The Host of Food Network Asia’s Sandwich King shows us how the humble sandwich can look and taste amazing
By Cheryl Chia
Chef Jeff Mauro, a highly humorous guy, makes a charismatic host. He was in town to show us plebeians how to turn a plain old sandwich into one fit for a king.
Not Just a Sandwich
Jeff, the winner of Food Network Star Season 7, believes, “You can make any meal into a sandwich, and any sandwich into a meal.”
This rang true with his demonstration at the Asian Food Channel studio at Orchard Central last Monday.
Sandwich Tips
“Apart from a handsome guy with great hair, you need good bread to make a sandwich. If your bread is bad, doesn’t matter what is in between. It is not going to be good,” he advises, as he spreads a thin layer of salted butter on each slice of bread before toasting them a little on a frying pan, buttered side down – also his little trick to make day-old bread taste fresh.
The King and the King
The “Sandwich King” also relates his first meeting with another king, the durian.
“I tried my first durian in Malaysia and I thought I was done with it but I still wasn’t done after the next 12 hours… When I came here, I stopped by one of those carts selling ice-cream with the rainbow bread. I picked the first one I saw and, guess what I got…” he says with a laugh.
Other sandwich Tips
He also tells us his must-have item in his refrigerator – Dijon mustard or dijonaise.
“Dijonaise is an emulsifier for oil and vinegar. It is great when making salad dressings on your own. It’s the wedding ring that binds oil and vinegar together,” he explains.
He also spreads the dressing last on the sandwich.
“You know how you take a bite out of a sandwich and everything shoots out the sides? That’s what happens when you put the sauce on first. Everything just slips out,” he says.
In the new season of the Sandwich King, Jeff will reinvent classics like the Italian sub and concoct dessert sandwiches to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Sandwich King Season 3 premieres Wed, Jun 19, 8pm, on Food Network Asia, Starhub Ch 433.
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