The Culinary Corner

A Lunchtime Staple

I don’t know much, but I sure know my way around the kitchen. And any good cook needs to know how to make the perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Contrary to popular belief, there is a right way and a wrong way to make this staple sandwich. We’ll start with things to keep in mind when making your sandwich.

First of all, no white bread. Don’t waste your time with it. Wheat bread is tastier and healthier. Secondly, if you’re over the age of five and still have most of your teeth, crunchy peanut butter is a must. Exceptions can be made to households that have to accommodate the young and the toothless. Also, there should be no horizontal cuts. The triangle shape is perfect for the pb&j and anything else is just nonsense. A good cook also needs to have a variety of jellies on hand. Grape seems to be the most popular, but never trust anyone who only eats grape jelly. They have no imagination or sense of adventure. They’re probably sociopaths and you should keep an eye on them. Now, on to making the sandwich.

You’ll need:

  1. 2 knives
  2. 2 slices of wheat bread
  3. Your choice of jelly. (try to avoid grape jelly)
  4. Crunchy peanut butter
  5. Something to put your sandwich on. I like paper towels.
Peanut butter and jelly supplies
Peanut butter and jelly supplies

First, spread your peanut butter on one slice of bread with one of your knives.

Spread the peanut butter on a slice of bread
Spread the peanut butter on a slice of bread

Then use the other knife to put jelly on the other slice of bread. I used blackberry jelly for this demonstration.

Put your jelly on the other slice of bread
Put your jelly on the other slice of bread

Two knives are essential to keep the peanut butter and jelly from contaminating each other’s containers. Put the two pieces of bread together with the peanut butter and jelly facing each other. It is important to make sure the peanut butter and jelly are on the INSIDE of your sandwich, not the outside.

Peanut butter and jelly on the inside
Peanut butter and jelly on the inside

Place your sandwich on your paper towel jelly side down and cut diagonally.

Cut your sandwich diagonally
Cut your sandwich diagonally

Now relax and enjoy your perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

6 thoughts on “A Lunchtime Staple”

  1. Thanks! But I’m stuck on the second to last step, which of the two knives do I use to cut the sandwich? If I had to assume, it’s the jelly knife because it appears to have shifted in the final picture and there is a delicate ribbon of jelly on the far side of the cut, but I would hate to assume. Please answer quickly because I would really love to relax and enjoy my sandwich, and I have not eaten in quite some time.

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    1. You should use the jelly knife to cut your sandwich. The residual jelly acts as a natural lubricant to make a smoother cut. I didn’t think this issue would need to be addressed. It’s my mistake and I apologize. I’ll not make any assumptions in future recipes. Now go eat and take a nap. – Mrs. Parks.

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  3. A follow up concerning peanut butter and jelly toast or a toasted version of the sandwich would be informative. When you toast bread, it becomes hotter. This heat melts the peanut butter, giving it a gooey consistency which is pleasurable on the pallet. I find that peanuts are fairly resistant to melting, so creamy peanut butter is preferable in the case of toast, but you may have a better option, and I am hoping to hear it.

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    1. A toasted peanut butter and jelly sandwich is something entirely different. I could do another post about other peanut butter and jelly options if you would like. But I would still say no to creamy peanut butter. – Mrs. Parks

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