10 Mistakes To Avoid When Making BLT Sandwiches

When the idea of actually cooking dinner seems like an impossible task, but you don't want to spend money on takeout, and you want a meal that tastes more homemade than a frozen meal, a BLT is the way to go. Sure, you have to toast the bread and cook the bacon, but otherwise, it's an incredibly simple meal to make. In fact, there's a good chance that you already have everything you need to make a good BLT in your kitchen right now. But just because it's an especially simple dish doesn't mean that there aren't mistakes you can make while you're constructing your BLT.

A good BLT sandwich is a beautiful thing to behold, which is why we're detailing some of the most common mistakes people make when trying to assemble this kind of sandwich. By avoiding these mistakes, you can feel confident that your BLT will always come out tasting incredible. Opting for an easy, lazy dinner has never tasted so good.

Texture is an incredibly important aspect of any sandwich, but especially a BLT, since you're using so few ingredients in the recipe. That's exactly why it's such a crime to layer soggy, undercooked bacon onto your BLT sandwich. Sure, the lettuce in the sandwich has a slight crunch to it, but it's the bacon that's really there to deliver that satisfying, crunchy snap that gives the sandwich its most important textural touch. Therefore, the bacon should be perfectly crisped without being burnt. Sure, you might have a few soft spots on each slice of bacon, but for the most part, you're looking for a crispier texture that creates a nice contrast with the otherwise soft ingredients.

We like cooking bacon on the stove when we're making a BLT, since you can keep a close eye on just how well-done every piece of bacon is getting. When cooking your bacon in the oven, it's far too easy to over- or undercook the meat, which is the last thing you want in a sandwich that hinges so much on bacon quality.

Many types of produce don't taste too different when they're in season versus when they're out of season. Tomatoes, however, are not one of those fruits. You can really taste a difference between an amazing tomato and one that's just subpar, and in a sandwich like a BLT, the quality of the tomatoes you're using is incredibly important. This is why we always recommend making BLT sandwiches in the summer. First of all, BLTs are a great option when it's too hot to cook a full meal. More importantly, though, summer is when you have access to the freshest in-season tomatoes, which make for the best BLTs.

If you can, use tomatoes straight from your garden, or buy them directly from a local farmer's market. Have to buy them at the grocery store? Shop during the summer, and make sure they have a nice, deep red color to them. A pale, greenish tomato is not what you're going for here if you want to capture that fragrant, juicy sweetness that ripe, in-season tomatoes are known for.

Have you ever had a BLT that was absolutely dripping in grease from the bacon? Sure, there's nothing wrong with a little bit of extra juiciness, but when the bacon is extra greasy, it can make the sandwich too soggy in a matter of seconds. Plus, all that extra fat can detract from the freshness of the other ingredients, and a good BLT tends to have a better balance of elements.

You're likely to get that kind of BLT if you forget to drain the excess grease off the bacon before you start assembling the sandwich. After you're done making the bacon, take each slice off the heat and let it drain on a cooling rack or on some paper towels on a plate. That allows some of the excess fat to drip off of the bacon, preserving its crisp texture and negating the overly oily situation you're trying to avoid. Make sure you don't forget this important step if you're really interested in making a solid BLT sandwich.

When it comes to a sandwich as simple as a BLT, every morsel of flavor counts, and that's why you absolutely don't want to forget to salt the tomatoes you include in the sandwich. Sure, if you get a particularly good tomato, it's going to taste amazing whether there's any salt there or not. But that sprinkle of salt can really take a slice of tomato to the next level, allowing you to pick up on all the nuanced sweet and umami flavors that a garden-fresh tomato can provide. Plus, you don't want the tomato to fade into the background once you add a salty slice of bacon.

We suggest salting your tomato before adding it to the sandwich. This way, you can ensure that you can completely cover the tomato with a layer of salt, and you won't end up over-salting any of the other ingredients in the process.

We love lettuce just as much as the next salad lover out there, and we recognize that it's an incredibly important part of any sandwich, much less a BLT, where it plays a starring role. However, just because we seriously love lettuce doesn't mean that it's necessary to include an overwhelming amount of it in your next BLT. First of all, too much lettuce messes up the textural balance of the dish — if you have too much of a crunch from the lettuce, you won't appreciate the bacon enough. And even though lettuce has a light, mild flavor to it, that flavor can be quite pronounced when there's a lot more of it than any other ingredient in the sandwich.

Our advice? Stick to just one lettuce leaf. Really want to add some more greens to the sandwich? Opt for two leaves, but keep it at that. After all, a good BLT is all about the harmonious combination of three different ingredients coming together in an ideal ratio, and you don't want to mess that up just because you're craving a side salad.

Not every sandwich requires toasted bread. After all, toasting the bread is one of the main mistakes you can make when it comes to making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. However, other types of sandwiches absolutely call for toasted bread, and a BLT is one of them. Ideally, you're using sliced white bread to construct your BLT. This type of bread is preferred because it doesn't impart much of a flavor on its own, and it's soft enough to yield a sandwich that's easy to eat. But if you don't toast plain, sliced white bread, it's going to disintegrate under the weight of the tomatoes after just a few bites.

Therefore, it's imperative to get a nice toast on your bread before you start to construct your sandwich. Go for a golden-brown toast that makes for a crispy exterior layer with a still-soft interior. That way, your sandwich isn't going to fall apart, and you'll get to enjoy an extra, crispy textural element that makes every bite just a bit more interesting.

A BLT is literally named after the three most essential ingredients in the sandwich: bacon, lettuce, and tomato. But what you may not realize is that there's a condiment that's just as important to a BLT as the core ingredients themselves. That condiment is mayonnaise, and it's an essential addition to a good BLT. You need a nice, creamy element to contrast with the crispness of the bacon and the light, refreshing qualities of the lettuce and tomato alike, so mayonnaise just makes sense. But this is not the time to be watching your mayo intake — a good BLT calls for a lot of it.

That's why we always suggest spreading the mayo on both (not just one) slices of bread. Most importantly, it will give your sandwich that creamy texture and acidic flavor you're going for, but it also functions as a sort of glue, keeping all of the ingredients in place and preventing them from slipping out the back of the sandwich. The brand of mayo you choose is ultimately up to you, but this is definitely not an optional ingredient.

If you're making sandwiches for a lot of people or you're prepping for a party, it's always a good idea to make a few dishes in advance. That way, you aren't running around trying to do everything at the last minute. But there are a few dishes that just don't make sense to prepare ahead of time, and a BLT is one of them. This is a big mistake, first and foremost because you want to make sure both the toast and the bacon are warm and crispy. If you let the sandwich hang out on the counter for too long before you serve it, you're going to miss out on that lovely contrast between the warm and cold ingredients.

However, there's another reason you won't want to make your BLT too far ahead of the time you'll eventually serve it. The moisture from the lettuce and tomatoes can make the bread soggy (yes, even if you toasted it beforehand). To avoid these textural mishaps, make sure you eat your BLT within a few minutes of making it for the tastiest results.

It's always nice to embrace creativity in the kitchen by trying out different spices and condiments in otherwise standard recipes. Often, riffing on the classics will yield new, delicious dishes that you may just go back to again. However, there are some simple dishes we're purists about, and a BLT sandwich is one of them. Since this is such a simple combination of ingredients, you really don't want to muck it up with a bunch of random additions that don't make much sense.

When it comes to spices, you really only need two for a BLT: salt and pepper. If you're feeling really wild, you can sprinkle on some garlic or onion powder, but beyond that, experimenting with spices might harm your sandwich. You don't want to overpower those delicate ingredients with smoked paprika or a random curry powder, after all. The same can be said for condiments. Mayo should be the only kind of sauce you include in this kind of sandwich. We certainly don't recommend mustard, but a bit of it can add some acidity, as can hot sauce. Beyond that, though, you won't want to add any other random flavoring agents to this otherwise simple sandwich — at least if you're going for that classic BLT flavor, anyway.

There are tons of sandwiches out there that contain bacon, lettuce, and tomato, but aren't BLTs. Therefore, when you start adding a bunch of random inclusions to your BLT, it arguably ceases to be a BLT at all. Want to include some grilled chicken breast in the sandwich? That's great, but that's just a chicken sandwich now. The same can be said for a burger patty or even some sliced deli turkey.

And this doesn't just apply to meat or protein — other ingredients, like avocado, can also render a BLT no longer a BLT. It's totally fine if you want this kind of a sandwich. But when you're going for that classic BLT flavor, just remember that you're not going to want to include any other random ingredients into the mix. When it comes to this dish, it's best to keep things as simple as possible for the tastiest results.