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Scorpacciata is a term that means consuming large amounts of a particular local ingredient while it's in season. It's a good way to eat. Here's how to pronounce it. A tomato and mayonnaise sandwich on store-bought white bread is the finest sandwich known to mankind. This is not up for debate, and the ingredients are not negotiable. Salt and pepper are permissible, but if you try to get schmancier than that, you'll screw it all up, and your sandwich should be taken away from you until you learn to properly appreciate the simple perfection of this combination. You will not have the opportunity to eat one between, say, mid-September and the beginning of next August, so it's best that you consume them as frequently as humanly possible while tomatoes are in season. One a day would not be overkill and you and your physician should just devise a plan for counteracting any potential over-mayonnaising you may encounter during this period of your gastronomic life. Hellmann's will also get the job done, but if anyone begins to bring up the possibility of making the mayonnaise for this sandwich at home ("It's sooooo eeeeaaasssyyy. Just use your bllleeeenderrrr..."), banish them to the porch until they have contemplated the error of their ways. Yes, even if it is raining. Simplicity is serious business here. Same goes for the white bread. You must not make this bread, nor should the word "artisanal" be uttered within 100 paces of it. You must purchase this bread and the word "crappy" must be at least somewhat applicable to it. Chef Bill Smith of Crook's Corner restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina makes his with store-bought bread (a move New Orleans chef Adolfo Garcia reportedly referred to as "ballsy") and the man's won or been nominated for every big cooking award under the sun. Trust him, for he is a professional maker of tomato mayo sandwiches. Upon this soft, crappy bread, slather the mayonnaise. How thickly and on one or both slices - that's your business. On top of one slice, layer tomatoes. Now, these tomatoes. You did not under any circumstances pick these up at the supermarket, unless you know for really and for truly that they've worked out some sort of deal with a local farmer. This isn't about being a snob; it's about making sure your food tastes of something other than vaguely sour red-colored packing material and was picked under humane conditions, The tomatoes should come from a farm, a farmstand, a neighbor or if you're extremely lucky, your own garden. If the angels are smiling upon you from the heavens and you saved a basket of kittens from certain death on a railroad track in a past life, these tomato will be of an heirloom variety. They should be red (yes the yellows, oranges and purples are stunning to behold, but we're on a particular mission here) and taste of blue skies and blazing sun. At the very least, they should have been grown in soil rather than a hydroponic compound, but sometimes, we must make do. If they have seen the inside of a fridge, though, skip them. These are not the tomatoes you're looking for. Cut the slices to whatever depth brings you the greatest pleasure. For some, this will be akin to the thickness of a thumb. Others may wish to skim this month's copy of Nightshade Enthusiast through theirs. Either way, you're in it for the juice - or rather the locular jelly, which is that luscious goop in the center that holds all the acid. There should be enough of that to stain the mayonnaise a light pink and make your knees buckle just a little bit. When you're finished layering the slices. Stack on the top slice and...wait. It'll taste good right now, but it'll be even better in ten or fifteen minutes when the juice has had a chance to seep in and meld with the mayonnaise and juuuuust begin to sog up that first millimeter or two of bread. You've held out all year for tomatoes to be in season - what's a few minutes more? And when you do finally grasp that sandwich with both hands, lift it to your mouth and take that first big, sloppy bite of summer, all the world will melt away for a minute. Then you'll start dreaming of your next one. Previously - Heirloom tomatoes, explained and You really should be putting tomatoes in your drinks |
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I'm from Rhode Island and grew up on Tomato & Mayo sandwiches, every summer we ate these as often as we could.. We had a huge garden and had to eat them while they were fresh. Also try fresh cut tomato slices and top with a mixture of wine vinegar or lemon juice with mashed up garlic clove and salt. It is strong potent stuff and will give you ka-ka dragon breath for hours after!
My 2nd favorite sandwich now and that we always has as kids was the Banana and Mayo w/sugar Sandwich. Slice ripe bananas are placed on white bread with mayonnaise and white granular sugar is sprinkled on the bananas. It is crunchy sweet and mayonnaisey all at once. I love them!
My 3rd favorite sandwich is a Campbells Bean and mayonnaise sandwich., my mother always packed it in my school lunches in the late 1960's and early 70's and she said her mother gave it to her when she was a kid too. Take 1 regular sized can Campbells pork and beans and a blob of mayo, mix it up and put it on white bread, or a New England Style Hot Dog bun. I know it sounds nasty but try it, it is delicious. Reminds me of hummus or bean dip.
You can't buy any of these in Rhode Island, these are just home cooked things as far as I know. We have great Hot Weiners, Lobster or Clam Rolls in Rhode Island, you should try all of them!
PBJ FTW
period
White Bread? Salt-Rising-Bread is the definitive bread for a tomato sandwich. Just ask Aaron Weiner from Carolina Mountain Bakery in Asheville, North Carolina. This turns the tomato sandwich into a religious experience.
Only South Georgia homegrown tomato for the very best tomato sandwich. Better yet, leave off everything else and just eat the tomato. Loved all the comments.
The bread must be toasted – then a touch of butter, the mayo, tomato, salt & a touch of pepper. Perfection.
If you're not willing to put bacon on it, I suggest adding cucumber slices.
BLT with a fried egg is the best summer sandwich ever, don't be a goose.
home grown green ox heart tomato, lightly salted and tossed in a little bit of flour and pan fried in butter with two strips of bacon. now that's the best mater sammich ever.
course if maters aren't in season then you can't knock a BLM – bacon lettuce and mayo xD
I LOVE this simple but very tasty sandwich! I would use Wheat Bread, however, simply for the health benefits and the flavor is still wonderful! I like my bread toasted with the Tomato/Mayo blend + a bit of salt & pepper. Yummy... I live on these when the fresh produce is in season.
We just got a load of fresh heirlooms in our CSA this week, so I will definitely be putting this claim to the test this weekend! Now to see if Duke's is available here in Louisville =)
Lightly toasted store bought white bread with strawbwerry jam and fried egg cooked over easy. The egg has to be tad salty and real gooey!. yumm!!!
Crappy white bread = Sunbeam buttermilk bread
Mayonnaise = Blue Plate mayo
Tomatoes from the farmer down the road where I grew in Mississippi
Bacon is optional, but if you have a truly divine tomato, you will NOT dare to eat it with bacon.
Salt and pepper are mandatory for this sandwich.
I miss the South! I miss my 'maters!!!! Nothing is better than a Mississippi tomato. It must be the hot sun that really does it.. I don't know. Maybe the soil? Since I've lived in Maryland, I've not had a reallly zesty tomato, no matter what the promise of local farmers' markets or organic cultivation may offer. =(
This sounds so disgusting.
to be really perfect– NEEDS BACON
I agree on the "purity" of the recie and its really good, better with crispy bacon..however tops is my Mom's pimento cheese on any kind of bread or cracker.
Add a little grated raw onion with some of its juice to the mayo.
I love fried green tomato sandwiches!!!! YUM
The photos don't go with the article. Look at the bread. It clearly has traces of flour on the crust, and you can plainly see a variable texture in it. Somebody baked that bread. So if you're gonna be uppity about not being uppity, specify: if it wasn't 85¢ a loaf at the dollar store, and if its color is anything less than paper-white, it ain't appropriate for this sandwich. Harumph.
Nope - no scandal afoot. Bought it at my corner deli. Arnold's Country White:
http://www.arnoldbread.com/Products/Description.aspx?sSku=7341000305
Yes it's good, but I like a tomato sandwhich in a fresh chibata bun. The outside has an amazing tough but chewy texture and the inside is soft. The bread is very flavourful and when toasted brings out the flavour even more.
I'm sorry I like just plain tomatoes, but when combined with crunchy (but not burnt) maple cured canadian bacon and that chibata bun with Hellman's mayo, it totally rocks!
No, the best "sandwich" of all time is a grilled cheese with your favorite lunch meat, bacon, and a tomato slice on it!!! *Yum**
Medium rare burger with a fire roasted green NuMex chile, sauteed mushrooms and Swiss cheese. Lettuce and a nice red, red beefsteak tomato slice acceptable additions but not mandatory.
A tomato sandwich? No way. Well maybe–but definitely I'd use Miracle Whip and cherry tomatows and not mayo and heirloom tomatoes and I'd only want a half a sandwich once a year. I'll take a barbecue beef (chipped) with Fritos and iced tea any day.
ever since I was 4 years old, I ordered the following: lettuce & mayo on wheat bread. Cut on the diagonal. It's great! A little tang (mayo), some green-age and crunch factor (crisp lettuce), and soft doughy bread. Yum! Drink skim milk on the side.
Ever since Obama has been elected all I have been able to afford is a bologna on hand sandwich. Thanks for spreading the mayo Obummer.
Seriously you jest! The best sandwich in the world is a Reuben assembled like this: Two slices of rye bread, Russian or 1000 island dressing, at least half a pound of pastrami, corned beef or a combination thereof, coleslaw, Swiss cheese and more dressing and then the whole thing is grilled and served with a couple of good Kosher dill pickles, now that's a sandwich!!..........where's the nearest deli?
Needs bacon.
mayo is a plague on society
Good sliced turkey with guacamole, arugula and homegrown tomatoes on a hearty whole grain bread.Cheese optional.
Okay this combination sounds really soggy. Instead toast the bread, use only a thin scraping of mayo and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and lots of cracked back peppercorn. The best, especially on fresh sliced French bread.
I don't eat mayo...I use ranch dressing instead.
Not too fond of tomato either. I eat tomatos but it has be in something...I don't want a whole wad of tomato.
@Tazer, few pertinant questions....Do you drive a BLAZER? Are you related to Debbie MAZER? Do you like to play tag ala LAZER?
Thats all I got.
That crappy white bread isn't good for anything but feeding birds and ducks. I do love tomato sandwiches on a good, fresh and crusty baguette with a nice slice of provolone cheese. I also love tomatoes on most other sandwiches, especially grilled cheese and of course a good BLT.
Only One, I am sure is sacriligious where you live, but can I get the coleslaw on the side? Sounds really good, love NC 'Que, red slaw or white?
The makings of the sandwich sound great but I don't usually like applying the word "crappy" to parts of my sandwich, particularly while I'm chewing it down.
and the best sandwich is the Fat Darrel in New Jersey. It's already been decided long ago. (i'm not kidding)
Isn't that on a food Truck? didn't I see it on Man vs. Food?
yes
Mayonaise is the most vile thing ever conceived by man. I would rather have Anthrax sprinkled on my food.
and it's pulled pork and cole slaw with vinegar BBQ sauce North Carolina style! Best sandwich in 12 universes (if that makes any sense at all – 12 universes?)
This is all well and good, and I agree completely that tomato/mayo/cheap white bread is a summer classic, and just as described – fantastic! BUT WAIT...running neck and neck, the 'other' summer classic: fried sweet peppers with American cheese on cheap white bread! I do believe it to be the most delicious simple sandwich ever. We had at least 2 acres of garden every year, no lack of tomatoes, and we sure loved the tom/mayo/whitebread – but we BEGGED for peppers&cheese sandwiches! When we knew they were within reach we'd fight over them! Flavor that exploded in your mouth! Molto, molto buono!
Toast the bread and add bacon, so it's a BLT without the L.
The Tomato should be a Cherokee Purple (a heirloom member of the beefsteak family, and yes it is purple and red) from your back yard.
Hellman's mayo (Dukes is good as well), a little salt & pepper (course ground).
And of course, a glass of iced tea.
What more could one want?
A fried shrimp poor boy is also good.... ;-)
let me get this straight: crappy white bread, NO artisan bread, NO homemade mayo, has to be duke's or hellman's if duke's is not available, but the tomatoes have to be farm fresh, can't be store bought? this simple sandwich is too complicated.
Guess you never had a true Philly Cheese Steak. Beats any sandwitch any where anytime
Is anyone surprised that Virginians eat this? I'm sure this was on the cover of Trailer Park Magazine.
So you read Trailer Park Magazine, huh? You read it for the pictures, don't you?
Put a slab of cheese on it, and you have something. But my favorite is grilled cheese, with mayo, mushrooms and onions on wheat. But you have to SLOWLY cook the onions ahead of time; carmelize them, not brown them. Cook the mushrooms ahead as well. GREAT sandwich!
Tomato sandwiches are the best! I ate these all summer long growing up in E. Texas. I sometimes like a slice of garden fresh sweet onion with my tomato, mayo and white bread. Yum!
penut butter with bugers! lol!
NO WAY. The best sandwich of all time is Genoa salami and sliced smoked Gouda on Martin's Wheat/Potato bread with French's horseradish mustard.
Of course that IS subject to change, but right now there is just simply nothing better!
it's almost right...sourdough bread, avocado spread, tomatoes and a bit of sea salt on top...
12. On second thought, let's turn off the lights.
Fried Bologna on Store bread with potato chips on top of bologna instead of cheese. Easy and best.
before i had to watch what i ate-i loved a potato chip sandwich on an onion roll with mayo-skip the bologna,
Bologna? Yuck. I was force fed that growing up for years. If I never eat another slice of that "meat" again in my life, I will be a lucky girl. I won't even ever feed that to my kids either. Oh crap....flashbacks!
don't like tomatoes enough for that. however, a good bruchetta on french bread covered in mozerella and broiled in the oven for a minute or two (just enough to put a little char on the cheese and crisp up the bread a bit) is a good spin that will appeal to more people. one of my favorite no-cook sandwiches is white bread with nutella and apricot preserves and I tend to only crave it in the summer.
I should mention that the bruchetta sandwich was one that was introduced to me at a restaurant in Amsterdam, The Netherlands while attending the world cup soccer team's homecoming celebration. its very simple, but goes great with a good lager (among other things available to enjoy in that part of the world :).
I know a great little restaurant at the edge of the galaxy.
MAYONNAISE?!! Heathen! It's Miracle Whip all the way when it comes to a gooood ta'mater sandwich:)
Cuban
Cigar
Smoker
Just seeing the headline for this sandwich made me throw up in the back of my throat a little... Tomatoes? Not unless they're thoroughly cooked and made into a sauce with nothing recognizable as a tomato in there. Mayo? Dear, sweet Mabel, not a chance... Top it all off on flaccid, tasteless white bread? Sheer insanity. Wonderbread is for soup kitchens and trailer parks, absolutely disgusting.
Give me a couple of slices of wheat bread, some chunky (or even better: fresh ground) peanut butter and so much honey it makes one slice drip like good baklava, and I'm a happy man. (Sub in Smuckers seedless raspberry jam for the honey, and I'm in heaven, just on a different cloud. Yeah, I'm 36 and I still eat PBJ several times a week...because I love it.)
You remind my of my youngest, her mama nearly went bald pulling her hair trying to make her eat her veggies.
Ha! Sounds like me as a kid, I can't deny it. Heck, I'm still like that. My kids, however, love vegetables that I won't touch, and my son especially loves tomatoes right out of the garden.
In keeping with the context of the story, it certainly raised my hackles calling this monstrosity the "best sandwich in the universe." I'd like to call the author all kinds of names, but I'd rather be civilized and insult the horrible food than the person that enjoys it (for whatever ungodly reason that may be.) All the best!
Tomato on white bread with mayo. YUM. Also, avocado on white bread with mayo. YUM. Both of these with a sprinkle of salt and pepper; they are summer on a sandwich.
This sammich pales in comparison to the 2Dolphins Tuna Wrap, also made with real (Often Duke's) mayo:
http://www.2dolphins.com/2008/04/wrap-it-up/
There are better sandwiches out there. Give me bagel, rye or pumpernickel and a wide variety of things to put on it, then you have a great sandwich. I need a construction permit to make one those as I joke with friends. Since I observe the rules of Kashrut, there is no meat on there; only cheeses, veggies and fishes.
Yes but remember something important about bagels. You have to get them in a highly jewish neighbourhood, otherwise they are like keiser buns with a hole in the middle. Either Montreal, Quebec, Canada or New York City. They should always be baked in a wood oven to get that flavour and properly seeded for maximum flavour.
Interesting. I was just reading the Tom Robbins essay on tomato-mayonnaise sandwiches. He was similarly enthusiastic, and even more poetic, about their deliciousness.
25. Did I remember to take my pill?
And of course this sandwich should be eaten leaning over the sink, because to do it proper justice the tomatoes must be juicy to the point of dripping. Too bad it's been such a rotten year for tomatoes in my garden, since the weather's been so abominable. But at least I've gotten enough for a few sandwiches and a batch of salsa!
Best sandwiches I ever had:
Jumbo shrimp & a little Hellman's mayo, dash of fresh lime, on garlic-cilantro toasted creole bread.-La Romana, Dominican Republic.
Pit-roast pork with sea salt, dash of horseradish sauce, a sliver of crackling skin, thick tomato slab, sweet onion and finely chopped crisp raw mustard greens, on Cuban bread. My house, Georgia.
Hot-plate cube steak & onions, sauteed mushrooms, Manchego cheese, on crusty Italian bread.-San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The Heirloom Tomato talk is all bull. A good, soil-grown fresh tomato is a good, soil-grown fresh tomato. The Heirloom thing is a fad. Every neophyte gardener has jumped on the train to gardening snootyville and so has the author. While being down to earth and folksy about how basic and simple it is, he just HAD to throw in something to make readers feel inadequate about, if they don't have access. Now hear this, a Big Boy or Marion or Walter, etc. is just as good as a Rutger, or Mortgage Buster or whatever. The former are hybrids and the later are non-hybrids where you can save the seed and propagate the same plant. That is all. Plus, the non-hybrids are less disease resistant, that is the main reason plants were cross-bred to begin with, to make a more hearty plant. Just get a fresh, non-refrigerated, homegrown tomato, and it will be delicious. Those on the huge self-pick farms (like those in Homestead, FL) just aren't as good for some reason. Maybe the soil is over planted or the nutrients aren't the same. Buy a big old cheap resin or terracotta pot, and grow one on your balcony. Miracle grow or peters plant food is fine and they do like pulverized lime in the soil, but that's about as technical as it gets.
"snootyville" The best!
Hate tomatoes, hate mayo, so... NO. I'm partial to a really good grilled cheese.
BLT all the way!!! Or just take every kind of meat and put it on a few slices of bread with every condiment imagineable!
Swap sour cream for the mayo and then you have the best.
Swap sour cream on my knob and you have a butt buster grenade!
Nothing beats an original Primanti's sandwich from Pittsburgh! Thick Mancini's Italian bread, your choice of meat, provolone cheese, tomato, french fries and a vinegar/oil coleslaw!
Damn that sounds great!
JERSEY TOMATOES!!!!!!! the BEST in the world.... that is the truth. i grew up in south jersey where the farms are plentiful and the tomatoes and jersey corn are nothing short of paradise!!!!!
I've never been there (I live in the deep south), and I have heard about the unbelievable corn and tomatoes from Jersey farms. Wonder what it is, the late growing season or soil? I am traveling up that way next spring, and it will be too early to enjoy either : (
It's the climate. Long growing season, warm enough temperatures so the plants produce early, and the right amount of rainfall. I'm much further north now, and can only really manage small tomatoes because there isn't enough time. If you go too much further south, the plants get overheated.
Make all the turnpike jokes you want, but there really is a reason why it's called the garden state!
Yes, Jersey tomatoes sliced with salt and pepper and sweet Jersey corn with butter: the best meal in the universe, at least for August.
Hold the meat and potatos.
Primanti Brothers Sardine, cheese and egg!
How about sliced tomatoes with sprinkles salt and pepper slice up some red onion and lather the bread wheat/white with best foods mayo and voila..yummmyyyyyyy!!!!
we grew up with sliced ripe tomatoes from the yard, drizzled with olive oil, a bit of salt and pepper, on sliced italian bread.....yummmm...and healthier
Its a great sandwich but I use BAMA mayo instead. It has a little tang and it tastes great on everything. I'm originally from Illinois but living in the south you have to love tomato sandwiches. I eat them all year round when we get to the farmers market.
right about the bread and mayo waaaaaay off about the bread, 1) store bought white bread is a lessor choice 2) ANY really good quality bread works well with this sammich 3) a really nice baguette or other crusty "peasant" style bread works best and it adds a flavor note and texture and holds up to really fresh juicy maters better 4) if you insist on a simple white bread for nostalgic reasons thick slice a homestyle white round...mmmm much better
That's a good sandwich...but to make the best ever, you have to add a couple slices of bacon (or ham or canadian bacon) and some lettuce or even baby spinach...then it's the best sandwich ever.
Read this at 2:45 am and knowing that I had two freshly picked garden tomatoes on my kithchen counter & some almost crappy white bread, I had to get out of bed & make this sandwich. Hadn't had one in years. Soooooo good! I confess, I ate it right away without letting it ferment"!
Kat can you please explain why only the tomatoes should be high quality while the rest of the sandwich is garbage? I'll admit one of the finest sandwiches I've had was with home grown tomatoes but I used a fresh baguette and scratch made mayo. Simplicity AND quality is what makes this such a good sandwich.
Sometimes, it's just about what's right in that particular dish. I've had all sorts of fancified, artisanally-crafted green bean casseroles at Thanksgiving. They're great - but they're never going to beat the stuff with Campbell's mushroom soup & Durkee's onions. Memory tastes really wonderful sometimes.
i used to eat that growing up on wheat bread also lettuce and mayo on wheat. I'm a vegetarian and growing up when food got a little scarce we experimented. Put a little black pepper on either one of those mmmmmmm
omg. i used to make so many mayo/mustard and tomato sandwiches—on wheat bread, growing up. love them!!! :) haven't made some in too long! must get back to it again!
Buncha Damn Yankees don't know how to eat a mater sammich.
As for white bread and mayo being white trash, well, yeah, I'll wear that title gladly. I'll take "white trash" over "snooty" any day of the week.
Sunbeam bread, maters out of my garden, and Blue Plate. Little bit of salt and maybe a slice of Velveeta to mix things up, occasionally. Nothing better.
Oh Pleasssee! This concoction can ONLY TAKE Place with New Mexico Green Chili. Otherwise, fugitaboutit!
One thick slice of sourdough, lightly toasted. Slather mayo, maybe a touch of dijon or cheap yellow, thick slices of the above-described tomatoes, superthin slices of onions, a light sprinkling of salt and pepper, et voila. Yes, open-faced.
Untoasted white bread and tomatoes = soggy doughball fishbait. The thought literally makes me gag. Now, toast the bread and add some good bacon and lettuce and it is a whole different story to me. Pour a glass of milk and its the ultimate comfort food combo and hangover cure.
This may sound weird, but my father in law used to make the sandwich as you described, but added unsweetened peanut butter to one side of the bread and spinkled it with seasoning salt & pepper. I had to try it since he made them-thinking oooh gross! But it was actually very good!
Brown bread–toasted, thick cut bacon, tomato from my garden–red or yellow. Kraft mayonnaise. As Lewis Grizzard said–money can not buy love or home grown tomatoes. Eating one EVERY Day the rest of this month. Good for breakfast too.
best sandwich known to man..... here's how it's done. toasted english muffin, mayo, pepperjack cheese (added when english muffin is still hot) and turkey. OMG!!! And if you eat it with a small side of Salsa Verde doritos. it is a small piece of heaven. NO TOMATOES INCLUDED!!!! They ruin everything
Peanut Butter and Banana – the absolute very best – not fried... this is not an Elvis thing... just sturdy bread, lots of butter, super chunky peanut butter and a just ripe banana sliced thick. Total heaven!
Hell yeah, best sandwich ever!! Though I'm a loyal Hellman's girl, I might consider Dukes since Kat clearly understands the amazingness of this sandwich.
Fresh tomato sandwiches should be good bread, a little butter, fresh from the garden sliced tomatoes and a sprinkle or fresh ground black pepper. Mayo would be too rich and too gooey with the tomatoes.
Thick home-grown tomato slices (none of that cherry-tomato business like in the photo), salt-and-pepper (garlic salt acceptable), Best Foods/Hellman's olive oil mayo, on fresh marble-rye! That's the best sandwich in the world!
The idea of a Tomato sandwich is good, but it's done all wrong here. To have a PROPER Tomato sandwich, one must start with lightly toasted Italian bread. Place sliced tomatoes on one slice of the bread, and lightly sprinkle them with onion salt. Put a small amount of crushed Garlic on top of that, some fresh chopped Basil on top of that, drizzle some first cold pressed Olive Oil on top, and cover with second slice of lightly toasted Italian bread. THAT is a true genuine Tomato sandwich! Enjoy!
While I love a tomato sandwich, in August, there is nothing better than a BLT, with fresh tomatoes, lettuce from the garden, sweet Vidalia onions and crispy bacon. Also with mayo, but on a fabulous 12-grain bread. White bread is horrific, grains give it so much more flavor and texture. ....I think I'm going to make one right now.
ummmm no.
I agree with this being the best sandwich but only if you change the word tomato to cucumber, peeled with lots of fresh ground pepper and a bit of salt. YUM!
BLT
How WT can you get; this is why you are fat.
The poll is silly. There is no such thing as the best sandwich in the world. There are many great sandwiches. However, with one caveat, the tomato and mayo on white bread sandwich ranks in the top 10. The caveat is that the tomatoes have to be home grown and ripened on the vine. Store bought tomatoes don't even qualify for consideration. In fact, the tomato sandwich is the very best way to experience home grown tomatoes. There are very few flavors as sublime.
Just a few slices of yummy, thick, wonderful bacon, please??
totally agree and Vidalia onions....
You forgot that it must be eaten over the kitchen sink.
Also high on the favorite sandwich list is a BLT and a nice gooey grilled cheese.
Have to disagree with this "best sandwich" business. Best in the universe is a grilled goat cheese on whole grain artisan bread with dijon mustard and a slice of heirloom tomato. Now THAT's a terrific sandwich!
All you folks that passed on this divine delicacy, you've just left more tomatoes for the rest of us. Thanks!!
My mom was a tomato nut, had to have at least 40
plants every year, but then we'd buy more because we needed some for backup in case some plants died. We literally ate them morning, noon, and night, and any time in between. There's nothing better than a tomato right off the vine, with a little salt and pepper. But a tomato/mayo/white bread sammich is just the BEST SAMMICH EVER.
My dad swears by this plain white bread/tomato/mayo sammie, but demands a fried egg in it. Not bad but rather greasy/heavy, imho. One of my faves is thick tomato on soft sourdough with monterey jack cheese and jalapenos. Yummy.
I hate wet sandwiches.
Add a hard fried egg and a couple basil leaves and then we can talk
Is it really sacreligious to add crisp strips of bacon and crunchy iceberg lettuce? Please, tell me I'm not going to hell, or at least tell me I'm going there for the right reason.
Bologna -thick sliced, on a New York hard roll, with lettuce and mayo.
Zingerman's Deki of Ann Arbor, MI ....D$ Cuban Conundrum... nuff said.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcmann/5768873236/
Miracle Whip, white bread, and sliced tomato is my favorite summer sandwich.
Nothing healthy is good for you.
ewwwwwwwwwwww
I've discovered those frozen 1/4 pound salmon burgers (only 14% fat – good fat, including omega-3) and one ot them – preferably baked slowly for 20 min. in a toaster oven for best texture – topped with lettuce, tomato, and mayo is my current tomato favorite. Other than that, a BLT with mayo is my next favorite – and don't forget the salt and pepper or Montreal steak seasoning as well.
Skippy's Superchunk peanut butter and razzberry jam on whole wheat bread, served with a bowl of Campbell's bean with bacon soup. Bliss!
What a stupid article
Please kill yourself.
I could've eaten Alphabits and crapped out a better post than that.
I'm not so sure about the best sandwich in the world. At some fresh mozarella, spinach, olive oil, and a little crustier bread. Then you'll have a sandwich. Enjoy! http://speedoflife-times.blogspot.com/
It's only perfect if it also has bacon.............
Lightly toasted white bread, thick cut tomato and pimento cheese !!!!
I'm completely in love with tomato & mayo sandwiches. I just think that this takes simplicity to the extreme... and to an extent that really holds this sandwich back from its potential greatness...
First, this article doesn't place nearly enough emphasis on the importance of the tomatoes. You need something perfectly ripe, super sweet, and only certain varieties will do. It's not just about getting it from a farmer. For example, farm grown roma tomatoes... not right for this sandwich. If you can't get heirloom (and, really, you must get heirloom) – beefsteak will almost suffice. But only if it's incredibly ripe and soft. Honestly, as someone who has eaten Italian tomatoes on-the-farm at the peak of the season... most of what is here in the US is crap. Luckily, I'm in SoCal now and have access to some seriously gorgeous tomatoes for a much longer season than the rest of the country...
As for the mayo... homemade mayo is amazing. It should be used whenever possible. This article can take its emphasis on "simplicity" and shove it...
And bread. I'm sorry. Homemade white bread is ALWAYS better than store bought. Deal with it.
And THOSE factors... would make this a magical sandwich!!!
Must be freshly farmed tomatoes but also must be store bought white bread, makes sense...
Toasted wheat bread with homemade basil pesto mixed with mayo on one side, dijon mustard on the other. Slice a roma tomato thinly and add to the pesto side. Finely chop red onion and add to the tomato. Add a slice of Boar's Head baby swiss cheese to the mustard side, then layer several slices of Boars Head honey maple turkey breast on top of the cheese. Add some pepper and place the meat and cheese side on top of the tomato pesto side to complete the sandwich. Cut in half and serve with bread and butter pickles.
Divine.
We have a variation of this sandwich. It is only made with the best home grown tomato in garden and the first ripe habenero. One such sandwich a year... The pepper seeds removed and the pepper fruit finely diced and sprinkled upon the tomato in the very sandwich you describe. It is halved and shared with a close friend for how could one be so stingy as to keep this all to their self.
And yes, the sandwich describe in this article is remembered fondly in the fall, dreamed about all through the coldest of winter, its thought motivates the spring tilling and planting. It is the culmination of a successful garden. Cheers.
A toasted (good) whole grain bread, you've got the homegrown tomatoes correct but add bacon and avocado and mayo.....none better!
Too cheap to buy bacon and lettuce are we? The BLT is hands-down the KING of sandwiches. No argument. End of story.
This brought up memories of going to my grandparents farm when I was a little girl.....sitting at the kitchen table eating tomato and butter sandwiches on homemade bread....yum!
My two least favorite foods....foul.
@Ryko, Thats all you have to offer to the conversation? Why even bother?
OK, where does this author live? Siberia? "You will not have the opportunity to eat one between, say, mid-September and the beginning of next August, so it's best that you consume them as frequently as humanly possible while tomatoes are in season." Here in South Carolina, you'll find local tomatoes from May to early November.
And all you folks who think Duke's is so great, did you know that stuff is really all the other brands that expired on the shelf? Duke's buys it, mixes it all together, and re-jars it. That's why it has that rancid taste. LOL
I think paninis take the cake, presonally. Subway is disgusting.
Mayo is for sandwich cheaters let alone store bought! The sandwich for me a home made oven roasted turkey, avocado, tomato, sprouts and bacon on whole grain wheat. With the avocado there is no need for mayo!
@Matthew....I feel bad for you if the best sandwich you have ever had is from a chain restaraunt- and a Subway at that
BLT with sliced avocado on toast
Subway's spicy Italian on their herb & cheese bread, Toasted with provalone cheese, topped with cucumber, spinach, green pepper, tomatoes, and light mayo.
White bread? Naaah. A really good rustic wheat. And tarragon mayo, not plain. That degree of "fancy" doesn't mess it up at all.
The best sandwich I've ever had is "The Vegetarian" at Little Deli in Austin, TX. Hands down.
Truly the nectar of the gods. Only way it can be improved is when the tomatoes are still warm from sunning themselves in the garden. And with do respect to heirloom tomatoes, I prefer a Slocomb tomato picked fresh in and around Slocomb, AL. Divine.
chumky peanut butter, grape jelly, and cheese puffs...nom nom nom!
put some pastrami on that.
Cant go wrong with a good Cuban or a classic Bah Mihn (vietnamese) sandwich.
I really miss the schnitzel sandwiches I used to get in Germany – hands down, the BEST sandwich I ever had. There was a tiny little schnitzel stand around the corner from where I worked, I'd get one for lunch every day.
There is a schnitzel truck here in NYC that makes great sandwiches
Jealous you have food trucks, they were banned in my city
Pink Tacos-Nuff said.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Tomato – Yuck.
Mayo – double Yuck
Best sandwich is a proper Italian.
The best sandwich is one where i'm the meat and Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis are the bread! Tasty!
I concur, but I would vote for Grace Park and Eva Longoria
Now that's some bread I could eat!
Sela Ward may also suffice quite nicely...
Why do I suspect the meat is 80% fat (liverwurst).
I'm like ground turkey....I'm lean, and I will bite your face off if provoked.
Turkey's do that, right?
Not only does it sound awfully bland, but it sounds VERY unhealthy. Before I went vegetarian, I thought BLT's were the best. Now it's a toss up between peanut butter and sweet pickes on whole wheat or a fresh tuna salad sandwich with lettuce and tomatoe on homemade whole wheat bread. Yum
if you are vegetarian why are you eating tuna?
pescatarian.
I grab a hot garlic-herb rotisserie chicken and a fresh sliced rosemary and olive oil loaf (or italian loaf) from Harris Teeter. Apply a little olive oil to the outsides of two slices. Lather the insides with homemade basil-mayo, throw on some of the chicken pulled from the rotisserie, add roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes and havarti cheese. Throw it in the panini press and heat to perfection.
The only way I can describe this is 'Barf on a Bisket'. I like mayo and tomatoes, but this looks and sounds like last weeks garbage. You should throw avacado, sprouts, and Bavarian beaver cheese on there and call it a 'Califorian Surprise'.
Grilled cheese on sourdough bread. The cheese must be cut into extra thick slices.
Peanut butter and jelly (strawberry) is especially good comfort food.
Bologna on toast (useful for dipping into tomato soup).
Agree! Grilled cheese made with Panera sourdough, ample butter and Velveeta (yes Velveeta. horrors!) sliced thick from the block. Ridiculous it is so good, and great in the winter with creamy tomato soup.
My fav requires a mountian pie iron; you lather two pieces of bread in buttter, place them butter down in the pie iron, stack with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Close the iron and stick it in the woodstove for 5 min. Call it a Born on the Mountain Pie! mmmmmmmm As for this sandwich, I'm not a tomato guy, nor a mayo guy, so it sounds less than appetizing to me. but each to thier own!
Grilled cheese with Velveeta and a slice of real beef bologna in the middle. THAT tastes like moms love and childhoods endless glee. THAT tastes like long summer days and splashing through rain puddles. THAT is the perfect sandwich and I'm ready to throw down with any mayo and 'mater eater who says otherwise.
You want an easy to make and delicious sandwich?
Peanut Butter & Butter. No joke.
Some chopped green olives and sliced hard-boiled egg would improve those tomatoes. In Philadelphia, where I grew up, in the famous and historic Reading Terminal Market, there was a sandwhich shop called Spataro's. Spataro's was famous for, among other things, their egg and olive sandwhich with fresh totmato. It didn't sound great to me either, but one bite and I was hooked. The way the three flavors compliment each other is extraordinary.
This sound gross... And looks even worse! If you're looking for the best in the universe, you've gotta go with the post-thanksgiving turkey sandwich. Plain and simple.
The very thought of the texture of this sandwich, much less the taste, makes me want to heave, sorry.
Sorry that is the worst sandwich ever created. Not up for debate.
Best sandwich ever... Primanti Brothers PITTS-BURGHER CHEESE STEAK for sure
@Ben, what about Philly? I'll be there in October and don't want to do the touristy Pat's or Geno's if possible
Primant's it is, but I prefer the fish or double egg and cheese.
@ Livingin VA...Toast or not toast? I prefer a turkey club myself
BLT – same first three ingredients (cheap bread, good mayo & excellent tomatoes) but add some fresh garden lettuce and crispy bacon.....
mmm, blt has to be on sourdough.
@ K from NYS, why are you sorry? atleast you were respectable and not disgusting in your comment
For the go to sandwich classic it has to be P B and J...preferably with homemade strawberry or blackberry freezer jam.
With more time to cook- grilled chicken, chipolte spread, roasted red peppers and cheese in a 7 grain homemade panini bread.
Ordered out – grilled chicken, Buffalo sauce, blue cheese and lettuce – mmmmm.
Sorry but the smell of plain mayo turns my stomach and I only like tomatoes seasoned and preferrably cooked into a sauce.
The best sandwich in the world is clearly the BAHN MI!
Đi vít mình
Fried Pickles seriously changed my life
Thanks! are you a Juice head Gorilla?
I am a dedicated foodie – I spend untold hours researching and trying out new foods, recipes and restaurants, and I love that in there's such focus these days on local, organic food and the best ways to prepare them That said, there is nothing, NOTHING that compares with the white bread / Dukes mayo / 'mater-fresh-out-of-the garden-sandwich! Simplicity is the key here, and the spotlight's on the tomato. Beautiful heirloom tomatoes come into their own with the minimal frame of bread and mayo. It DOES have to be Dukes, to the poster above, no, Hellman's and Dukes are not the same!
Tard at the beginning and snot at the end. KUTGW. School starts soon enough.
I agree with the comment, but lost on the acronym? Sorry its 2:30 and Deena and Jwow and I just woke up and drinking liquid lunch
KUTGW = Keep Up The Good Work
See, this is why I can't handle women from the South.
That's ok. We can't handle you either.
Duke's mayo is BOSS. As is Harriett The Spy's favorite sammy.
The best sandwich in the universe – grilled cheese! Oooey, gooey, grilled American cheese on two buttery pieces of white toast. Throw some fries on the side of that, and you've got heaven on a plate. Yum!
Try it next time with a side of salsa for dipping, delish
all sounds fine but the white bread. Can't hang with store bought white bread.
Tomatoes? – Terrible...Mayonnaise? – Could just as easily substitute mayonnaise with vomit. I might possibly smell it if there was a gun to my head. How about a cold-cut Italian grinder with extra mustard and pickles?
@ TP Mustard? – "Could just as easily substitute mayonnaise with vomit. I might possibly smell it if there was a gun to my head". Classy.
The only acceptable condiment on an Italian is salt, pepper and oil and MAYBE some italian seasoning.
Turkey and cheese, extra mayo, served with Lays ruffled chips (which must be inserted into the sandwich at some point)
I don't know what it was, but as a child, sandwiches were always better when you put a layer of chips inside of it.
@ Jamie, peanut butter and grape jelly with corn chips, salt and sweet YUM
I prefer tuna
That's what HE said, bow bow bow.
if there was some bacon... well THEN it would be a sandwich.
It is obvious that you have never had a Muffuletta at the Central Grocery in New Orleans. This is CLEARLY the greatest sandwich EVER created.
Best sandwich in the world? Probably not. But Duke's mayo is definitely the best mayo.
Grilled Cheese and Bacon, preferably served at the Bonnie Brae Tavern in Denver. Hands down, without exception, the best thing ever done with bread.
Tomato and butter sandwiches are better than mayo!
I have been eating this sandwich all my life. Had one for lunch. Over the sink, or soggy after taking it to school or work. MMMM, melts in your mouth. Heirloom is best.
BLT or cucumber and dill cream cheese on brown bread toast
My mouth is watering. You nailed it. And, if they don't sell Duke's where you live... you should start packing immediately.
Sourdough.. mayo, summer tomatoes, fresh black pepper, sharpest cheddar cheese. Lightly buttered on the outside and pan fried. Heaven.
TUNA SALAD!
There is NO way that the white bread pictured in the photos would fit under the category of "crappy" store-bought white bread. FIrst of all, it's not white enough. And it appears to hold up, even slightly, to the mayo and tomatoes....no crappy store bought white bread would do that. The sandwich looks good, but truth in advertising, please!!
It looks kind of like the Pepperidge Farm bread, the loaves that stand on their ends instead of laying down. It's not the cheapest, but it's mass-produced, wrapped in plastic, and lives in the bread aisle instead of the bakery.
You are being a racist and I won't put up with it. Unite my Brutha's....
There is no such thing as "the best sandwich in the universe" as a universally accepted fact. Everyone is different. Personally, I don't like the taste or texture of tomatos, and they give me heartburn. My favorite is buttered and grilled sourdough bread with extra sharp cheddar cheese.
Watching Americans fight over sandwiches if pretty endearing to watch. You all have such undeveloped tastes. Much like children who never move past chicken nuggets.
Snob.
HMMM chicken nuggets! I think all parents should be required to watch Jamie Oliver's YOUTUBE video of how chicken nuggets are made! Disgusting!
Mayo and Peanut Butter is better.
Yes! Another true believer! And Crunchy rather than Smooth if at all possible. The Peanut Butter, not the Mayo...
HAHAHAHAHHA why not chunky mayo? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Nothing beats a well made Cuban sandwich... and certainly not tomatoes and mayonnaise. I'd also put an artichoke melt near the top. Artichokes at a base level are simply superior to tomatoes
Braunschweiger, Onion and Swiss cheese with mayonaise. My Dad and I used to make these after doing yard work when I was a kid. Everything sliced thick. They were so good.
There is no one "best sandwich in the universe". Every person is different. And for me, the best sandwich is not one sandwich, but several, and they change from time to time. My personal favorites are, in no particular order, a Rueben, a BLT, a gourmet hamburger (not fast-food), Peanut Butter and Mayo, Peanut Butter and Cheese, and Cheese (preferably Velveeta cut nice and thick), butter and mustard.
My wife loves them... tomatoes fresh from the local farmers (here in New Jersey we have an abundant supply). And yes, being as we lived in North Carolina for many years, we haul back a case or two of Duke's mayo... it's absolutely the best. But while she likes her sandwiches with tomato, salt, pepper, and mayo on white, I prefer mine with just tomato, mayo, and Bibb lettuce.
My very favorite sandwich is a sliced (real) turkey on toasted cheese bread with lots of Hellmans mayo, Used to be able to get this in NY at Schraffts. Don't think they are in business anymore. I make it at home after Thanksgiving...mmm just thinking about it I want to roast a turkey!!!!
Kat, I totally agree, especially with the insistence on Duke's. (From a longtime Duke's fan, Kraft is also acceptable.) Posts like this remind me that you're from Chapel Hill. I actually work within walking distance of Crook's Corner, so I'll check their menu.
The grocery stores always disappoint me on their tomatoes, I've learned by now. The last few I've bought – good ones, heirlooms that pass the sniff test – have been bland and a bit mealy. The Campari tomatoes in the plastic containers make good sandwiches, though. The Kumatos are too sweet, but the Camparis are great.
Banana and mayo sandwiches are also good, for what it's worth. The sweetness of the banana and tanginess of the mayo work nicely. You can slice the banana for a normal sandwich, or leave it whole and put it in a hot dog bun.
I'd rather do tomato, Miracle Whip, and American cheese sandwich on a light wheat bread. The cheese adds just that little umph without being overwhelming, but pretty much any other cheese would be too strong and overwhelm the tomato flavor.
I have been eating mayo and tomato sandwiches since i was a pre teen. I LOVE IT. Especially during the hot summer months, i don't want to eat heavy, this sandwich is just perfect! it taste delicious and its not too heavy...its just perfect. And it hits the spot every single time :)
"A tomato and mayonnaise sandwich on store-bought white bread is the finest sandwich known to mankind."-Oh dear...looks like someone missed all her Home-Ec. classes.
This is one of my FAVE sandwiches ever. I was raised eating homegrown tomatoes with MIRACLE WHIP ( yes, I said it), and white bread. Nowadays I usually eat a multigrain bread, but this sandwich just wouldn't be the same. Skip the pepper and be sure to salt both sides of the tomato. Perfect. Might have one tonight (if I can find the white bread...).
I cannot believe anyone would try to claim this is the best sandwich ever.
The true best sandwich ever is the Muffaletta from Crave in Akron, OH.
"Muffaletta of Salami, Pastrami, & Cappicolla w/ Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade, Italian Aioli, & Smoked Mozzarella"
There is NO competition.
Bacon, lettuce, and tomato. Thick bacon, fried crisp (not that thin wimpy stuff). Fresh Roma tomatoes from the garden. Leaf lettuce, no big midribs. Toasted bread, preferably sourdough, fine-grained enough to contain any leaking juices. Mayo. A bit of mustard is optional.
I love egg salad sandwiches and watercress cucumber tea sandwiches. I'm not a huge fan on just a layer of mayo on a sandwich.
Swap the mayo for Miracle Whip, & YES :) Otherwise, heck no! White bread, sliced tomatoes, miracle whip, & salt, yummm, my fave sandwich from my childhood ;)
YES!!! Wher eyou ge the tomatoes from is KEY.. not that GIANT or SAFEWAY acidous and bland type!! I have some yellow and some purple tomatoes from a community garden waiting at home!! WOOOHOOOO
In-N-Out Double Double Animal Style, No Lettuce, Extra Pickles.
Or for those that believe a burger is not a sandwich, I present: Nutella and Banana on toasted whole grain wheat
Philistine. No pickles.
Amen to the tomato mayo and white bread. Best in the world. Followed closely by tomato, basil, fresh mozzarella and olive oil on crusty white bread. I do remember picnics with the tomato sandwiches as well as vienna sausages on biscuits - sounds gross now, but loved them as a kid...
My choice – peanut butter, jelly and bologna on toast
Well Ferb, I know what we're going to do today!
We're going to build the best sandwich ever!
Hey, where's Perry?
Hey, aren't you a little young to be building a sandwich that good?
Why yes, yes I am.
Hey Phineas, Watcha doin?
That is great, so I can get my "sandwich making" patch today.
Slice open a nice piece of flat ciabatta and brush the inside of both halves with EVOO (don't tear any bread out to save on carbs. If you're looking for a diet sandwich then go have several slices of spring water on imaginary bread) followed by a few well torn (not sliced or chopped) large basil leaves. Add one layer of thinly sliced marinated mozerella to one side (two if desired). Layer Prosciutto de Parma (don't be chincey on this or you ruin everything) that's so thinly sliced that you could read a newspaper through it. Add a couple of slices (again, the same thickness) of Coppa.
Quickly toss a combination of spring mix lettuce and arugula with a teaspoon or so (to taste) of Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale. Make sure it's not soaked... just accented with it. Make a crushed (almost to a paste) combination of curshd marinated medium cherry peppers, marinated Serrano peppers and garlic and spread on inside of top bread. Place in Panini grille on medium high and hold down firmly, but not crushing it for about 2 minutes. Cool for about 5 minutes on a towel before slicing at an angle and serve with lemon water (refreshing, but won't confuse the palate) Experiment with the amount of ingredients, but you'll love this.
You could cook an entire turkey dinner in the time (and for about the same price) making this sandwich!
nice quincey, pretty close to what we have been eating for the last 3 days, when some says sandwiches we cook these
Congratulations, this is the first time in my 31 years that I have read something that makes me want to puke. Tomotoes and Mayo are two foods that absolutely disgust me and you suggest putting them together and eating them. I'm literally nauseous at the thought of the tomato squishing and oozing the goop and seeds.
OK, now you are really tesing me by showing me the Eatocracy cutting board I've been wanting for so very long... They really do need to put these for sale, else I need to come to NYC to pick it up personally?? :)
Loved these as a kid (and may need to build one again soon!). No "crappy" bread, please! Sturdy white bread made by our old german friend Fred. Mayo medium thick. Tomato 1/4" thick, still warm from the garden. A sprinkling of Jane's Krazy Mixed-Up Salt.
Other great sandwiches: BLT with avocado and swiss; the muffaletta; roast beef and swiss with mayo and hot peppers; the eggplant parm sub.
Almost right. The absolute *best* is when it's heirloom tomatoes on homemade sourdough bread!
Field cuccumber and mayo on toasted whole wheat bread, that is the summer sandwich
I live in the Garden State – you can't beat a tomato sandwich, especially when the tomato has just been picked and is still warm from the sun. If you want to visit heaven on earth, have an ear of Jersey corn on the side.
Oh Yea, I Love all the PCB's,chemicals and Jimmy Hoffa Horseheads intermingled with the fresh water used to produce these tomato's–an offer we Can refuse.
You didn't pay any attention, did you? I think most of the people here are *not* speaking of grocery store tomatoes which are insipid things at best even when in season, but rather the homegrown garden variety. My own tomatoes have not had any chemical fertilizers nor pesticides used on them and we are covered up in the things. Going to try to make some spaghetti sauce today – with homegrown basil, oregano and thyme of course.
You must live in North Jersey...your attitude is showing. I think it comes from the chemicals up there. Visit the southern part of the state...where we actually have grass.
JerseyGirl: And make that a Rutgers tomato. (RU – Rah, Rah!)
Mmm, Jersey tomatoes – I grew up in Bergen County and my uncle had a huge garden with corn, tomatoes, everything you could imagine. I do grow my own tomatoes now, but you can't beat the NJ climate. Yes, even in North Jersey.
For all you yanks who bemoan the simplicity of white bread, good mayo and juicy tomatoes, stay your happy a$$ north of here, will ya? Yes, I'm a foodie. I love my fancy grilled 7-cheese, rosemary chicken, et al, etc like any other world-traveler, but I've gotta tell ya, the simplistic beauty of this sandwich is impossible to beat. Take this how you want it, but if you add anything to this sandwich, you really don't know what good food is.
Seriously uneducated. Anyone who calls processed, high-fructose containing white bread + store bought, chemical containing mayo has no clue what good food is.
I registered just to say ... Well said!
Well said to the guy who wrote about the yummy sandwich... Not the Mr. Fancy Pants anti white bread ...
@lindsey318, registered at what? are you talking the car registry, congrats for not driving without your registration or a wedding registry, whens the big day? I am confused
Eat it while bending over the kitchen sink
If you don't agree with this article, you aren't using a good tomato. Find a farmer's market. Do it now...
My grandparents grew a garden that was 1/4 acre in size. During the summer we ate tomato and mayo sandwiches every day as soon as the tomatoes ripened. I still miss them to this day. A store bought tomato just can't compare to garden grown.
Really? So eating red snot is considered good? Sorry, tomatoes are for people who never grew out of the stage of eating their own boogers but know it is not socially permissible, so they eat tomatoes instead to get the same flavor and consistency.
BLT is the perfect sandwich (with a cold glass of milk).
Tomato and Mayo on tasteless bread... are you kidding me?
I'll take a whole Muffaleta or a hearty Rueben anyday over pretty much any other sandwich.
no bacon? where's the bacon?!
BLT ! ! !
Deepsouth is right! This sandwich almost made the best ever. Just add a leaf of lettuce and crisply cooked bacon to elevate to the best in the world. It should be eaten as often as possible while tomatoes are in season.
I really like a tomato sandwich. I've eaten them since I was a young boy. If you can do ALL the things described in the article to make the sandwich I'd bet it's really good. For me though, the best sandwich in the world is a Monte Cristo.
Hmmmmm I had not even contemplated a Monte Cristo in what seems like years. I don't know where I could get one in my area though.
New Orleans muffaletta is by far the best!
It's incomplete without bacon and lettuce.
I'm gonna have a horsemeat sammich with Dukes and mustard before the big game tomorrow night.
Also, if you LOVE Duke's take a trip down to Alabama and try some Bama Mayo!
The Snobby Grilled Cheese! Rosemary bread, applewood smoked cheddar, thick cut crispy bacon strips and thinly sliced Honeycrisp apples. Oh. mai. gawd. good.
You forgot the bacon and lettuce.
OMG YES !! This article made me drool and lol to the point where I was almost twitching!
I'm an Alabama girl and I know tomato sandwiches. I know the feeling you get from walking into the back yard, picking a tomato & eating it like an apple. OMG I want to share a sandwich with the author.
What about tuna sandwich? Except what I do, is I mix the tuna with mayo (of course), but I also mix in red chili sauce, so that it makes it a little spicy, with a GREAT taste. Then fry an egg, put on top of tuna, then put pepperjack cheese on top, which melts due to heat from egg. YUM!
Yuck!
Agreed. Love tuna salad (with either onion and parsley, apples and celery, or corn niblets), but fried eggs are just not food in my opinion. Stinky slime. I would have to be near starving before I would eat a fried egg.
True southerners do this sandwich but use fresh made biscuits instead of the white bread (which is still very good). A fresh, hot biscuit, thick slice of home grown tomato, slather on the mayo, add a little salt and pepper, and serve with a glass of cold sweet tea. It's heaven and makes me yearn for home
It is totally unAmerican that no one even MENTIONED bacon in this article.
Are you INSANE!
Have we gone so health-concious crazy that the reverential murder of a swine go so soullessly unspoken!
Ah, may it not come to tears...
I don't think the bacon was left out because of any health concerns – it's just that, if you add the bacon, you completely change the sandwich. I love BLTs, too, but sometimes leaving off the salty, strong bacon flavor really lets you appreciate the flavor of a perfect tomato.
Tomato sandwich on FIRM white toast, bit of mayo (Hellmans), lettuce and American cheese, or spinach and fresh mozzarella. Yum.
I'm sorry but is this a hoax? That's like saying mac and cheese with hot dog pieces is the best main course ever. This sandwich is what you make when you don't have the ingredients to make a delicious club with fresh bacon or a hot pastrami sandwich.
YUM – but I enjoy BACON in my sandwiches!
I voted Hell yes on this but with a caveat: I would like to add 2 thick slices of good country bacon, broken in half and evenly covering the bread to every other sandwich, you know – just so I get a little protein in there :)
how are you forgetting adding salt and pepper on top of the mayo? it brings it all together!
I just know you wrote this for me!! I am currently in Carolina Beach eating those sammies all day long. All my relatives know that this is what I have been waiting for all year and they bring me all their homegrown. Yummmmy!! Hope you also eat what you write!!
Seems like a far-too-minimalist reduction of a BLT.
I WILL BE HAVING ONE TONIGHT!! I MAY ALTHOUGH ADD SOME AVOCADO! WOOOOHOOOOO
I use Mayo, just not a fan of that much at one time. For me, a better sandwich is a Salami, Pastrami, Avocado, Lettuce with Mayo and Mustard on White or Wheat. All day long, baby. All day long!
Sorry, but the Muffelletta sandwhiches at the central grocery in New Orleans are the absolute best!!
On behalf of the Galactic Federation, I would like to express my utmost displeasure at the selection this site has made regarding the best sandwich in the Universe. The best sandwich is clearly sliced Kzinti meat on Cnathix bread, topped with sauteed holybdash!
are acidic and some people have digestion problems. I love tomatoes, but when I was a young'un, I always enjoyed a lettuce and mayo sandwich on white bread during the summer. Fresh lettuce, washed, is juicy without being drippy.
Are you kidding? A BLT (with tomatoes from my parent's garden, of course) is the best sammich ever!
This was great when Tom Robbins first wrote about it, charmingly and graphically, no less than 6 years ago.
YUM – I want BACON in my sandwiches!
Bacon... thick sliced, slow fried, totally crisp. And a Rutgers tomato. (RU, Rah, Rah!)
Good sandwich that can be made even better, if only one would use salt rising bread in lieu of store white bread. Grandparents throughout the 50's made the special trip to the bakery once every two weks, for the sole purpose of obtaining salt rising bread for making fresh sliced home grown tomatoes sandwiches, which also included Duke's. I liked my salt rising thinly sliced and lightly toasted, and as I sit here writing this post, the fond memories of my grandparents and there wondeful ways overwhelm me.
Order your salt rising bread from Carolina Mountain Bakery in Asheville, NC.
Mayo is nasty. But I was actually thinking of this last night. I roasted a juicy roma tomato in the oven, with salt and pepper. Then had some chipotle laughing cow cheese spread on some whole wheat toast – add the roasted tomato, and it was the best sandwich I'd had in a long time.
Mario is close, but he lacks the prime ingredient. To make the white-bread-tomato-and-mayo sandwich perfect, add a couple of slices of bacon. Then you have it...
Agree Dr. J. The best Sunday hangover sandwich is a toasted tomato and bacon sandwich. Not salt-reduced bacon or fancy bread neither. Here in Canada we get awesome hot-house tomatoes for cheap in summer too.
Actually, I think it is the SECOND best sandwich in the universe. Pimiento cheese (on crappy bread) is the first best sandwich. THEN, said tomato sandwich on crappy bread. (Sorry, I like – no, I LOVE mine – with seasoned salt. YUMMMMMMY!!!) You didn't ask, but the third best sandwich is a good old peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich (on crappy bread.) You are brilliant to caution folks to find REAL tomatoes for this. A newbie who uses fake tomatoes would never be converted.
Totally agree. Those are my favorites, as well (and in the same order). Who'da thunk it? Great minds and all that...
Turkey and swiss all the way baby!
This weeks' best sandwich in the universe is brought to you by Duke's!
I know it seems like they must have sponsored it, but I assure you, they didn't. I just really, really like the stuff and buy it every time I visit my in-laws in North Carolina. I grew up on Hellmann's, but switched allegiances.
LOL@ Kat, I grew up in Maine and it was Hellmonds or nothing (per my parents), but I moved to High Point for a while and got hooked on Dukes, I am just greatful that they carry it here in MA
I always heard that Duke's and Hellman's were the same – just marketed under different names in different parts of the country. They both have the same tag line: Real Mayonnaise. Anyway, I know our Wegman's carries Duke's so I 'll pick up a jar over the weekend and give it a try.
I grew up on Hellman's as well. I converted to Duke's as an adult when I started teaching myself about food and cooking after being raised by a mom who didn't really know how to cook great food (God help her, LOL). Duke's is all I'll use for anything from sammies to deviled eggs.
@Kris, did we grow up in the same household? lol, dad was a chef so mom never tried too hard
@IHEG – LOL... I WISH my dad was a chef! Dad was often deployed (Navy) and mom was/is a teacher, so time was a bit of a factor with two kids. And it didn't help that she just didn't like to cook! Even now, I think dad cooks more than mom. I started teaching myself how to cook at an early age since mom wasn't Betty Crocker. My husband's lucky I'm not like my mom!
Mz Grammer: Hellmann's and Best Foods are the same mayo. It's Best Foods on the West Side of the country.
Duke's is completely separate from Hellman's and there IS a taste difference as noted. Less sweet (never could understand why there's sugar in store-bought mayo) to the taste and it doesn't have an aftertaste.
Freshly-picked tomatoes, still warm from the sun, make the BEST sandwiches and a tomato/mayo sandwich is the best of the best in the middle of summer. Now, in the winter, I prefer the hardier sandwiches like Ruebens. Rolly's (way down there) sounds just about right. :)
Are you kidding? Whoever thinks this is the best sandwich in the world clearly knows nothing about food.
you are correct sir, jg
I'll argue that it's all about knowing what's good WHEN. Right now, this is the best sandwich. In December, it's something else.
With all due respect to Ms. Kinsman, I'd sooner question her cred for not knowing how easy, affordable, and worthwhile it is to make your own mayonaisse. To me, a beefsteak picked fresh, immediately sliced, and served with salt and pepper IS summer and cuts out the carbs and fat in Ms. Kinsman's simple serving suggestion.
And given the heavy-handed product placement in this piece, I also find myself feeling marketed to by a corporate shill.
Nope - no corporate shilling, I promise. As a good pal of mine, a food writer himself, says - sometimes the right wine is a very wrong wine. I'm extrapolating this to say that sometimes a meal calls for PBR rather than microbrew, and sometimes, the right mayo for a dish is the one you grew up on.
Not a cent from Duke's for this. I don't need their cash and they didn't ask for free advertising from me. When I write about a product, it's because I like it and personally use it.
Have to take you at your word, but a bit of advice... in the future, suggest your favorite brand name ingredient only once in the body of your article and skip the full-color product placement money shot of the product of itself. Whether you realized it or not, it paints a picture you might not wish to be painting.
Grilled ham and cheese!!
Sorry but no great sandwich is made on crappy store bought white bread. That's like framing a Monet in a Walmart frame.
I agree whole-heartedly.
It's still a Monet.
Love fresh tomato sandwiches, but the part about crappy white bread is "bull"................nice toasted whole grain bread, soy free mayo and fresh tomatoes in season from the farms........THAT is delicious and healthy.........don't try to sell this baloney..................
It might be healthy, but it surely can't be fun to eat.
Guess you've never tried it Erlinda...because its delicious...much tastier and less greasy than mayo!
I agree to a point, but my favorite tomato sandwich is on my Mom's homemade white bread with just butter and salt. Gotta be homegrown tomatoes, though, or this sandwich doesn't make any sense.
Fresh mozzarella, roasted red pepper, sun dried tomatoes, some thinly sliced proscuitto and basil with a drizzle of good balsamic on a rosemary ciabatta. Now that's the best sandwich ever.
You are very correct
Yum, reminds me of when I was growing up. My dad made the best sandwich: Fresh Italian bread, mayo, couple slices of Genoa salami, tomato slice and mayo.
You should try it on grilled garlic bread.
Mayonnaise makes monkey's pants explode.
I always toast the white bread; it's the best sandwich ever.
That may be good and all, but the best sandwich in the world, by far, is the Shooter's Sandwich: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/gallery/2010/apr/07/how-to-make-shooters-sandwich.
Jeez, that's one SERIOUS sandwich!
Looks like a Philly with an attitude problem! :)
Wow!!
HOLY BAJEEZUS... I'm making that for my husband when he gets home from deployment!
I made this once. It's good, but I felt kinda dumb using a whole rib eye steak for it (haven't followed this link, but the recipe I used called for rib eye). I'd probably go with a cheaper cut if I made it again.
Tomato and PEANUT BUTTER. And you definitely have to eat it standing over the kitchen sink.
.. is that a joke? That's like people who eat carrot sticks with peanut butter. I just don't understand it.
Try before decrying.
it's good
now, if you said peanut butter on celery, you would get my attention. my mom loved tomato sandwiches; guess it was a poor folks' treat. i don't much, but both the grilled cheese (Kraft slices, sometimes doubled!) and the PBJ make me drool :-)
Cuban Sandwich is the best !!
Mark Cuban? EWWWWWWW–Nasty!!
We call these 'kitchen sink' sandwiches- they're so juicy you need to eat them over the sink! Delicious
Sorry, grilled cheese (preferably American) on wheat bread is tops for simplicity and good old fashioned best sandwich ever.
A close second is PB & J. Ah. Can't beat it.
soo good :) We don't eat no Wonder Bread
Not all white bread is Wonder bread. Try a "country white" type. It's a bit denser, and won't squish down to a flabby pancake like Wonder bread.
try the grilled cheese with sliced tomato.
I'm basically a Reuben guy, but once in Amsterdam I had a sandwich of pepperoni, goat cheese, and arugula that was fantastic. A bit too pretentious, I suppose, but it was darn good!
Sounds good! I wouldn't call it pretentious.
That actually sounds delicious! Might have to try that tonight for dinner!
Um uh...No.
Agreed. It's wrong for two main reasons.... Mayonnaise and white bread.
It's disgusting, it's repulsive and it's so very very white trash.
Sliced white bread is awful. It is disgusting. Mayonnaise is hideous. It is fat and cholesterol and greasy blandness.
Now.... Let's discuss a nice tomato sandwich with some spicy mustard on a whole-grain foccaccio (toasted, of course). It may not be the world's best sandwich, but it's the world's best TOMATO sandwich.
My, aren't we pretentious.
Post-tentious, too.
I think your birth certificate has expired.
O come on.....live a little. So stuffy. Bet you're loads of fun.
Mimi is proof that you can take the girl out of the trailer, but not the trailer "shame" out of the girl. Ever notice that the people who typically call others "white trash" or "trailer trash" are pretty trashy themselves? Get over your complex Mimi, oh and BTW? your sandwich sounds disgusting, kinda like your attitude.
And you know what is white trash – - how?
Good heavens – what a lot of folks with no sense of humor.
@Jenny, I didnt see where she was called white trash? It said trashy, why you gotta make this a race issue? Are you a racist? wow, I wouldnt be broadcasting this if I were you! Oh and if your looking for a definition of trashy? LOOK IN THE MIRROR
Jenny, no sense of humor? what about Mimi_nef's post was supposed to be funny? OH are you back pedaling because you ARE mimi_nef?
@Jenny is a racist.....apparently you didn't read Mimi's post correctly......
It's disgusting, it's repulsive and it's so very very white trash.
@PAM, apparently you did not read MY post correctly, please re-read before you comment further
FIGHT! FIGHT!
*waves & jumps up and down*
OVER HERE! FIGHT!
@Cartman, OMG, LMAO and hey she tried to take the snacky cakes and cheesey poufs I brought you, I was minding my own business and she came outta no where.
Jesus Christ on a Bicycle, you people need a hobby. All this piss and vinegar over a freaking sandwich?
@tazer...YUP! slow day at work today and I really don't want to crack open another redbull
@tazer, BTW? Jesus Christ on a bicycle has me STILL laughing and it's been a few minutes, so thanks.
@mimi: Next time you buy panties, get the right size. What a poseur!
Mustard on a tomato sandwich? You should be arrested for even suggesting such a crime.
Mayo is full of fat, but anything is fine in moderation. You don't have to put it on by the bucketful. As the hair gel commercial used to say, "a little dab'll do ya."
As for white bread – I prefer something a bit denser than plain white bread, but homemade is fine. Something doesn't seem right about using rye or whole wheat with a tomato sandwich.
Lettuce or spinach leaves help, too.
Leftover Thanksgiving turkey slices, bacon, tomato, onion, mayo, spicy brown mustard.... And whatever kind of bread that makes your mouth salivate by just thinking of it... Om nom.
Homemade white bread toast, slathered in homemade pesto, topped with left over chicken and shaved white cheddar. Heaven.
Pretty close but mine is Italian bread...roasted chicken (that was smeared with pesto before roasting), sun dried tomatoes (oil packed), and sharp provolone...
Too complicated. If more than i ingredient for bread then not simple enough
Slap some PB&J,plus some sliced Nanners on it and I'd eat it.
Harriet the Spy liked tomato sandwiches, but I'll pass.
Ten beeeeeeeelion points to Gryffindor for the Harriet the Spy shoutout. LOVED that book.
Didn't Harriet the Spy get waterboarded by Donald Rumsfeld or something?
Ditto loved that book wil now have to try this sandwich
The picture reminds me of the sloppy post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches we had growing up. Yum.
Not a big fan of tomato only sandwiches. (Sorry Kat.) I would, however add some mozzarella, fresh basil and a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar for a cold caprese sandwich. Great for the hot Summer we've been having.
I grew up in VA and the summer staple was home-grown ripe tomatoes on white bread with Duke's mayo...wonderfull and this article brings back such nice memories for me! Still my favorite sandwich, simple and not expensive for any budget! Thanks.
Really? I am a Virginia Beach native (still live here) and have never heard of making a mayo-tomato sammy. Might have to have a talk with my mother!
@jenny: I don't know if you've ever had the good blessings to enjoy salt-risen bread but tomato and mayo on salt-risen is, to me, the gastric summertime ultimate. We used to get ours at Kern's Bakery in Bristol, VA, but they've since either stopped baking it or stopped shipping via overnight. (stuck near Buffalo, NY)
what about the lettuce? its vital in my opinion for a good sandwich.
I agree. As for this sandwhich, to each his own, but that sandwhich (appreance wise) does not do anything for me,
Great AleeD! If a few slices of bacon fell on that you would have my fav.
YES! Needs one word: Bacon, bacon, bacon! OK, that's three words, so sue me.
That sounds good...my fave is tomato, lettuce, vidalia onion and swiss on toasted peasant bread with Hellman's mayonnaise. That is my Sunday afternoon sandwich with a glass of black rasberry seltzer made with my Sodastream. Life Is Good.
So weird that I happen upon this story and your post was at the top of the list. I just today brought home everything for tomato/mozzarella sammies on fresh french bread and I always use balsamic and basil. Bought shroomage, too, in case I decide to toast them open-face and slather on some buttery sauteed shrooms, but still, weird timing... Been one of those weeks.
It's all about the tomato. It has to be a home grown Ohio tomato.