Lunch Box Ideas: Toasted Ham & Cheese – the Non Soggy Version

I feel a little silly posting this – after all, I am sure you all know how to toast a sandwich! However a school mum friend of mine recently noticed  I was sending toasted ham and cheese sandwiches in Immy’s lunch box and asked, “But, don’t they go soggy?” So I thought, if there is one mum who would like to know how I do it, maybe there are others???

Let’s back up a little. Regular readers might remember that Immy is not a big fan of sandwiches – which is why I collated the lists, Lunch Box Ideas for Kids Who Don’t Like Sandwiches and More Lunch Box Ideas for Kids Who Don’t Like Sandwiches – so when she asked for a toasted sandwich in her lunch box late last year I was a bit unsure about it all. I had exactly the same question – sitting in a school bag all morning, wouldn’t it be soggy by lunchtime? I asked for some advice from the Childhood 101 Facebook community and received heaps of different ideas. I combined a few of the suggestions to come up with a system that works really well, producing a toasted ham and cheese sandwich that doesn’t go soggy. Though I should also note, Immy is eating it cold – goodness knows how she can but my girls seem to prefer all of their food pretty much cold! So here’s how I have been doing it…

Here’s the obvious part – butter the outside of your two slices of bread and then add your ham and cheese to the unbuttered side. I imagine this could work for other toasted sandwich fillings as long as they weren’t too wet – I would stay away from baked beans or tomato, for example.

Place your sandwich, butter side out, onto your sandwich toaster. We use the flat, sandwich press type. Toast until browned.

Here’s the first crucial step in the non-soggy part of this procedure – place your toasted sandwich onto a wire rack to cool. I will usually toast the sandwich first thing in the morning and then go on to make breakfast and pop the rest of Immy’s lunch into her lunch bag, by which time the sandwich is ready to go.

The second important step for non-soggy success is to use paper towel or kitchen paper to wrap your cooled sandwich in. I use two squares, doubling them up.

Seal your paper towel. I even sometimes write a little love note on the outside of the paper 🙂 Pop your sandwich into a cooler bag with an ice brick (it is after all ham and cheese and needs to be kept cool until lunchtime) and your are good to go!

I am always looking for new ideas and would love to hear what your children are enjoying in their lunch boxes.

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