They go together like peanut butter and jelly...an often used, but intrinsically flawed phrase. "peanut butter and jelly sandwich" is a fairly vague term when it comes down to it. If someone were to ask you to make them a “PB & J” one might think it was a simple undertaking, but in fact, there are many variables to be dealt with when recreating this staple of American culture.
When concerned with proper etiquette, the natural thing to do when preparing a sandwich of any sort is to put it on a proper plate. Younger children of course (which are the prime age group of peanut butter and jelly eaters), aren't usually all too concerned with etiquette, so one may choose to substitute the traditional plate for a napkin. A younger child will also tend to be an extremely picky eater. Children, being generally so hard to please with a new item of food will tend to make any culinary situation worse before they make it better, including making any sandwich.
The first part of the sandwich is the bread. There are dozens of different types of bread to choose from, but white bread is generally the default bread for a sandwich of this kind (Wonder Bread if you want to feel extra youthful and/or nostalgic). Now when it comes to children, an oft-preferred special feature of their sandwiches is the ol' "No Crust" technique; this is not as simple as is suggested by the name. When preparing a sandwich sans crust, one needs a knife that is both sharp and long. If the knife is not sharp enough there is a risk of mutilating the bread, equally so, if the knife is not long enough then one may mutilate the bread by struggling with a several-step process. If said knife is not available, then one may opt to use the simple hands-on technique, but if this must be done, do so with caution. There is a dangerous and rarely-realized pitfall when preparing a sandwich in this way. The deep brown portion of the crust, the hard, bland portion does not terminate with its color, below this thin layer is an even thinner layer that is equally as rough and uninviting to a more selective-palleted individual that is the same color as the inner white of the bread, which when left on may trigger high-pitched complaints. With the bread portion of the sandwich squared away, on to the bulk of the task.
For sake of tradition, the peanut butter section will follow. When choosing a Peanut Butter there is a dizzying number of options to choose from. Be warned! Many people are allergic to peanuts and peanut products, kindly be sure whomever the sandwich is intended for is not someone who suffers from this ailment to prevent any potentially serious consequences. Beyond peanut-free peanut butter (substitute), there are two main disciplines of the peanut butter school. For those who prefer a little crunch with their sandwich there is “Chunky”, or peanut-filled peanut butter. For those who want a smooth-whipped feel about their sandwich, there is traditional, or peanut-free (not to be confused with peanut substitute) peanut butter. Beyond these choices there is also the ever-important choice of which brand to choose unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, depending on how big of a peanut butter fan one is), the only way to find out what's right for each individual set of taste buds is to compare one brand to the next.
Now, the final component of the sandwich. You guessed it, the jelly! When concerned with jelly (or jam if one prefers), there are many choices as well; there are dozens of flavors, dozens of consistencies and textures, and different levels of preservatives just to name a few. When spreading the jelly onto the bread, as with the peanut butter, there should be a level area of said ingredients. This ideal is sometimes hard to attain, especially with chunky peanut butter. That's not to say that jelly can't be equally as difficult, of course. When spreading jelly there are many possible outcomes. Instead of getting a perfect level of jelly across the piece of bread, one might find the jelly splintering into tiny colonies, whilst in between the pebbles of flavor lay a thin layer of jelly that barely qualifies for anything other than a coloring to the bread. This is a common theme among jellies which are loaded with preservatives, fortunately many jelly companies now make preservative-free jellies. Again, the only way to find the perfect jelly for one's self is to compare brands and types.
Hopefully this guide has helped in the quest to make a better peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Now perhaps, people will think twice before they so callously attempt to make a guest said sandwich without asking how they make it. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are not one-type-fits-all.
