Indeed.
It's funny how some people don't think about bread, when in reality, it can make or break a sandwich as much as any other ingredient.
Unusual Sandwiches
Indeed.
It's funny how some people don't think about bread, when in reality, it can make or break a sandwich as much as any other ingredient.
Bedrockgames
Legend
Really if you just avoid buying your bread at a supermarket, and instead go to a bakery, you can usually get something really good in the US (we always had an Italian and Jewish Bakery nearby). The price is the same, but if you go to a supermarket bakery (even like a whole foods or something) it just isn't as good. I worked in a bakery growing up and the difference in taste and texture from a real baker using the right ingredients is astounding.
Your typical Italian grinder has provolone as its cheese.
Just as you found that a *good* Parmesan has a distinctly different flavor and texture from the cheap stuff, the same is true for provolone. Upgrade the provolone, and you won't need to use a different cheese to Italianize it further
Scott DeWar
Prof. Emeritus-Supernatural Events/Countermeasure
My favorite sandwivh from subway is :
whole grain bread
steak and cheese
cheese is provalone
place onions and green ppeppers with a bit of oil
toast it
add mustard, tomatoes and lettuce
Presto!
whole grain bread
steak and cheese
cheese is provalone
place onions and green ppeppers with a bit of oil
toast it
add mustard, tomatoes and lettuce
Presto!
IMHO, even a commercial sliced white bread has its place. Sometimes, its simplicity is best.
I almost won't eat a peanut butter sandwich of any kind on anything but some form of plain white. I've experimented pairing PB with fancier whites like French, Italian, etc., but they don't bring anything new to the table. About the only other bread I enjoy eating PB on is a good, buttery croissant, roll or biscuit.
I encountered a similar effect with variations on one of my favorite fast-food sandwiches, the Breakfast Jack. JitB offers variants of it- some with sourdough, with bacon, with turkey, etc., but none excites my taste buds like the original (ham, American cheese, and an egg on a fairly plain bun...to which I add 2 packets of black pepper). Don't get me wrong- when I make egg sandwiches for myself, at home, I usually DO opt for something like sourdough, roasted garlic, rosemary & olive oil, or an onion rye. But they don't deliver the same experience as the lowly Breakfast Jack.
Scott DeWar
Prof. Emeritus-Supernatural Events/Countermeasure
Well, I use a whole grain bread for the fiber content.
Bedrockgames
Legend
Your typical Italian grinder has provolone as its cheese.
Just as you found that a *good* Parmesan has a distinctly different flavor and texture from the cheap stuff, the same is true for provolone. Upgrade the provolone, and you won't need to use a different cheese to Italianize it further
They are still very different cheeses though. Most Italian Subs here tend to come with provolone, which I think is fine. That is what I grew up with from local subshops. Actual Parmesan (not the grated stuff) in a sandwich with crusty bread and greens is really great. But a very different experience from provolone (good provolone will have some bite but they still taste different and have a totally different texture). I will say this, I don't think parmesan on a standard subroll is a good fit. If you are just swapping the provolone on a sub with parmesan, I'd go with the provolone personally.
Parmesan on a cold sandwich IS a bit unusual. Hey...what thread is this?
But seriously- it works. You just have to navigate 2 major hurdles:
1) how will you slice it? Since it is hard and dry, you'll need to grate it or slice it, and slicing is a bit of a challenge. Slicing gives you better cheesy cohesion; more flavor punch. Grated gives you more even distribution and better texture.
(There is another option, which I haven't tried yet, which is incorporating it into a condiment, like an aoli. But I don't count that as cheese, I count that as a condiment.)
2) how do you keep your sandwich moist? Again, aged Parm is very dry, so you need to be generous with your condiments or your sandwich will have a layer in it not unlike eating dirt.
But seriously- it works. You just have to navigate 2 major hurdles:
1) how will you slice it? Since it is hard and dry, you'll need to grate it or slice it, and slicing is a bit of a challenge. Slicing gives you better cheesy cohesion; more flavor punch. Grated gives you more even distribution and better texture.
(There is another option, which I haven't tried yet, which is incorporating it into a condiment, like an aoli. But I don't count that as cheese, I count that as a condiment.)
2) how do you keep your sandwich moist? Again, aged Parm is very dry, so you need to be generous with your condiments or your sandwich will have a layer in it not unlike eating dirt.
Bedrockgames
Legend
Parmesan on a cold sandwich IS a bit unusual. Hey...what thread is this?
I think parmesan on a cold sandwich is great. I just think it works better with crusty bread than on a typical sub roll.
Damn! Just had an idea I can't work with anytime soon!
For a few years, I've been mixing the Chinese hot oil of a local restaurant- which (uniquely) includes pan-seared garlic & ginger along with the peppers- with honey to make a dipping sauce usually paired with chicken nuggets/strips/fingers. The obvious hot oil flavors are there, and the honey simultaneously cools the spiciness of the sauce while developing & distinguishing the flavor complexities added by the ginger & garlic in the oil. Kind of like what happens when you add a splash of water to certain spirits.
There is no reason not to try this mix on a sandwich. Must think this though...
For a few years, I've been mixing the Chinese hot oil of a local restaurant- which (uniquely) includes pan-seared garlic & ginger along with the peppers- with honey to make a dipping sauce usually paired with chicken nuggets/strips/fingers. The obvious hot oil flavors are there, and the honey simultaneously cools the spiciness of the sauce while developing & distinguishing the flavor complexities added by the ginger & garlic in the oil. Kind of like what happens when you add a splash of water to certain spirits.
There is no reason not to try this mix on a sandwich. Must think this though...
