Grabbing a sandwich is a quick easy way to have a meal on the go or at home. It can be filled with delicious, nutritious foods, can be cold or hot, grilled, open faced, closed, triple decked, or wrapped. There are breakfast sandwiches, lunch sandwiches, and tea or party sandwiches.
According to the USDA "A sandwich is a meat or poultry filling between two slices of bread, a bun or a biscuit." No matter how you define sandwich there are millions eaten every day.
According to a 2019 YouGov survey the grilled cheese sandwich is the most popular.
There are 3 main components of a sandwich: the bread, the spread, and the filling.
1. The bread holds everything together. The bread should not be overpowering, or to soft or tough. A whole grain bread is the most nutritious.
2. The spread adds flavor and moisture, mayonnaise and butter add richness. The spread also creates a moisture barrier, so the bread doesn’t get soggy. The main types of spreads are mayonnaise, salad dressing, butter, and variety spreads such as hummus, pesto and cream cheese.
3. The filling is the main ingredient of a sandwich and can be any kind of beef, pork, poultry, seafood, cheese, vegetables, and fruits. It can also be a meat or egg salad that have dressing holding everything together
Types of sandwiches include:
• Closed-two pieces of bread with filling in between.
• Open-faced-one piece of bread with the fillings put on top.
• Triple decker-THREE pieces of bread with fillings between each layer
• Finger Sandwiches-small fancy closed sandwiches in shapes, the crusts are usually cut off.
• Wraps-flat breads wrapped around fillings.
Be creative when making own sandwich, select different flavors with a good mix of fruit, vegetables, bread, meats, and dairy. For your healthiest sandwich choose low fat spreads, proteins, and cheeses.
1. Choose a bread remember whole grain breads are the most nutritious and increase the fiber in your diet.
2. Choose a spread if you want.
3. Choose one or two protein foods.
4. Add your favorite cheese.
5. Add fruits and vegetables. Try to incorporate at least one, but this is one time more is better.
6. Put the top bread on or roll it up if you are doing a wrap and you are ready to eat!
Sandwiches can be grilled, toasted, or warmed depending on your personal preference.
If you are packing your sandwich to eat later in the day, consider packing the ‘wet’ ingredients for example any of the spreads or juicy vegetables in separate containers and adding them right before you eat the sandwich to prevent your bread from getting soggy.
Follow good food safety practices when packing sandwiches to eat later in the day. Use insulated lunch sacks and cold packs to keep everything cold and out of the temperature danger zone of 41° to 135° F.
Be creative and try a new sandwich today.
