Your BLT Needs Mayonnaise On Both Slices Of Bread. Here's Why

Christina Tosi be an James Beard Award-winning chef and founder/CEO of the acclaimed bakery Milk Bar, but milk isn't the only ingredient she's passionate about. She recently partnered with Hellmann's to make a BLT-inspired cookie kit featuring a frosting made with her favorite condiment, mayonnaise. Needless to say, she has some thoughts on bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches, and one of those thoughts involves how much mayonnaise to use. She feels that you shouldn't just save it for the top slice of bread, but also use it on the bottom, too. Her reason: "I love mayonnaise, so for me, any excuse is a yes."

Even if you're not a mayo stan, there are other benefits that the condiment conveys upon a sandwich (BLT or otherwise). According to Tosi, "It's a moisture thing on the bread. It's definitely a flavor thing because mayonnaise has salt, sugar, acid, creaminess. It has all the things." She also notes that it helps with sandwich construction, acting as a kind of edible glue to keep all of the different components in place. "There's a bunch of reasons, but I'm a both sides kind of person," she declares.

Using twice the mayonnaise on your BLT may itself be considered an upgrade, but it's even better if you make homemade mayo (which isn't too hard if you follow the rules). You could also opt for the super-trendy Japanese import, Kewpie, or stir in sriracha to make a DIY spicy mayonnaise. Christina Tosi told us she also likes to sprinkle seasonings on top of the mayonnaise: "It can be anything from a little smoky paprika, to everything bagel topping, to chili crunch to regular and black sesame seeds ... [to] Green Goddess dressing mix or ranch mix." Minced garlic would also work, as would chopped chives or diced chile peppers (fresh or canned).

Doubling the "glue" also allows you to add some extra toppings to your BLT. "You can always BLAT it with an avocado," says Tosi, but if you left off the tomato and added hot sauce or habaneros, you could have a BLAH. (A more fun acronym, although an entirely inaccurate descriptor.) She also mentioned that banana sandwiches are favorites in the South, so if you went with this fruit along with avocados, you could have yourself a BLAB. 

One more suggestion of Tosi's doesn't lend itself quite so well to acronymization, but adding crushed Doritos would really take a sandwich over the top by providing texture as well as flavor. She prefers Cool Ranch, but any other variety would be just as tasty, while you could also branch out into potato chips, pretzels, cheese puffs, or other crunchy snacks.