The Perfect PB&J

Peanut butter and jelly is a classic sandwich, commonly used as a last resort meal in cafeterias and at camps, or a common lunch food parents pack when there's nothing more creative. It is treated with an amount of necessity, accepted as edible, perhaps tasty on occasion, but it is never really appreciated.

However, I am going to tell you today how to make a PB&J that deserves not only appreciation, but general excitement and enjoyment.

See, peanut butter and jelly is one of my favorite sandwiches, especially with a cold glass of milk. My father feels the same way. My mom doesn't like PB&J, she eats PB&B (peanut butter and butter,) which everyone else in my family feels is unacceptable on a number of levels.

The first thing about PB&J is the jelly choice. Grape is acceptable, but it will only make a decent sandwich. Raspberry is good, but the key choice is strawberry. Everyone knows strawberry is the best candy flavor, freeze pop flavor, cake icing flavor, the best part of Neapolitan ice cream, and the best jelly. The next key is that you can't buy the jelly. It has to be home-made. In our house, this is a yearly tradition. We buy a ton of strawberries and make a dozen or so jars of home made strawberry jelly. If you want a good sandwich, I recommend you either make jelly or find a way to get some of ours. Jess has effectively gotten a hold on some of our jelly, so it is possible. (The secret is to ask. We're very friendly about giving it out. We have more than we can use.)

The second step is to use crunchy peanut butter. Crunchy sandwiches are better. That's why we put lettuce on subs. Lettuce has no flavor, vitamins, or purpose other than adding that crunchiness to sandwiches. So buy crunchy peanut butter.

As for bread, I've only ever tried white and wheat bread in my life. I suggest one of those over something weird and abnormal.

Now for the actual assembly. When most people make this sandwich, they usually just put the PB on one slice of bread and the J on the other. These people are WRONG. This just makes the jelly seep through one piece of bread, leaving the consumer with a semi-soggy mess. You put the peanut butter on BOTH pieces of bread. And you spread it all the way to the crusts, leaving no exposed bread. This way the sandwich isn't soggy and the crusts are even tastier. Then you spread the jelly on top of the peanut butter, and place the two pieces of bread together.

This leaves you with a non-soggy sandwich with exceptionally good crusts, a necessary crunch, and a home made strawberry flavor.

Also good if the bread is toasted.