Reuben. It is, for my preferences, the perfect sandwich. Even a cheap, poorly made Reuben is as good as most other sandwiches.

The best one I’ve ever had is my own, but it was modeled after the way a local deli does it, then tweaked via choice of brands and proportions to get it down to my idea of perfect. I can say that I’m also proud of how many people that enjoy Reubens have said that mine kid the best they’ve had too. It isn’t everyone, nor a majority, but I’ve never had anyone dislike it at all.

Back in the day, my school had a trip to DC, and Joe Namath had a restaurant there. Their Reuben was phenomenal, and the third best I’ve ever had. The problem is that I’ve never had one from a new York deli, which is supposedly the absolute best place to get them. So they may blow mine out of the water.

Good sourdough rye bread (I make my own), good corned beef (my cousin makes the stuff I like best, but any decent deli brand will do), good swiss (boars head is my go-to), home made thousand island, and as much butter as necessary. The kraut I’ll get to in a second.

Optional is some gulden’s mustard lightly applied to the meat side. This is not standard Reuben protocol, but it’s damn nice

Kraut though, that’s what makes a Reuben more than just a corned beef (or pastrami) sandwich.

My top pick is obviously home made, but I don’t have the ability to do that any more. I favor either Bavarian seeded kraut, usually Silver Floss brand; or something like Bubbies or Kühne. But the kraut is where you’ll have the biggest difference in final results. As long as you’re using decent corned beef, any brand works fine, there just isn’t much difference once you get past buddig types of cold cuts.

So, finding your ideal kraut is the real key to tweaking the perfect personalized Reuben. The rest is easier to sub in a different brand.

Tomato sandwich, it sounds simple but it kicks fucking ass. This sandwich lives or dies on having good flavorful tomatoes so its only for in-season times of year.

You want to make it with plain white sandwich bread - toast it lightly. Apply a light layer of real (not miracle whip) mayonnaise - preferably full fat. Then slice a beefsteak tomato into slices that let you retain all the guts of the tomato but are otherwise relatively thin. Make sure to cut out the stem joint (I usually do this after slicing because it’s easier). Assemble your sandwich with a reasonable amount of tomato but as you put slices on salt your tomato. A modest size tomato is usually large enough to make 2-3 sandwiches.

Enjoy a fucking treat!

Cuban sandwich. If done correctly, it is a masterpiece.

I’ve seen a bunch that are really good, but I’ll add a couple:

BLT. Simple and so so good.

Toastie, or grilled cheese. Couple of ways to punch the is up. Use a thick cut crusty bread. Include some Branson Pickle. I learned about this in London, and it’s amazing. My mom used to make a grilled cheese with tomato and bacon. Either way, or just a plain old grilled cheese is pretty good.

Pita bread if that counts.

• Microwave it for 30 seconds for the inside to expand and the skin to soften.
• Spread butter on both internal sides
• Place thin slices of cheddar in there. Don’t overfill it, the less the better
• Toast it for 74 seconds, whilst making a small prayer to the god of sandwiches
• Enjoy

Pastrami and swiss on rye. Mayo and spicy mustard.

Muffaletta is a very close runner up.

Bread sandwich (I am British)

cucumber sandwich

Braised oxtail with melted gruyere on high quality bread.

https://www.seriouseats.com/braised-oxtail-gruyere-sandwich-recipe

It’s not low effort, but goddamn is it amazing.

Nothing beats an El Cubano on good sourdough with a dark cherry soda.

The best sandwich I ever had was a panini I randomly threw together for a snack at three in the morning. The next day I went to make it again since it was so delicious, but realized I’d forgotten some of the ingredients I used. I was in the middle of a sandwich-making phase at the time so I had like a dozen types of bread, meat, and cheese to pick from.

This was a decade ago and I’ve never been able to recreate that perfect sandwich despite several attempts. It’s my culinary white whale. The only ingredients I am sure of are the spread (light mayo in one side, applewood-smoked bacon mustard on the other) and the meat (honey-smoked turkey), and that it was only a simple meat-and-cheese. The bread and cheese continue to elude me.

BLAT. Bacon, lettuce, avocado, and tomato. Best with a hearty or sweet bread type. My preferred is sweet rye. No condiments needed…just spread the avocado for the texture and added flavor. Husband prefers the bread toasted, but I like it pan fried in butter.

A Dutch delicacy is Ossenworst, a raw lean beef sausage. It’s delicious with diced onions, pickles and a drop of balsamic vinegar and a light coating of remoulade.

I like to put it on a German bread roll.

Jambon-Beurre!! With some freshly baked warm Ciabatta-esque bread 😍

I’m vegan now but a crazy sandwich I tried once was pimiento cheese and pickled watermelon rind.