8 HACKS for better SANDWICHES While Traveling on the Road
There’s nothing worse than stopping for lunch on a hot day to have a dry and unsatisfying sandwich. We’ve all been there. Here’s a few tips to have the most enjoyable sandwich as possible on those quick lunch stops along the trail, or at camp:
Don’t refrigerate sandwich bread unless its REAL hot out. Ain’t nobody like a dried out bread
For longer lasting sandwich bread that’s not in the fridge, throw in a few packets of food safe silica gel packets. This’ll control the condensation build up whenever it is warmer out. Moisture on bread with a warm car is the perfect combo for mold growth. We use these: https://amzn.to/3uoDByt.
Spread whatever sauce of your choosing on both pieces of bread. This acts as a moisture barrier for anything in between. Two slices of cheese can also do this. Ain’t no one like wet sando fingers.
Enjoyable sandwiches is a play off of different textures: crunchy, soft, meaty, and delicate. Have things on hand to put together this textural symphony. We like a combination of tomatoes, sprouts, and pickles. If we make a chicken, tuna, or chick pea salad, we add in fruit and nuts along with the usual accouterments
Don’t stack deli meat. If you took the time, and money, to buy really good quality, thinly sliced, organic, sustainable deli meat, don’t stack them an inch thick to become one giant hunk of meat. No one wants to bite into that. Take the time to roll your chosen number of slices into little mini meat taquitos. Line um up and stack um high. This makes for a much more enjoyable first bite into the sandwich as everything is bouncy, light, and airy.
Season. Every. Single. Layer. This is THE most important tip. About to add in sliced tomatoes? Salt and pepper. Sprouts? Salt and pepper. Don’t like pepper? Don’t add pepper.
Add a fat and an acid. This is optional, but adding a fat like olive oil, or avocado oil adds moisture, and also attributes to some great mouth feel. Have some vinegar, or lemon on hand? Squeeze it onto your seasoned leafy greens layer.
A sandwich is an enjoyable salad between two slices of bread. No, I’m not talking about the ones at your local mom and pop restaurant that has a complementary salad bar with fixin’s from the 1950s. I’m talking about those $12-15 hipster-millenial salads at those chic yuppie marts. Mimic exactly that but in sandwich form. These salads are a ballet of textures, proteins, vegetables, tangy, savory, sweet, and sometimes fruity notes. Season and “dress” the vegetables. Rarely anyone eats salads that aren’t dressed. So why would you leave naked veggies on your sandwich?
Your dry and uninspired sandwiches are striving to be the best salad it can be. Let them fly, and let them live the dream. Your taste buds will thank you.
Hope that helps relieve drysandoitis! Pop down any other sandwich tips if you got them! We’d love to hear it.
—Linhbergh
Camp cooking gets a bad rap. It’s either known to be freeze-dried backpacker meals that require boiling water, premade food that can easily be reheated, or the usual hamburgers and hot dogs. There’s an air of inconvenience whenever the topic of cooking at camp gets brought up.
“It’s a hassle.”
“Camp meals are just for sustenance.”
“I hate doing dishes.”
Times have changed. The economy has changed. Budgets are tighter. The landscape of food has changed. Chinese take-out is no longer considered an exotic cuisine. Kale has become an accepted part of contemporary salads. Cooking at home has become a haute couture again for families and households that watch their pocketbook. People love food and love talking about food. These sentiments also moved onto the world of camp cooking. Hamburgers and hot dogs have been replaced by street-style carne asada tacos, kimchi egg fried rice, or chicken adobo.