples was because I was “one with the sandwich”.
When making a truly delicious sandwich the sandwich preparer must be one with the sandwich. You need to picture your self inside the sandwich. You need to pretend you are eating the sandwich. You need to consider the moistness of the sandwich while pretending to eat it.
Ask your self the following questions:
Is it moist enough in this sandwich? Is it dry? Do I need more flavours? Less flavours? Do I have a good bread(pita, wrap, pannini, etc.) to filling ratio? Have I layered the flavours according to how I taste things?
I always put the softer, less dramatic flavours at the top of the sandwich and then stronger more dramatic flavours at the bottom. When I take a bite and then start chewing the first flavours I will taste are the more mild ones and then as I continue to chew the more dramatic flavours will mix into the rest of the taste.
For example, the top slice will have the mayonaise and the bottom slice the mustard. This works for strongly flavoured meats, cheeses and spreads. So, Baba Ganoush goes on the bottom and tzatziki on the top. (unless you have an extremely garlicky tzatziki)
You need to ensure that you also toast, broil, or grill sandwiches accordingly. Have you ever had a soggy grilled cheese sandwich made with white sandwich loaf bread? You really need to consider the consistency of the bread when when making the sandwich. Certain flavours mix better with a nice crusty baguette that is the perfect density and consistency in the center . Just think how wonderful a soft buffalo mozzarella cheese, fresh tomatoe and basil sandwich would taste on that crsipy baguette at a summer picnic. Now picture that same sandwich on soft whole wheat bread. Not so good right?
You really need to become one with your sandwiches and think about what ingredients you have and what would make them better. Some sandwiches deserve toasting while others taste better at room tempature. Just think about your ingredients and what makes them yummy.
My favourite layering technique for most sandwiches/pitas/burgers/baguettes/panninis/kaisers, etc is:
Top layer of bread
Mild spread such as butter, tzatziki, alouette spread, etc.
Moist vegetables (tomatoe, lettuce, cucumber)
Cheese (hard or soft)
Meat or meat alternative
Dramatic garnish (pickles, onion, hot peppers, etc.)
Mustard or dramatic spread
Bottom layer of bread
I hope that this has helped those of you who wanted more information on how to make a better sandwich. My sandwich 101 if you will.
Enjoy!
Nancy @ work, rest & play 