How to prepare vegetables for a sandwich that can last for several days in a fridge?
I'm not much of a cook but neither am I a complete stranger to the kitchen. I like to prepare sandwiches to take with me to work in a box. Since I do it often, I like to make them more "interesting" than just plain bread-meat-cheese. So far however I've only come up with the idea of putting in various off-the-shelf sauces/dressings/whathaveyou that I can buy in the supermarket.
Whenever I buy and eat pre-made sandwiches, they taste a lot better than what I make myself. I've tried to figure out why this is and I think it's because they contain vegetables. I like vegetables in a sandwich - cucumbers, lettuce, tomato, avocado, bell peppers, etc.
The problem with adding them myself is that it just takes too much time to do. I usually make the sandwiches in a hurry in the morning, so I have about 5-10 minutes to do it. Washing-peeling-slicing-storing - that just takes too much time. Sometimes I add pickles, but most of the time I consider even that too big of a hassle.
So I was thinking - if I could pre-slice the vegetables and store them for several days (ideally - up to 5 days), that would do it. I'd just have to grab them from a box and throw them on the sandwich. I'm afraid however that sliced vegetables won't keep so long, even in the fridge. I haven't tried it though.
Are there any tricks out there that could help me? Some way to make sure they last longer, or perhaps are much quicker to prepare in the mornings? We can skip tomatoes, I think a sandwich with tomatoes in it would be a mess after several hours in a box anyway.
Or perhaps other ideas to quickly give a sandwich an interesting taste? (Subjective, I know, but I'm not picky and will try different things)
Best Answer
There’s a third option between storing the vegetables for a week and cutting them in the morning:
Cut just the amount you need for one morning the evening before. Storing overnight is not a safety issue (assuming basic principles like storing in the fridge are followed), and you still can “slap them on” as requested.
Another thought:
You describe cutting in the morning as too time-consuming, but my favorite tool in this context is a small cheapo vegetable slicer (like this one). I hold it right over the sandwich, shave a few slices of cucumber or similar right on it and am done. Thirty seconds, tops, including a quick rinse.
If you are interested in other toppings, I suggest you take a second look at the leftovers from yesterday’s dinner: Leafy greens like lettuce (sans dressing!) keep well for a few days and some roasted vegetables are also interesting: Either they are already spiced or a dash of lemon or mild vinegar plus an overnight stint in the fridge gives you a perfect sandwich vegetable - not unlike antipasti. Slice them right when you are packing them up, of course, for a grab-and-go sandwich preparation.
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How long does veg sandwich last?
A sandwich that has been placed in the fridge promptly should last for three or four days, depending on what is in the sandwich. Sandwiches that contain long-lasting, dry ingredients such as pickle and cheese will often fare better than sandwiches with fish or meat.How do you keep sandwiches fresh in the fridge?
Wrap it up: To seal in all the flavor and keep the sandwich together, wrap the sandwich tightly in plastic wrap before refrigerating. The bread will soften slightly overnight, but the crusty exterior will keep everything contained when you're ready to unwrap and eat.What vegetables can you put in a sandwich?
The easiest way to add both fiber and flavor to your sandwich is by adding some veggies and/or fruit.- Tomatoes.
- Lettuce.
- Onions.
- Peppers.
- Pickles/Cucumbers.
- Olives.
- Sprouts.
- Avocado.
How far in advance can you make a sandwich?
Ideally, you should aim to make your sandwiches as close to the day of your party as possible for the best flavor and freshness. I recommend making your sandwiches no more than 48hrs in advance for the best flavor come party time.How To Make Produce Last Longer \u0026 Reduce Waste 🙌🏻25+ Tips!
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Answer 2
It depends on your vegetable, but the best way to store most prepped vegetables is to make sure they stay moist. The best way to do this is to cover them with a damp cloth. Another thing you can do is to add lemon juice. The acid acts as a natural preservative and a flavor enhancer.
Answer 3
If your vegetables are wilting (especially about lettuce) then you should take a box with a lid (if it seals well, that's better, but normal does it too), put some water on the bottom, and put the vegetables raised above the water - either large pieces directly on something trivet-like, or smaller cut pieces in a second, smaller box sitting again on a trivet (or a makeshift trivet).
If your vegetables are going slimy or moldy, there is nothing you can do. The lifetime of a cut vegetable is 3-5 days in the fridge, just like any other perishable food, and it can be shorter in some unlucky cases (e.g. if your vegetables were older or already had some invisible stage of mold when put in the fridge). Short of preserving them (so e.g. using pickles instead of cucumbers on the sandwich), you can't really do anything.
The last resort would be to freeze them, but the texture will change so much that most people would not eat a sandwich with thawed vegetables, so it is very unlikely that this is a viable option.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: ROMAN ODINTSOV, Amina Filkins, Alex Green, Amina Filkins