Sink your teeth into the 'Build Your Own Perfect Sandwich Sweepstakes'

Chef Bobby Flay

 

 

 

When it came to building a sandwich, my dad was as meticulous as an engineer building a bridge. Every project began with a survey of the land or, in his case, the refrigerator. Once he had a good idea of the leftovers at his disposal, he would grab a loaf of fresh Italian bread and commence building.

All of his sandwiches had a solid foundation of bread, butter and Hellmann's mayonnaise. I knew dads who used Miracle Whip, but at our house it was Hellmann's.

Once this was done, he would add a layer of meat. It could be turkey, chicken, roast beef, peanut butter, burgers, hotdogs or meatloaf, any one of them could become a sandwich star. On top of that, he would add a drizzling of brown gravy, cranberry or horseradish sauce, cheese, or whatever seemed to gel with the meat, followed by a dash of salt, pepper, and a slice of something in season, be it tomato, onion, red pepper or cucumbers. Most were topped by a blanket of lettuce and another slice of bread smothered in butter and mayonnaise. If he was really hungry, he might add a second layer of bread, butter and mayo.

To celebrate this kind of creativity and to help those who are not as gifted, Hellmann's and Best Foods have partnered with Chef Bobby Flay to show families how to create flavorful sandwich recipes.

Flay also is inviting sandwich fans to share their sandwich-making tips, tricks, techniques and secrets at Hellmann's Facebook, and enter the "Build Your Perfect Sandwich Sweepstakes." Prizes will include goodies from Hellmann's and Best Foods plus a kitchen essentials bundle and grocery gift cards.

According to Hellmann's State of the Sandwich Survey, a lot of people love making sandwiches. In fact, those in the survey said they could survive a longer period of time not talking on their cell phones (29) or avoiding shopping (26 days) rather than going without their sandwiches (20 days).

While dads are fun to watch, 33 percent of Americans who eat sandwiches credit their mom with teaching them how to make a great sandwich.

The survey also revealed that 74 percent of sandwich makers typically take a knife to it, either slicing diagonally or straight down the middle. "More sandwich eaters in the Midwest than those in other regions make sure that their crusts always remain on the bread and prefer to eat their subs wholes rather than cut in half like the rest of the country," according to  the survey.

As for condiments of choice, nearly two in three would choose mayo over mustard or oil and vinegar if they could only use one type of condiment on their sandwich.

The Build Your Perfect Sandwich Sweepstakes is sponsored by Conopco, Inc and open to legal residents of the U.S. and D.C., 18 and older. Contest runs through Aug. 15. For rules and inspiration for your perfect sandwich, visit Hellmann's 

TODAY'S MUSE

We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are -- Adelle Davis