I know by now all of you who read the first part of this Quick and Easy but Tasty Fillings for Sandwiches Series are raring to go to the kitchen and put together some yummy fillings to turn you into the next Sandwich Queen of Sheba or the Coolest Wife/Mummy on the block...

but hold your horses, please!

Before you can whip up a great-tasting filling for a sandwich, I think we should first look at a few rules for making said yummy sandwich fillings.

Something to keep in mind

The size, shape and type of sandwich will depend largely on the occasion. It’s important that you select the correct bread to go with your filling.

When your great-aunt Molly asks you to please help her out with sandwiches for her next book-club meeting, you are definitely NOT going to present the members with a tray of sandwiches looking like it would have been more suited to your teenage daughter and her friends or your hubby entertaining a few friends in his man cave watching the latest football game.

General rules when making sandwiches

• Bread must not be too fresh; if you have to cut it, it should be easy to do so.
• Use a good bread knife and cut bread in even, thin slices
• If you’re making sandwiches for the family, you don’t have to cut off the crusts of the bread. For fancier occasions, the crusts are cut off.
• Butter should be soft and creamy; it can be flavored by adding for instance, small amounts of tomato- or Worcestershire sauce or chopped herbs.
• Freshly chopped parsley and cream cheese or grated cheddar lends a delicious taste to the butter.
• Lettuce should be fresh and crisp. It can serve as decoration or in between two slices of bread for taste.
• Parsley should be well washed and finely chopped.
• Avoid soggy tomato sandwiches by slicing and leaving the slices at least half an hour on a paper towel to drain.
• Do the same with cucumber, but first sprinkle salt on the slices, leave for a few minutes, wash and pat dry with paper towels.
• Keep bananas from turning brow by soaking them for a minute or two in boiling water before they are peeled.
• Keep apples and avocado from turning brown by adding lemon juice.
• White and brown bread can be used together for effect and color.
• Sandwiches can be made a few hours before the time. Place it on a plate or tray covered with shredded lettuce, then cover with cling wrap and store in a cool place until it is served.
• Half-filled eggs, stuffed prunes and olives, celery hearts, radish flowers and carrot sticks can be used as attractive additions on the serving plate.

Remember

Fillings should not be too runny, as the bread will become soggy.

Time Saver Tip

When you have to prepare a lot of sandwiches, prepare as much as possible ahead of time, so by the time you have to make the sandwiches, everything you need will be on hand.

For instance:

• Slice the bread if you cannot buy ready sliced loaves.
• Take the butter out of the fridge to soften.
• Make flavoured butters in advance. Flavoured butters will keep for one to two weeks in the fridge.
• Wash the lettuce and leave to dry. Lettuce can be kept in a plastic container overnight with a slice of bread to keep it crisp until you need it.
• Grate the cheese.
• Boil the eggs, let cool, chop or slice.
• Slice onions, tomatoes and cucumbers or anything else that needs to be sliced. Store in a plastic container lined with paper towels to keep it from becoming soggy.
• Chop the parsley, chives or other herbs.
• Chop other filling ingredients that have to be chopped and store in small plastic containers.
• Place radishes, celery and shallots in ice water to keep it crisp.

So there you go... you are now ready to venture out in the world to make totally yummy sandwiches. In Part 3 of the Quick and Easy but Tasty Fillings for Sandwich Lovers I will give you 20 ideas for cheese fillings.

Sandwiches image used in the first photo: Morguefile
All other images used in this post are from Pixabay