Roy Choi's Mayonnaise Tip For Better Sandwiches

Roy Choi is a renowned celebrity chef who gained notoriety for pioneering the gourmet food truck industry. In 2008, he drew from his prestigious culinary training, Korean heritage, and Californian upbringing to open Kogi, a Korean barbecue taco stand. Kogi's praise from customers and critics alike reached every corner of Los Angeles and the U.S. Choi's innovative idea inspired countless gourmet chefs to take high-end restaurant dishes to the streets of their native cities.

His specialty is Korean-Mexican fusion cuisine, but Choi has gone on to share creative techniques and tips for a variety of America's favorite fast foods, from instant ramen to burgers. A few of his recipes include upgrades and twists on classic sandwiches that novice cooks can easily execute. While you might expect a sophisticated or novel twist on mayonnaise from a highly accomplished James Beard Award-winning chef, Choi's mayonnaise tip is shockingly basic and obvious to most of us: Spread mayonnaise over the entire surface of your bread. 

Choi's mayonnaise tip applies to any sandwich. This simple rule may not seem like a tip at all, and yet many of us neglect to do it as we hastily assemble a sandwich. We've all been guilty of hurriedly swiping a meager dollop of mayo down the center of a slice of bread, leaving a large percentage of it untouched.

Whether you're using packaged white bread or toasted crusty ciabatta, spreading a uniform layer of mayonnaise from corner to corner ensures a flavorful and lubricated sandwich from edge to edge. Any surface devoid of America's best-selling condiment will result in a disappointingly dry bite. Plus, a smooth spread of mayo will help hold lettuce, cheese, pickles, and any other ingredients touching the bread in place.

Once you've mastered this basic yet crucial mayonnaise tip, then you can up your sandwich game with more complex ingredients and methods. Choi himself has a pro tip on how to create more flavorful mayonnaise with sesame seeds.