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Italian Hoagie Framework: https://www.cookwell.com/recipe/the-perfect-italian-sub

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50 Comments

  1. something to consider and something we do at the deli, for a similar reason we put a layer of mayo on the bread so the bread doesn't get soggy, all my coworkers and my manager told me to put the cheese slices right on the bottom, right next to the bread, after the condiments layer, for a similar reason. The slice of cheese protects the bread from getting soggy as well. Another thing i get nagged on is to never have the tomatoes touching the cheese, but that just might be my manager's personal thing.

  2. Who is this kind of sandwich called italian?
    You’ll never find something like this in Italy
    (No judgemnt, i really dont care just curiosity)

  3. Ask any Italian and they will ask, wtf is a Hoagie? Nuff said. It ain't Italian, it's AMERICAN. Just like "Peperoni" is not Italian. That's what we call a Capsicum, or a Bell Pepper.

  4. I still dont think anyone on youtube has nailed the hoagie roll recipe. I assume most the differences are people using dough conditioner but even Charlie Anderson's video where he uses that they come out slightly different. I need someone to figure out the secret to making perfect hoagie rolls at home.

  5. You're the first person I've seen to (correctly) not cut the roll all the way through.

    The only thing I would add is that you should try laying the slices across the whole surface, so that when you fold it, the veggies are surrounded by meat and cheese. It protects the bread completely from any moisture in the veg, and gives some variation when eating it, as some bites will have more veggies, some will have less veggies and more meat+cheese.

    I've never seen any hoagie shop outside of Jersey/Philly make it this way, but it's the best way IMHO.

  6. Lettuce on an Italian is a criminal offense where I come from, and omitting pickles and green peppers raises eyebrows.

  7. Both look delicious! I make my subs on whatever bread I have on hand, use any deli counter sliced brand of honey ham, salami, and the great value small pepperoni from Walmart in the prepackaged section. Mustard, mayo, swiss cheese, meats, tomatoes, sliced onions, topped with shredded iceberg lettuce and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Heated up in my toaster oven and absolutely as good as any I have had in a restaurant.

  8. two parts miled mortadela, one part cecina, one part salami, fresh mozzarella cubed in a little double cream and lemon zest, sauteed bell peppers with a bit of sweet balsamic, arugula, and a nice store bought or homemade focaccia. this sandwich never failed me if you wanna embrace the soggy life add some tomato, but unfortunately i cant get my hands on good tomatoes where i live so I don't bother

  9. All that talk about seasoning the vegetables and you don't even give the tomatoes some salt & pepper…

  10. The key is to keep the sandwich wrapped for a while. It lets the vinegar really penetrate the bread for that just-right vinegar hit with each bite.

  11. I absolutely love the way Ethan explains the thought process that goes into every aspect of sandwiches (and his other recipes!) This style really teaches us home cooks how to actually cook, not just follow a recipe.
    I'm so happy that I found your videos and have been a subscriber for 5 years (:

  12. Personally, i'd add more lettuce to the sub and apply oil and vinegar directly to that so that it can act as a sort of sponge to help retain moisture in the sandwich without necessarily resulting in soggy bread.

  13. Oregano, dill, and black pepper are great to add to the chilis/mayo/prov mix…now I’m going to have to make a hoagie tomorrow

  14. As.someone who worked in the food industry for years before going into healthcare (more on that in a moment) I always appreciate when someone points out texture. Especially in something as seemingly simple as a sub. It makes a HUUUGE difference! A wrapped sub is intrinsically better from a textural standpoint. As a current health care professional, I say this next part with a certain amount of empathy. Firehouse subs suffers for this specific reason, they don't wrap their subs. Their ingredients are solid but they don't come from a cooking background and it shows.

  15. Super good. If I could recreate the Italian subs from Luigi's delicatessen in Phoenix, but long gone (50+ years ago) I would do a taste-bud back flip, I have tried. But, I will add a few tweaks from this vid. I think the secret was in the olive oil dressing at Luigi's (it is a state secret). Mark

  16. When I make Italian subs now I always compress them. I put a dinner plate or skillet on top and press down with all my weight for about 10 seconds. It really does make the sandwich better in every way. More compact, neater to eat, less toppings falling out, less slip-sliding of ingredients, and the flavors really do meld together and intensify when the sandwich and bread are very compacted. I would guess because of less air in the bread and fewer gaps between the veggies and such?

  17. Sambal oelek is an excellent and cheaper substitute for Italian cherry or Calabrian pepper spread FYI ✅

  18. I started making my own after your last video on sandwiches… I now make 6 at the beginning of nearly every week that my wife takes for work and I eat for lunch. Almost exactly as you made them here – I feel validated. If my mom wants a hoagie, she just drives over to my place with the ingredients and has me make it.

    Only differences are that I don't always do the tomato, I add yellow mustard, and I wrap in tin foil. Sometimes the tomato can be too liquid-y and when I slice it I can tell it is going to make the sandwich soggy (Also, my wife doesn't like raw tomato so she doesn't get them at all). I dunno why, but yellow mustard is quintessential on an Italian to me, probably because I ate so much Subway when I was younger (My wife also doesn't like yellow mustard so she doesn't get it). I have found that if you make batches to eat over the course of the week, tin foil helps them last better and the bread doesn't dry out as much. Oh, and my wife gets miracle whip instead of mayo cause, you guessed it, she doesn't like mayo.

    The wrapping is really a game changer. I let them sit for 15 minutes in the fridge before I'll even consider eating them. It really makes that much of a difference.

  19. I'm an Aussie and I grew up with English parents who make the same salads and same sandwiches all the time. I learnt to hate them.
    Now I'm older I love them and exploring and trying different things and realising that the potential is limitless in terms of possibilities ingredient wise. My family is so engrained in sandwiches have to be square bread with sliced meat, lettuce, tomato, beetroot, onion etc and salad dressing.

  20. Where I live we call hoagies "subs". My main problem with these sandwiches that you can buy from shops is that they generally aren't macro friendly for my diet goals (not enough protein). I do love the idea you proposed of having 2 parts lean meat and 1 part "flavoring meat". I'll have to try this sometime

  21. Alternatives to lettuce:
    1)Cabbage. Thinly sliced it brings a crunchy texture and a slightly mustardy taste. Try different types of cabbage
    2)Other greens. Lamb's lettuce being my favourite for its nice bite and slightly sweet taste.

  22. Ethan, you have such good taste buds and an extensive palate. Could you please try making Persian food? I would die to see that 🙂 Either traditional/difficult dish or something easy like a sandwich or dip/spread

  23. Hmm one thing that's definitely not Italian about this recipe is that here we usually don't mix different various salumi (aka cured meats) in the same sandwich!

    Usually what defines the sandwich is the single type of meat used.

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