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Foods 2090 Lessons

Sandwiches

Lesson Questions:

  • Describe the variety in types of sandwiches and preparation techniques.
  • Describe baked products used for sandwiches.

Lesson

Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work, school, or picnics to be eaten as part of a packed lunch. They generally contain a combination of salad vegetables, meat, cheese, and a variety of sauces or savoury spreads. The bread can be used as it is, or it can be coated with any condiments to enhance flavour and texture. Bread serves primary as an edible container for the food inside. Any bread used for a sandwich should ideally be used fresh. The spread serves three main purposes, it prevents the bread from soaking up the filling causing it to become soggy, it adds flavour as well as moisture to the sandwich. Sandwiches consist of two basic types, hot and cold.

  • Hot sandwiches
    • Simple hot sandwiches consist of hot fillings, usually meats, between two slices of bread or two halves of a roll. They may also contain items that are not hot, such as a slice of tomato or raw onion. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and all their variations are the most popular hot sandwiches. You make open-faced hot sandwiches by placing buttered or unbuttered bread on a plate, covering it with hot meat or other filling, and topping with a sauce, gravy, cheese, or other topping. Some versions you brown under the broiler before serving. You normally eat this type of sandwich with a knife and fork. Grilled sandwiches, like grilled cheese and paninis, are simple sandwiches that you butter on the outside and brown on the griddle or in a hot oven.

  • Cold sandwiches
    • You make simple cold sandwiches with two slices of bread or two halves of a roll, a spread, and a filling. Simple cold sandwiches range from a single slice of cheese or meat between two slices of buttered bread to complex assembly like the submarine sandwich, a long Italian roll filled with salami, ham, capocollo, or bologna, provolone cheese, peppers, onions olives, tomatoes, and more. Most popular sandwiches fall into the cold category. For a multi-decker sandwich, you make it with more than two slices of bread (or rolls split into more than two pieces) and with several ingredients in the filling. The club sandwich is a popular multi-decker sandwich, made of three slices of toast and filled with sliced chicken or turkey breast, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, and bacon. You cut it into four triangles. You make open-faced sandwiches with a single slice of bread, like large canapes, which is what they are. Tea sandwiches are small, fancy sandwiches generally made from light, delicate ingredients. Importantly, you trim bread of crusts.

Typical breads used in making sandwiches:

  • White and Whole Wheat

    •  White and whole wheat bread varieties (in the form of loaves or buns) have a mild flavor, which make them best for mild fillings such as meat, vegetables and various butters. They are traditional western breads and are made with yeast, which causes the texture to be light and airy.

  • Flatbreads and Pitas

    •   In Middle Eastern cultures, bread is made unleavened so it does not rise. The result is chewy, dense types of bread such as pita and naan. Ideal for making wraps and stuffed pockets, unleavened breads typically have fewer carbohydrates than leavened breads, so they're a good choice when you're watching your daily carb intake.

  • Flavored Breads

    • Breads such as rye, pumpernickel and sourdough have distinct flavors that can often be acquired tastes. These breads are often sold as specialty items in bakeries and grocery stores. Because the flavor is often strong, they make the best sandwiches when paired with flavorful fillings, such as pastrami and strong cheese.

  • Bagels and English Muffins

    • Although sandwiches are often associated with lunchtime, breakfast can be an ideal time for a sandwich as well. Eating a breakfast sandwich made with lean meat and vegetables is a fiber-filled way to start the day and feel full until lunch.

 Sandwich Making Hints

  • When cutting bread, keep slices together in pairs so that they will fit together.
  • Have butter, margarine, or spread at room temperature so that it will spread without tearing the bread. Cream if necessary. Spread very thin.
  • Bread may also be multilayered with one or more types of filling as in clubhouse sandwich.
  • Different colors of bread can be combined together and sliced differently to make interesting designs for the sandwich.
  • Apply spread on bread evenly to prevent sogginess. Then put in the prepared filling.
  • Vary serving of sandwiches by using different kinds of bread, fillings and by cutting them into different shapes.