12 Celebrity Chef Tips To Level Up Your Sandwich Game

If sandwiches are your go-to daily lunchtime meal, you probably think you've got your recipe down. Perhaps you've been repeating the same old deli meat and cheese combo for months or even years, thinking that's as far as your sandwich game will stretch. However, the humble sandwich offers far more opportunity for creativity than that, and there's always room to give your lunch an upgrade. In fact, even celebrity chefs are raving about the wonders of sandwich-making. Many have shared their expertise on what can take a simple sarnie from basic to outstanding, and their advice is pretty eye-opening.

Sure — a sandwich is just bread and fillings, but there are countless techniques and ingredient combinations to experiment with here, as highlighted by some of our favorite celebrity chefs. Some swear by a certain variety of bread, a specific add-in, or an essential cooking method. If you want to know how Gordon Ramsay makes a grilled cheese taste extra special, learn Julia Child's hack for elevating a classic tuna salad sandwich, or Ina Garten's top tip for an epic BLT read on. It's time to explore some game-changing, chef-recommend ideas that are guaranteed to result in a top-tier sandwich.

Our first tip comes from Tom Colicchio — acclaimed chef and Top Chef judge. And, he knows a thing or two about sandwiches. In 2003, Colicchio opened 'Wichcraft, a restaurant focusing on flavor-packed, gourmet-style sandwiches. He also later released a book with the same name, sharing the secrets to creating elevated sandwiches at home. Whilst it's clear that Colicchio is a fountain of sandwich-related knowledge, there are a handful of key recommendations he deems the most important. In an interview with Delish, the chef highlighted three rules he likes to follow when crafting a sandwich.

First up, Colicchio is big on quality. This one might seem like a no-brainer, but it's also easy to skimp on. He recommends using artisan bread and high-quality filling ingredients for the best results. Next, the chef notes the importance of balancing heavier ingredients in a sandwich. For example, if you've got a rich cheese, creamy sauce, or fatty protein source, this often needs the contrast of something spicy or tangy. Adding a dash of vinegar or some pickled chili peppers can be all that's required to build a wonderfully well-rounded bite. Colicchio's final tip is for those packing their sandwich for lunch on the go. In this case, he advises choosing a sturdy bread such as ciabatta or a crusty French bread, that'll maintain its texture after a few hours sitting in your bag. This way, you won't be tucking into a soggy, unappealing sandwich come lunchtime.

Founder of gourmet sandwich chain Eggslut and host of "The Burger Show," Alvin Cailan is another respectable guide in the world of sandwich-making. Breakfast sandwiches are his specialty, and his number one rule is selecting the very best bread for his morning creation. In an interview with Tasting Table, Cailan emphasized the importance of maximizing both the flavor and texture of the bread, stating, "Nowadays, I like to pick square toast bread or a really good grain bread because it has more texture to it than a brioche. I'm over that." And, because no breakfast sandwich is complete without an egg, Cailan recommends thinking carefully about how you'd like this element cooked. He tells us, "A lot of people love the idea of having a yolky egg until you get it splattered all over your t-shirt and then you have to change in the morning. I'm into a quick scramble nowadays." 

Something else to keep in mind is your choice of seasonings. Specifically, Cailan loves incorporating something spicy into his breakfast sandwiches. "I've been using Maggi seasoning on my eggs a lot lately", he explains. "Why shouldn't an egg or a breakfast sandwich wake you up as much as a coffee can? That's my motivation when I eat in the morning." So, feel free to turn up the heat in your sandwich. Some other fantastic options include pickled jalapenos, a dash of cayenne pepper, or a drizzle of your favorite hot sauce.

Turkey and the Wolf is a top-rated New Orleans sandwich shop, once described by Bon Appetit as "America's best new restaurant". The owner is none other than the Sandwich King, Mason Hereford, who confidently deems the humble sandwich "the perfect food". And, Hereford's approach to crafting sandwiches is rather brilliant. His mantra is that every sandwich should comprise a medley of non-negotiable elements. These are crunchiness, creaminess, tanginess, and richness. He also insists on incorporating a hint of sweetness, along with something sour and something spicy.

It is however that outer layer of bread that Hereford often focuses on when quizzed on his sandwich wisdom. For the perfect sammy, the chef's ultimate bread tip is to use thick-cut slices, and preparing these before assembling your sandwich is essential. His reasoning here is that chunkier slices maintain a far more desirable texture upon grilling. The bread's exterior crisps up beautifully in the pan, whilst the inner layer stays soft and fluffy. To achieve the perfect golden brown finish, Hereford also recommends buttering each piece of bread generously before grilling. Next, instead of laying the grilled bread slices flat, he stands them upright as they cool. This prevents any unwanted sogginess that can occur when steam gets trapped underneath the bread. Instead, with maximum airflow across both surfaces of the slices, they remain perfectly crisp.

Looking to level up your grilled cheese skills? Multi-Michelin-starred TV chef Gordon Ramsay has a recipe that's about to blow your mind. A typical grilled cheese might feature cheddar or mozzarella, but instead, Ramsay goes for a tangier combination of romano and asiago cheeses. Both varieties come from Italy, though romano is firmer, with a salty, nutty flavor, whilst asiago is smoother and milder. Ramsay's romano also features pepperberry, which adds a hint of warmth. You can easily recreate this effect by adding some cracked pink or black peppercorns to a standard romano cheese. Next, he butters and sprinkles salt onto two thick-cut slices of country bread, before cutting the cheeses into rectangular pieces that'll fit snuggly into the sandwich. 

Now, it's time for the game-changing kimchi, a powerhouse staple ingredient. This Korean fermented vegetable dish is packed with tangy, spicy flavor, and this provides a mouth-watering contrast to the rich, creamy cheese. Ramsay simply adds a generous, even layer of kimchi to one slice of the cheese-topped bread, before closing it with the other slice. Then, all that's left to do is fry the sandwich in a hot skillet to perfectly crisp on the outside and gloriously melty in the middle.

The classic combination of bacon, lettuce, and tomato is a favorite amongst sandwich connoisseurs, and there's certainly nothing wrong with this trio. But, if you want to enhance the flavor and texture of a BLT even further, it's time to try adding avocado. This simple hack comes from Ina Garten, the queen of wholesome, comforting recipes. To make her irresistible California BLT, you'll need all of the essentials — some thick-cut white bread, smoked bacon, a large tomato, fresh lettuce leaves, and creamy mayonnaise. But in this recipe, she also adds some ripe Hass avocado into the mix, for an extra dose of richness. First, you'll need to cook the bacon. Garten does this by baking the strips in the oven, which is a great way to achieve a perfectly crispy texture. Step two is toasting the bread, which can again be done on a sheet pan in the oven. 

Whilst you're waiting for the bacon and bread, you can prep the star ingredient. Peel and slice the avocado, then toss the slices in the juice of half a lemon. This provides a wonderful burst of acidity, that complements the richness of the avocado and mayo brilliantly. To assemble the sandwich, spread each slice with mayo, then stack one half with lettuce, the lemon-coated avocado, bacon, and sliced tomato. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then squish the second slice of bread on top.

Give your bread the egg upgrade with this next hack from beloved British chef and baker, Mary Berry. If you've never tried eggy bread, you're missing out. Think of it as the savory version of French toast. Essentially, slices of bread are dipped in beaten egg, which has sometimes been mixed with a splash of milk and some seasonings, then fried in a pan until golden brown. This gives the bread a gorgeous custardy middle and crisp exterior, which makes it the perfect base for a sandwich. This is exactly the approach Berry takes with her "eggy bread avocado and ham sandwich" recipe.

First, she assembles the sandwiches, taking slices of granary bread and spreading them with both butter and chutney. Next come slices of avocado, cheddar cheese, and ham, before a second slice of bread is pressed firmly on top. Now, this is where the eggs come in. Just beat them in a shallow dish, and dip the sandwiches right into the egg, coating both sides evenly. Add some oil and butter to a pan over high heat, and fry until the bread is golden. This should take about three minutes on each side. The result is an ultra-satisfying sandwich with heaps of rich flavor and an extra boost of protein.

Whilst the flavors and textures of a sandwich of course have to come first, the presentation is an often overlooked factor in achieving sandwich perfection. And, one way that chef and restauranteur Bobby Flay keeps his sandwiches looking as appealing as possible is with a specific slicing technique. 

This tip was shared with the world by Chef John of the Food Wishes blog, who learned it from Flay himself at a Hellmann's sandwich-making demo. There's really nothing difficult or fancy about this. Fundamentally, it's all in the angle. Once your sandwich is fully assembled, and grilled if desired, take a large, sharp knife and position it on top of the bread as if you're about to cut it diagonally into two. Then, tilt the knife to about a 45-degree angle, and make the cut on a bias. When you pull the two slices apart to reveal the ingredients inside, you'll notice that the sandwich appears to look more generously filled. This is because slicing the bread at an angle creates a larger surface area at the cut edge, leaving more of the filling section on display. Sure, it won't change the taste of your sandwich, but it's a pretty effortless trick for making it look more professional.

The late chef Julia Child may have been best known for her flavorful French-inspired recipes, but she was also a whizz when it came to sandwiches. One recipe that's still frequently enjoyed by her fans today is Child's elevated tuna salad sandwiches. Described as one of her "favorite dishes for a working lunch" in a New York Times article, this fresh, savory creation takes a classic tuna salad sandwich and tweaks a few traditional elements to make it even more satisfying.

The main difference between Child's tuna sandwich and most other versions is the choice of bread. Here, she uses toasted English muffins. These round breads have a slightly airier texture than your everyday loaf, typically made from a yeasted dough and cooked on the stovetop or griddle to create a wonderfully crisp exterior. Her next non-negotiable was using canned tuna packed in oil (not water or brine). This ensures the flakes of fish remain moist and rich. And, for the mayo, which gets mashed into the tuna, Hellmann's mayonnaise was the preference. A medley of complementary ingredients can then be added to the tuna mixture. Child was less particular about these but recommended capers, cornichons, chopped onion, fresh herbs, and lemon juice. To assemble the sandwich, spread each slice of the English muffin with mayo, add some lettuce, and spoon on the tuna salad. Top with sliced tomato and onion, and serve open-faced for a hearty yet refreshing lunch.

If a Philly cheesesteak is your idea of sandwich heaven, then "Iron Chef" Cat Cora's version is a must-try. A traditional cheesesteak features sauteed onions and peppers, finely sliced, perfectly cooked beef steak, and melted cheese, all served in a long hoagie roll. In Cora's recipe, she deviates slightly from tradition. As well as the peppers and onions, she adds sliced mushrooms. This gives the sandwich an extra earthy, savory flavor that pairs fantastically with the tender meat. When sauteing the steak, she also sprinkles in some oregano, for added aromatic depth.

The star of her recipe, however, is Cora's signature provolone sauce. To make this, you'll melt provolone cheese in a double boiler, then add a mixture of egg yolks, flour, and milk, whisking everything together until thick and luscious. The sauce can then be poured directly over the steak and veggie-filled hoagie rolls, for a mouth-wateringly melty finish. There's something about crafting a creamy sauce, rather than simply melting slices of cheese on top, that feels particularly indulgent here.

Just when we thought we had our grilled cheese technique mastered, we discovered chef Thomas Keller's undeniably tempting method, and we're itching to try it. Rather than spreading the outer surfaces of the sandwich with butter before frying, Keller whips up brown butter in the pan first. Brown butter is, as the name would suggest, butter that's been heated in a pan until it reaches a rich shade of brown. This process brings out a distinctly toasty, nutty flavor, that can enhance a variety of sweet and savory dishes. 

Once the grilled cheese sandwich has been assembled, the trick is to briefly fry it on both sides in the brown butter, allowing it to soak up all of that amazing flavor. But, it doesn't end there. Keller then suggests removing the grilled cheese from the pan, spreading it with even more butter, and transferring it to the oven for a final toast. This is where the cheese can get seriously melty, and the bread can develop that all-important golden crust.

This one's a little on the unusual side, so we urge you to keep an open mind. James Beard was a much-loved chef and cookbook author, and in fact the first person to perform a cooking demo on network television. But, one particular recipe of his, which featured in his 1974 book "Beard on Food", was somewhat controversial. Enter the onion sandwich. That's right, not cheese and onion, steak and onion, or sausage and onion. Just plain old onion. Now, obviously, we think onions are great. Using them as the sole filling for a sandwich has never really come to mind, though. But according to Beard, onion sandwiches are totally delicious. In fact, in his book, he even went as far as to say, "for to me they are one of the greatest treats I know."

So, how do you craft the perfect onion sandwich? You'll start with two thick slices of firm white bread. Cut these into neat little rounds using a glass or cookie cutter, and discard the crusts. Then, you'll spread both rounds with butter, and place a layer of raw, sliced sweet onions on top of one. Sprinkle over some salt (Beard suggests fleur de sel), and top with another buttered bread round. Now for the finishing touch. Beard spreads mayonnaise around the edge of each sandwich, before rolling it in finely chopped herbs, for a vibrant and flavorful garnish.

The bologna sandwich is a staple across America, and for good reason. Smoky and satisfying, bologna is everything you could want in a sandwich filling. When paired with some fresh, crunchy salad and creamy, tangy sauces, it creates the ultimate flavor party. One thing that bologna lovers tend to disagree on, however, is whether it should be served hot or cold. Some add the sliced, cured meat to the sandwich as is, and others prefer to fry it first, but Food Network presenter Alton Brown opts for the best of both. In an episode of Quarantine Kitchen, he shared his go-to bologna sandwich method. This involves frying up a portion of the bologna and leaving some slices cold. He then stuffs the meat between slices of white bread along with mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, and pickle. 

To fry bologna, start by scoring the edges of each slice with a knife. This will prevent the meat from curling up as it cooks. Then, add it to a hot, oiled pan and fry for a few minutes on each side, until nicely browned. If you're also adding sliced cheese to your sandwich, you can always place this on top of the bologna slices during the last minute or so of cooking to melt it down before adding everything to the bread.