The Easy Way To Stop Fillings From Spilling Out Of Your Veggie Sandwich
Most of us have been there before: You're getting ready to take the perfect bite of a generously stuffed sandwich, only for half the toppings to spill out onto your plate, or worse, your lap. You might try to do sandwich surgery and shove those fillings back in — or you may just resign yourself to eating the fallen foods by themselves, missing out on the full flavor experience. This is especially frustrating with all-veggie sandwiches, which are often packed with loads of individual ingredients that can be hard to secure between the bread.
Coating your bread with mayo or another spread is one trick that might work as glue for your veggies, but even this sometimes fails to save rogue fillings from trying to escape their confines. Those looking for other sandwich hacks to help avoid a mess at lunchtime should take note — there's another trick that just might save your veggie sandwich from turning into a salad with bread on the side.
One expert shared his secret to easily achieving a sandwich that's chock full of vegetables and is miraculously spill-free. Mashed spoke with Austin Johnson, chef and owner of Michelin-starred One White Street, discussing tips on overcoming the "constant battle" of messy veggie sandwiches. When asked about the key to avoiding mush and filling spills, Johnson explained, "It's best to use long vegetables such as carrots, zucchini, [and] cucumber, vegetables that can hold their structure. Things like cauliflower can get difficult without the right binding element."
Sometimes one solid veggie is all that you need
That's right, longer vegetables can stay secured between your slices of sandwich bread better than smaller, less connected culprits like corn kernels or cherry tomatoes, for example. While some spillage is still possible, picking the right filling is a big step toward avoiding that sad, humbling moment of grabbing a fork to eat the fallen fillings off your plate. This doesn't necessarily mean nixing tasty ingredients like mushroom slices altogether — instead, it could just mean opting for larger, sturdier varieties.
While variety is the spice of life, there's a lot to be said for making one vegetable the star of the show. Austin Johnson mentions the possibility of focusing on one ingredient, emphasizing the importance of growing, dressing, and seasoning tomatoes properly, for example. This is the type of thing that can entice even the most fervent of carnivores into eating a vegetarian sandwich. After all, a good veggie sandwich can be better than steak.