Is it, Or Isn't It a Sandwich? and a DIY Grilled Cheese Bar #SundayFunday

 

Today the Sunday Funday group is looking at sandwiches. Thanks to Stacy of Food Lust People Love, Sue of Palatable Pastime, Rebekah of Making Miracles, and Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm for coordinating this low-stress group. 

This week, Wendy is hosting. She wrote: "August is National Sandwich Month. It is also the perfect time for a picnic with family and friends. Share your favorite sandwich with us whether for a picnic or for eating in with a knife and fork." Here's the line-up...

• Chicken Bacon Pressed Picnic Sandwiches by Making Miracles

• Club Sandwich by Amy's Cooking Adventures

• Falafel Pita Sandwich by Mayuri's Jikoni

• French Dip Sandwich au Jus (Slow Cooker) by Karen's Kitchen Stories

• Grilled Kielbasa Sandwiches by A Day in the Life on the Farm

• Homemade Muffuletta by Food Lust People Love

• Is it, Or Isn't It a Sandwich? and a DIY Grilled Cheese Bar by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

• Submarine Bites with Sub Sauce by Palatable Pastime

• Zucchini and Carrot Vegetable Sandwich by Cook with Renu

No Consensus!

Years ago my boys broached this topic one hour into a nine hour car ride. Honestly, I think it occupied the next four hours or so. And, even still, there was absolutely no consensus on the question: What makes a sandwich a sandwich?!?

And just this summer, D levied an accusation against me that I have denied them the American culinary experience of eating sandwiches. It's not true. But I humored them and we went on A Sandwich Mission and a Summer Picnic. 

So, I'm offering some food for thought and asking: Is it, or isn't it, a sandwich? I posted the photo at the top, asking if hot dogs were sandwiches. Chuckling at the comments because the lack of consensus exactly mirrored the discussion around our table.

• Laurel: No lol
• Otis: Hmmmmm
• Kevin: Absolutely
• Wendy W: No
• Wendy K: Yep
• Kathy: Yes, stuff between bread.
• Sara: Maybe????
• Kevin: The ingredients check out, but the dimensions do not.
• Kera: No
• Lisa: Nope
• Imogen: Yes — bread + filling + spread

Two foodie friends had more detailed responses. Robin of Crushed Grape Chronicles mused: Hmmm...I know that a sandwich is anything between bread, but I feel the vessel makes for different variations that must be given their own category. Buns for instance...hot dogs, hamburgers, sliders...I suppose they are all sandwiches, but they are unique enough to deserve their own titles.

And Sue of Palatable Pastime shared: In my mind, a sandwich is when you use bread to clasp a food and eat that food along with the bread, but not simply dipping bread as a scoop (as you might with things like hummus or certain African stews with pita or injera). Sort of like using bread in lieu of a fork. So that makes a hot dog a sandwich.

As for me, being a lover of words and language precision, I have always asserted that meat and fillings can be sandwiched (verb) between bread without being a sandwich (noun).

So, where do you fall on the sandwich debate? Are things such as hot dogs and hamburgers considered sandwiches? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Recipe Links

I would be remiss if I didn't include some recipe inspiration for you to make your own sandwiches after this. My favorite sandwiches are probably: a Reuben, a Po' Boy, or a Bánh Mì. But I have always loved the creativity of a DIY grilled cheese bar which, is most definitely, a sandwich!

DIY Grilled Cheese Bar

First, grilled cheese is not all about the cheese. You think that grilled cheese is about the cheese and that's certainly important, but there are a lot of elements needed to inspire grilled cheese creativity. And, yes, I did actually buy that cheese (pictured above) because it had my name on it!

As I wrote: I like to inspire creativity in my food bars. So I provide a variety of ingredients for guests! At this DIY Grilled Cheese Bar, I gave them everything from nasturium blossoms to prosciutto and radish flowers to dandelion pesto. I pickled onions, made blackberry jam, and crisped sage leaves. 

I offered six different kinds of cheese and four different kinds of bread.

Here are some grilled cheese basics to get you started...

Choose a hardy bread. Breads with dense crumb stand up better on the grill. 

Use thin slices of cheese in multiple layers. While thick slices of cheese are great to grab off the cutting board, thinner slices melt more easily. 

It's all about the extras. Well, it’s a balance, I suppose. But lots of extras add personality and intrigue to the sandwiches. Just make sure that there is a balance of extras plus cheese so that it all melts together into gooey deliciousness.

To cook the sandwiches, keep your heat low and melt slowly. Turning up the heat too high results in burnt bread and unmelted cheese. And no one wants that! What do you put in your grilled cheese sandwiches?

That's a wrap for our Sunday Funday sandwich fest. Next weekend, we'll be sharing recipes that include beer as August 8th is National Beer Day. Rebekah will be leading that discussion. Stay tuned...