How to make the best sandwich every single time

I’ve always loved a great sandwich. As a kid, I added potato chips to the bologna on white bread tucked into my lunch box way before anyone else did (at least that’s how I remember it). Even then, I knew it needed something. But as my tastes and palate grew, so did my sandwich-building knowledge. It’s way more than slapping a few ingredients together with mayo or mustard on a roll or between two slices of bread. Making the perfect sandwich is an art form.

From years of working in cafes, sandwich shops and restaurants (and then writing about them for decades after), I learned that a great sandwich—whether it’s a New Orleans muffuletta, classic Philly cheesesteak, a traditional banh mi or a perfect Italian sub (or grinder, hoagie or hero)—is more than its ingredients. The real alchemy comes from how you layer those meats, vegetables, cheeses and condiments.

I’ve taken sandwiches apart in restaurants and restructured them (sorry not sorry, chef) because there is a right and a wrong way to build a perfect sandwich. I’m here to explain how, and why it really does matter.

How to Make the Best Sandwich

There’s a famous Italian sub in Santa Monica, California, that gets rave reviews and has made national “best” lists for years. The Godmother from Bay Cities Deli is made with everything but the kitchen sink: salami, mortadella, capicola, ham, prosciutto, provolone and, if you order it with “the works,” lettuce, pickles, onions, mayo, mustard, Italian dressing, and hot or mild peppers. All of that is layered on chewy, crusty rolls that are baked in-house.

In truth, it’s a mess. One bite and everything squishes out. I blame the inexplicable addition of mayo and mustard, which are too slick for a meaty beast like this one (plus they don’t belong on an Italian sub, in my opinion). And I blame the bread, which has a bit too much chew.

My point is that the best sandwich doesn’t necessarily have the most or the best ingredients. It’s the one where every layer has a purpose. A great sandwich needs structure. It starts with choosing the right sandwich bread, but it also requires cohesive fillings with textural contrasts and pockets of air that keep it from becoming one thick mass of ingredients. Even how you cut a sandwich matters! Let’s break it down.

Bread is the building block

Bread isn’t just a vessel for a successful sandwich; it’s the foundation. Bread holds everything together, yes, but the wrong bread will land those fillings in your lap. Choose a bread that complements the filling, not one that competes with it.

A delicate egg salad sandwich calls for soft white bread, but a hearty Italian beef or French dip sandwich requires a sturdy, crusty roll. Pita is the best choice for falafel sandwiches. A classic Parisian jambon-beurre—with its sliced ham and butter—just wouldn’t be the same without its crusty baguette.

One of the most beautiful vegetarian sandwiches I’ve ever had came on herb focaccia, which was soft yet sturdy enough to hold slices of roasted eggplant, red peppers and sweet onion, plus provolone, pesto and greens. I worked in a cafe with incredible chicken salad and roasted turkey sandwiches; the French boule-like bread was soft, but it had a tight-enough crumb to hold everything together.

Should you toast the bread? Again, that depends on the sandwich. Toasting adds texture and helps prevent sogginess. Thinking about summer’s juicy sliced heirloom tomatoes on mayo-slathered toasted sandwich bread makes my mouth water. Bread that’s too toasted, however, can turn crunchy and dry. Toast at your own risk.

Get to the meat (or veg) of the matter

The best sandwiches usually have one primary flavor focus, with supporting ingredients chosen to enhance it. Think of the meat or vegetable as the lead singer and everything else as the backup band. Whether it’s deli meat, fried chicken, grilled vegetables, chickpea salad or a thick tomato slice, the main ingredient should be the star.

Proportion is key. Pack in too much, and it can get unwieldy. Like in that famous Katz’s Deli scene in When Harry Met Sally, when Harry watches Sally take apart her too-tall turkey sandwich and rebuild it. But height isn’t always a problem. I grew up eating three-inch-high corned beef sandwiches on rye from our local deli. The meat was sliced thin and layered just right (thick in the middle, tapered at the ends), so it always held together.

Consider how thickly or thinly sliced the main ingredient is, whether it’s a salad (chicken, tuna or egg), and how chunky it is. If you have a thicker or chunkier main ingredient, keep extras like lettuce and tomato to a minimum.

Make it a textural experience

Texture can make a good sandwich even more memorable. Soft bread and tender fillings need contrast. Crunch can come from classics like lettuce, onions and sandwich pickles, but don’t stop there. Potato chips, crispy onions, toasted nuts, slaws and even thinly sliced apples can bring texture and excitement to any sandwich.

Adding a cool element to hot sandwiches is worth considering. A Nashville hot chicken sandwich topped with pickles and a pile of creamy coleslaw sounds absolutely divine.

Condiments are the glue

You can’t skip condiments on a sandwich. First, it’s plain boring. Second, your choice of condiment—be it mayo, mustard, hot sauce, pesto, hummus or a mix—adds moisture and flavor, binding the ingredients and making the sandwich feel cohesive. Whatever you use, make sure to add it to the top and bottom pieces of bread; your taste buds will thank you.

Seasonings can also make a sandwich pop. Even if the fillings are seasoned, think about adding extra throughout the sandwich. A pinch of flaky salt on tomatoes, a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper on turkey, or Italian seasoning on a sub can dramatically improve flavor.

The Right Way to Layer a Sandwich

Now let’s talk about the proper way to engineer a sandwich. I’m a firm believer in condiments on both the top and bottom, and in textural and flavor contrast in the middle. My ideal sandwich construction, starting from the bottom, is as follows: bread, condiment, protein (the star of the show—meat, salad, cheese, etc.), crunch (optional), juicy things (roasted vegetables, tomato, pickles, avocado, etc.), greens like lettuce or sprouts, condiment, then bread.

Condiments add flavor, but they can also create a barrier for moisture-rich ingredients or hold them in place. The best way to make a BLT, for instance, is with mayo on both slices of bread. The bacon goes on the bottom slice, followed by tomato, lettuce, and more mayo-slathered bread. The mayo holds and seasons the bacon; the tomato is a cool contrast to the bacon; and the lettuce clings to the mayo on the top slice of bread.

Remember, you don’t want to pack a sandwich like a suitcase. Create air pockets to add dimension and make each bite feel lighter and more flavorful. Slightly folding deli meats, loosely layering greens, and arranging ingredients to build more volume will create a pleasant bite. Beyond a certain point, adding more ingredients doesn’t make a sandwich better; it just makes it unstable. If fillings shoot out the sides after every bite, the sandwich is working against you.

How to Cut a Sandwich

Does it matter how you cut a sandwich? Of course it does! Different cuts change both the presentation and the eating experience. A diagonal cut exposes more surface area and showcases the tall-looking layers. That’s one reason turkey clubs and grilled cheese sandwiches are often cut corner-to-corner. (Another is that it actually makes them easier to eat.) Rectangular cuts are more practical for hoagies and subs because they preserve the structure of the sandwich. Small triangles or quarters can make large sandwiches easier to handle.

Use a serrated knife for bulkier sandwiches, especially if they’re assembled with thicker or crustier breads. Peanut butter and jelly on white bread, of course, doesn’t require a super sharp knife, but it does help nonetheless. And it still tastes better cut diagonally!