Sandwich

A sandwich is a food item composed of meat,

vegetable, cheese and/or other food placed on
top or between slices of bread or enclosed in a
starch-based wrapper.
TYPES of SANDWICH
Sandwiches can also be categorized according to how the elements are organized such as:
Simple;
Open-faced;
Multi-decker;
Finger or tea; and
Wrapped.
There are also sandwiches that are known for their preparation method such as
the grilled or toasted and the deep-fried sandwich.
In addition, sandwiches generally have four main components. They include the
following bread, filling, spread and the garnish.
Tortilla
Handling and Storing Breads
Once you have acquired good-quality breads, you should make sure that they will stay fresh
until they are used for food service. The following are some of the measures you must observe
when purchasing or handling bread.
 The bread should spring back when pressed using the fingers (except for flatbread).
 Breads should be glossy inside having bubbles or air pockets of varying sizes. These
bubbles show that the dough was not over-worked resulting to a lighter bread.
 There should be no trace of sour or yeasty odor except for sourdough breads which have a
slight sour smell.
 Whole wheat or multigrain bread are more nutritious than white bread.
 Purchase bread on a daily basis.
 Obtain only enough supply of bread that you are going to need to for the day.
 Keep the bread in tightly-sealed and moisture-proof containers.
 Freeze bread to lengthen their shelf life.
Determining Common Sandwich Spreads

 Spreads are added to sandwiches to add flavor, moisture and texture.

However, more importantly, spreads prevent the bread from turning
soggy due to the moisture from the filling. The following are the
common sandwich spreads used today.
 Handling and Storing Spreads
It is important to make sure that only the quality spreads will be used in preparing sandwiches. Here are some points to
help you in purchasing and keeping the quality of spreads.
1. Mayonnaise should have a moderately thick and spreadable consistency.
2. Butter and mayonnaise should show a smooth texture except for flavored varieties (might contain bits of herbs, meat
and other ingredients).
3. Mayonnaise should have an off white to creamy white color.
4. The butter should melt easily when set at room temperature or higher.
5. Salted and flavored butter within the same container/ package should have even flavor. Salted butters should show no
sign of undissolved salt.
6. Mayonnaise and butter within the same container/ package should have even and uniform color.
7. Butter and mayonnaise should not have a burnt smell or any unpleasant odor.
8. Mayonnaise should have an slightly sourish aroma and flavor.
9. Mayonnaise should not be watery and should not show foreign flavors and odors.
10. Refrigerate unopened packages of butter. You can put opened packages of butter in covered containers and keep them
at room temperature.
11. Opened jars of mayonnaise need to be kept refrigerated soon after use.
12. Keep opened bottles of jams, compotes and jelly refrigerated.
13. Use squeeze bottles, spatula or spoons when applying spread to avoid wastage.
Determining Common Sandwich Fillings

 The fillings define the sandwich.

While the other elements largely
contribute to the over-all appeal of
sandwiches, the fillings remains as
the main attraction.
 Handling and Storing Sandwich Fillings
• Common ingredients used as sandwich fillings can be very perishable. You, as a kitchen staff, should be able to perform the necessary steps in
order to maintain the quality of sandwich fillings.
• Wrap cheeses in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate. For fresh cheeses in water, leave the cheese in the original packaging and change
the water every two days.
• Use opened packages of cold cuts as soon as possible. While sealed packs may last for 14 days to months when refrigerated, opened packs of
cold cuts will last for only 3 days.
• Cooked items must be drained and cooled before being used in the sandwich.
• Left-over items such as chicken, meat and seafood can be used. However, proper handling must be observed to ensure food safety.
• Wash fruits and vegetables before storing. Dry and store them in a crisper drawer set to low-humidity. You can also wrap lettuces and other
leafy vegetables in paper towels before storing.
• When holding hot food, keep the food at 135°F or 57°C using steam tables or other equipment.
• Place food intended to be served cold in cold Bain-Marie or refrigerated table. Make sure that the amount of food does not go beyond the lip
of the container as food beyond this level will not stay cold.
• Prepare vegetables as close to serving time as possible to avoid moisture loss.
• Cooked vegetables should still be crisp with vibrant color.
• Vegetables are sometimes soaked in a marinade. Common marinates include oil and vinegar mixture (a la Grecque). Marinated vegetables
should be added just before serving to avoid too much moisture from making the bread soggy.
• Use a sharp knife when cutting fruits to avoid discoloration. Some fruits such as avocados, apples and bananas should be dipped in acid after
cutting to avoid discoloration.
• Canned fruits should be drained properly before being used.
Basic Sandwich Preparation Techniques

Sandwich-making starts with having mastered the fundamental

procedures. Having the basic skills at hand will enable you to prepare
sandwiches easy and fast. Some of the basic techniques that you must
be able to perform are:
Spreading
Layering
Piping
Cutting
Toasting
Spreading
In this procedure, a spreader or a spatula to distribute the spread over the surface of
the bread until it is completely covered. The following measures should be observed
when spreading:
• Before spreading, make sure that the spread is soft enough to avoid tearing the
bread.
• When making large quantities of sandwiches, you can spread out the bread slices
on a clean surface and apply the spread.
• The spread should cover the surface of the bread completely including the side or
the edges of the bread.
• Spread gently but quickly into one direction.
• When cooking in a commercial kitchen, make sure that you use the required
spread of the kitchen unless requested or instructed otherwise.
 Layering
This is the method of stacking of the fillings in proper order.
When layering sandwich fillings, you must make sure that:
• Fillings of same types of sandwiches are layered the
same way every time.
• Only the designated amount of fillings are used in
layering unless requested or instructed otherwise.
• Fillings are stacked properly to ensure stability and
neatness in terms of sandwich presentation.
• Cheeses and cold cuts are placed next to the bread to
prevent the moisture of fruits and vegetables from
turning the bread soggy.
• Different types of sandwiches may have different
number of layers and fillings.
Piping
This is the application of spread, sauces or other
condiments into a loaded sandwich. The piped
item becomes part of the overall appeal of the
sandwich. When piping:
 Use piping bags or squeeze bottles to control
the amount of spreads or fillings to be added.
 Pipe spreads before loading the ingredients in.
 Some prefer using squeeze bottles as they can
be stored easier than piping bags.
 You can use piping bag tips of different sizes
and shapes to create interesting designs using
the spread, sauces or other condiments to be
added.
 Cutting

This is the use of a sharp knife to divide the sandwich into desired
serving sizes and shapes or a cookie cutter to trim sandwiches into
a specific shape. Cutting is also done to remove the crust of bread
for presentation or depending on the preference of the diner.
Normally sandwiches are cut into fingers, halves and quarters.
The following measures should be observed when cutting
sandwiches:
 Cut sandwiches into halves or quarters.
 Cut sandwiches into triangles. However, square or rectangular
cuts are also done depending on guest preference.
 Sandwiches should be cut all the way through into uniform
sizes.
 Sandwiches cut into triangles can classified as either two-point
(cut into two triangles) or four-point (cut into four triangles).
Toasting  Brush the bread with butter before toasting. Doing this will
result to a more flavorful toasts that are crunchy on the
outside and soft on the inside.
 Avoid walking away from the oven, griddle or pan when
toasting.
 Some place the breads on a sheet pan before broiling them in
the oven. The pan catches the melted butter and helps toast
the other side of the bread. However, others prefer toasting
the bread directly on the oven shelf.
 Go for lightly browned toasts and avoid the darker ones. Set
the oven at 154°C and roast the bread for 3 to 3.5 minutes for
good results.
 Avoid using pop-up toasters when toasting bread pre-brushed
with butter. Melted butter might accumulate to the bottom of
the toaster and cause malfunction.
 Some prefer using the ovens to cook both sides of the bread
simultaneously to avoid too much moisture loss.
Preparing Sandwich
 Prepare all ingredients before assembling your sandwich.
 Ready all equipment and hand tools that you will be using.
 Place the tools and equipment within your reach.
 When preparing large quantities of sandwiches, lay the
slices of bread on a clean surface. The other ingredients
can be arranged in such as way that your left and right
hands can reach different ingredients at the same time.
 These are just some of the measures you can observe to
prepare sandwiches easier.
Preparing Simple Sandwiches
 Simple sandwiches are made of two slices of bread, with
spreads and fillings placed in between. These sandwiches
are called simple for having only two slices of bread and
not necessarily because they are easy to prepare.
 Simple sandwiches may be filled with hot fillings such as
roasted, grilled or fried items; or cold fillings like salads
and cold cuts of meat. These type of sandwiches are
usually served closed.
Many sandwich recipes can be classified as simple sandwiches.
The common examples are the:

 Submarine sandwich; and

 Lobster rolls; and
 Burger and hotdog sandwiches.
Preparing Multi-decker Sandwiches
 Multi-decker sandwiches are composed of more than two slices of bread with
spreads and filling put in between each layer. Similar with simple sandwiches,
multi-deckers may be filled with hot fillings such as roasted, grilled or fried
items; or cold fillings like salads and cold cuts of meat.
 These sandwiches are usually tall and contains a number of fillings. For this
reason, multi-decker sandwiches are often cut into triangular halves or quarters
and secured with decorated picks. Common examples of multi-decker sandwiches
are the:
Club sandwich; and
Bacon, lettuce and tomato (BLT) sandwich.
 Basically, multi-decker are simple sandwiches with more than two slices of bread.
For this reason, the same guidelines for preparing simple sandwiches apply to
preparing the multi-decker:
 Preparing Open-faced Sandwiches

 These are sandwiches that are made with a single slice of bread.
Instead of being topped with another slice of bread, open-faced
sandwiches show an arrangement of fillings and garnishes. Hot
open-faced sandwiches are often served with sauces, melted cheese
or other condiments.
 Some open-faced sandwiches are browned or broiled in the oven
before serving and eaten using a knife and a fork.
Preparing Wrapped Sandwiches

 Flat breads are usually used to wrap sandwich fillings. Flat breads
such as the pita bread can also be split opened to create a pocket
where the sandwich fillings can be loaded. They may be filled with
cold fillings such as chilled vegetable slices and hot ingredients like
roasted meat.
 Wrapped sandwiches are often served whole or cut in half. Bite-size
slices of wraps are called pinwheel sandwiches. Common wrapped
sandwiches include the:
Burrito;
Shawarma; and
Tortilla
Guidelines in Preparing
Wrapped Sandwiches
Preparing Grilled or Fried Sandwiches
 Aside oven-roasted open-faced sandwiches, the list of sandwich
varieties also include grilled and fried sandwiches. Sandwiches are
often grilled for added texture and flavor. Grilling and frying creates
sandwiches with a nice crusty outside and juicy, sometimes melted,
inside.
 Common examples of grilled and fried sandwiches are the:
Monte Cristo (Fried);
Panini (Grilled); and
Grilled cheese sandwich (Grilled).
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