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Wrapping Sandwiches

Wrapping Sandwiches

+ Patatas bravas, mortar & pestle vs. food processors & bibimbap

Keith McBrayer & Ethan Chlebowski
February 02, 2025

Good morning. Are you team foil, parchment paper, or wax paper? Reply with your favorite or let us know why you might prefer one or the other.

Regardless, any of them can work in today’s protocol…

COOKING PROTOCOL 🤝

Wrapping sandwiches

Today’s protocol is simple: wrap your sandwiches at home.

Why?

Wrapping compresses the layers and sauces and holds everything together, improving the textures, bread chew, and eating experience. If the sandwich is toasted, everything steams, softens, and warms through evenly.

We know it’s tempting to skip this and eat a home sandwich off a cold plate, but tight wrapping somehow transforms sandwiches to taste like they were made at an NYC deli.

How and when do you wrap?

Use foil, parchment, or wax paper to tightly wrap your sandwich. Allow it to compress/steam for a few minutes before digging in.

Almost every sandwich can benefit from wrapping/compressing, but warm and/or saucy sandwiches improve the most because of the steaming & softening that occurs:

Chopped cheeses
Philly cheese steaks
Italian Hoagies
Bahn mi’s
Meatball heros
Breakfast sandwiches

What else does this work on?

Hot dogs, burritos, and burgers! The wrapped steaming trick is why stadium hot dogs go down so easy, and why burrito tortillas get so supple. For burgers, try a half wrap in parchment (think In-N-Out) to lightly steam the buns.

RECIPE RECOMMENDATIONS ✅

Our favorite sandwiches

Recreate some of our favorites from this collection, or use them for inspiration and start leveling up your home sandwich game. Just don’t forget to wrap them:

FOOD TRENDS 🚀

Patatas bravas

Last year, we covered the culture of casual bar crawling plus tapas eating in Spain & other European countries.

A favorite example is the classic patatas bravas, which has broken out of the local bar scene into worldwide fame — onto our social media feeds and restaurant menus.

Patatas bravas — translated to fierce potato — lives up to its name thanks to the spicy chili, paprika, and olive oil based sauce the crunchy taters get bathed in.

To make the dish, white potatoes are cubed and deep fried in olive oil. The slow, single fry results in a thicker, crunchier exterior akin to kettle chips.

As learned in the olive oil deep dive, you can use the good stuff for deep frying, and it does add olive oil's signature flavor. Patatas bravas soak up the aromas from being cooked in extra virgin olive oil.

What’s not to love? A crunchy, EVOO-scented potato with a creamy interior, tempered by a hot, vibrant dressing — and sometimes, a rich, unctuous aioli with a bite of raw garlic.

READER Q&A 🧠

Mortar & pestle vs food processor

Question: “For which sauces should I use a mortar and pestle? Is it always preferable to use it or are there instances when it would be better to use a food processor?” - Diego M

Answer: You can always use a food processor for speed over a mortar and pestle, but the texture & flavor will always be different in a mortar and pestle.

Why?

Mortar and pestles work by crushing spices and aromatic ingredient cell walls instead of slicing, like electric tools do. Thus, mortar & pestle junkies argue the extra elbow grease results in more flavor and aroma.
The slower, crushing action of the pestle allows you to have more control over the texture of the sauce (sometimes blades can blend things up too much or too quickly).

So when should you use each tool?

If you want a more rustic texture or want to maximize flavor, use a mortar & pestle.
If you don’t mind a smoother sauce, are pressed for time, or need to make a larger quantity of sauce, go ahead and pulse away in a food processor or blender.

Having either tool in your arsenal is worth it. Check out our recommended gear on our shop page:

Have a culinary question? Reply to send it in for a chance to be featured and get your question answered.