How To Make Freezer Club Sandwiches

Taking food to friends, whether they are under the weather, renovating a kitchen, or welcoming a new baby, shouldn’t be limited to soups and casseroles. One of my favorite things to take to new parents is fixings for sandwiches because a sandwich can be breakfast, lunch, or dinner and requires only one hand to eat.

Freezer club sandwiches take that concept and make them hot and satisfying and available on demand from the freezer. You do a little prep work at home, and then take your friends a quick meal that they can reheat and enjoy any time of day or night. A freezer club sandwich requires just two considerations and a handful of ingredients.

One pitfall of freezer sandwiches is soggy bread. Wet meats and cheeses, or worse, condiments, making direct contact with the bread will result in soggy bread over time. The easiest way to prevent mushy bread is a thin layer of fat between the bread and sandwich toppings. Butter works well, as it adds both a protective coating and a flavorful fat to the sandwiches. Alternatively, you could use an oil of your choice to coat the bread. Olive oil works well and adds flavor too.

A sandwich just isn’t a sandwich without condiments. Mayo and mustard make even the most humble sandwich combinations special, but they can wreak havoc on bread during the freezing and heating process. The solution may seem silly, but it works: Put the condiments between the meat and cheese layers. I was worried that this might make for a slippery sandwich, but fear not — once the sandwich is heated, the cheese holds the layers in place.

If you’re planning to take these freezer sandwiches to a friend or new parents, don’t forget to label the freezer bag with reheating instructions as well as the date they were made, their best-by date, and ingredients. (Unless you want a new mom texting you at 3 a.m. wondering how to reheat these, because that’s when she needs to eat.)