If your sandwich keeps falling apart at lunchtime, you’ve probably been making it wrong.
That’s according to an expert, who claims the way you cut the bread has a significant impact on your sandwich’s structure.
Owen Han, a viral creator known as the ‘King of Sandwiches’, has curated a huge following by obsessing over what makes the perfect sub.
He says there’s one mistake he comes across all the time – people leaving a ‘hinge’ when they cut their bread.
‘This is a big pet peeve,’ he explained to the Daily Mail.
‘A hinge often causes fillings to bunch, slide, or tear through the connected side.’
Instead, he suggests cutting your baguette or bread roll all the way through to create a better base and keep the fillings more evenly distributed.
What’s more, doing so can actually make every bite taste better, he claims.
The ‘King of Sandwiches’ said people should never leave a hinge when they cut their bread. Owen Han (pictured) argued that cutting all the way through helps keep things evenly distributed
Mr Han, who is based in Los Angeles, has both Chinese and Italian heritage.
His passion for blending cultures has led to viral creations like Korean Philly cheesesteaks and Indian butter chicken burritos.
His latest advice comes amid a collaboration with US sandwich shop Schlotsky’s Deli.
Slicing your bread – whether it be a roll, a baguette or a sub – fully through the middle allows the bread to compress evenly and hold its shape better bite after bite, he explained.
‘Cutting fully through your sandwich bread instead of leaving a hinge creates a cleaner, more even structure,’ he said.
‘This distributes pressure across the entire sandwich rather than forcing one side to bear all the tension.
‘It also improves the overall structural integrity of the sandwich by letting each half support the fillings independently, resulting in a more balanced build and cleaner eating experience.’
Slicing your bread all the way through can also provide a cleaner bread–to–filling ratio across the sandwich.
Scientists have previously argued the perfect sandwich has a symmetrical arrangement of fillings and between a robust bread spread with room temperature butter
Some of his other tips include finding the perfect bread ‘that is not too soft or too tough’.
He said his rule of thumb is that the thicker the bread, the more generous the filling should be, and that some kind of sauce – whether it be a zesty mayo or something spicy – should be spread on both slices of bread.
When it comes to building the sandwich, he suggests putting meat and cheese in first, followed by wetter ingredients such as lettuce or tomato.
Anything oily or dressed should be at the top of the sandwich, to stop your creation from going soggy.
Or, if planning a day out, you could even bring sauces on the side and add them right before eating.
Finally, a pop of something acidic – such as pickled onions or a juicy tomato – can help cut through richness and prevent the sandwich from feeling heavy.
Experts recently revealed the best way to slice your bread – and they recommend flipping your loaf upside–down before cutting into it.
In a range of posts on social media, bakers have shown how turning your bread over can provide a more stable environment for your knife to slice through.
A typical loaf has a rounded, hard and uneven top crust compared to its flat, firm and stable base. When you cut into a curved top surface the knife tends to slide or tilt, forcing you to cut unevenly.
But when the bread is flipped, the knife starts on a level plane and doesn’t drift – meaning you get more control over the slice.
A TikTok video shared by the café and restaurant chain Daisy Green Collection shows a charcoal sourdough loaf being flipped over by a baker.
‘Life hack…slice your bread upside–down and it’ll be straight almost every time,’ it reads.
