Why It Pays To Use Thin-Sliced Meats On Your Sandwiches

When it comes to putting together a sandwich, it can be easy to stick to the assumption that bigger is better. While there is certainly nothing wrong with crafting a massive sandwich to satisfy a massive craving, there are benefits to scaling down some of your meal's individual components. For example, regardless of how much protein you plan on packing onto your sandwich, you'll have a more enjoyable final result if you use thin-sliced deli meats.

Whether you're making a club sandwich, a Reuben, or any other meaty sandwich variety, thinly sliced deli meats are easier to handle and allow for more customization. Thick-sliced meat can be unwieldy and doesn't fold over itself easily, making for an unstable base on which to stack other ingredients. Thin-sliced meat helps you avoid this problem and create a neater, more structurally sound sandwich that is less likely to fall apart. Additionally, using thinner slices means there is more room to add different kinds of meat to your sandwich. Instead of having three thick slices of ham, you could have two thin slices of ham, a couple of slices of turkey, and a few salami slices while still keeping the sandwich manageable. You can also interlace these thin slices to weave together the flavors in a way that would be impossible with thicker cuts.

You can find thin-sliced meat sold in packages, but if you really want to upgrade your sandwiches, you should consider buying freshly sliced deli meat instead. Shopping at your local butcher or the deli counter at your neighborhood grocery store will allow you greater control over the thickness of your slices while also providing you with higher-quality meat. Asking the person behind the counter for "thin-sliced" meat should be enough to get what you're looking for. If you want to be more specific, you can ask them for slices anywhere from ¹⁄₁₆ to ⅛ of an inch thick. Experimenting with these numbers could also help you find your ideal deli slice. Just beware of deli meat that is sliced too thin — these fragile "shaved" slices can quickly make a mess of your meal and are better suited for things like charcuterie boards where they won't be overwhelmed by other flavors.

Thin-sliced deli meat has a more delicate texture that's sure to enhance your sandwich. Plus, its thinness allows it to warm up more easily, and the overall flavor should be more pronounced since you don't have to focus as much on chewing through tough cuts of meat. So, the next time you're making a sandwich, pile it high with thin-sliced meat for a more refined meal.