11 Things You Should Be Doing For A Better BLT, According To Experts

When you're craving the salty, satisfying, delicious taste of a BLT — or bacon, lettuce, and tomato — sandwich, it can be tempting to run to the nearest restaurant to get this classic meal. And while most restaurants will serve up a BLT that will make your mouth water, it's also possible to recreate this iconic deli staple at home. While you may have avoided trying to make this simple but standout sandwich at home in the past because it never lives up to restaurant quality, there are a few easy steps you can take to make it feel more gourmet.

We spoke with two experts to get their insider secrets on how home chefs can take BLTs to the next level without ever leaving the house. Read on to discover the simple ways Savory Experiments founder and chef, Jessica Formicola, and But First We Brunch owner and recipe developer, Cynthia Christensen, recommend to achieve restaurant-quality BLTs.

While BLTs taste delicious, they are a surprisingly simple dish to prepare. As such, it's vital to choose the highest-quality, most delicious ingredients possible to make the biggest, most flavorful impact.

"Using good quality ingredients is imperative. [In restaurants,] the bacon used is often a center-cut and thick-cut for more salty goodness. Good quality heirloom tomatoes or beefsteak [tomatoes] are used as well as Bibb or butter lettuce instead of mundane iceberg," explained Jessica Formicola.

If you're trying to recreate your favorite restaurant BLT at home, strategically pick your ingredients to maximize flavor. When choosing tomatoes, look for firm, not-too-soft fruit that is uniformly ripe throughout. It should also have a distinct, tomato-y smell (no scent can indicate it has not yet ripened). Similarly, opt for lettuce with a crisp texture and satisfying crunch. Romaine and green leaf lettuce fit the bill, while a leafy alternative like arugula adds an unexpected pepperiness to complement the richness of the bacon.

Staying organized in the kitchen is often the key to creating a delicious, high-quality dish. In the back of the house at restaurants, chefs prepare their mise en place, which translates to "everything in its place." This is the practice of preparing everything before cooking even begins — from washing produce to slicing tomatoes to mixing sauces and seasonings.

Cynthia Christensen recommends that home chefs also "start by embracing the concept of mise en place, or having all of your ingredients measured and ready to go before starting." Jessica Formicola agrees: "[Restaurants] prep all of their ingredients ahead of time, but wait to assemble until the sandwich is ordered."

Assembling your tools and utensils, cooking your bacon, washing and drying your lettuce, making your mayo, and preparing all of your BLT ingredients before you assemble your sandwich can help keep you more organized and make the final product even more delicious. It also helps streamline the meal if you're cooking for multiple people, ensuring all of the sandwiches can be ready at the same time.

Bacon is the star of a BLT, so it's important that you nail this salty, savory ingredient. While there are many ways to cook bacon, opting for the oven will typically give you the crispiest, best results to use in this iconic sandwich – but you can also explore other ways to prep this protein that fit your cooking style.

"Cooking your bacon in the oven will give you nice flat strips of bacon that are perfect for layering in your sandwich without all of the smoke and mess that normally goes with making bacon," said Cynthia Christensen. If you're preparing bacon ahead of time, be sure to factor in the reheating process when deciding on your cooking time. "You want to pull them out of the oven before they get too crispy, because you want room for reheating ... 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes is usually good for thin slices. You can reheat the bacon in the microwave, or a flat top, for about 15 seconds to reawaken the crisp and warm it up," she added. If you're feeling fancy, you can also level-up your sandwich with brown-sugar coated bacon.

Nothing ruins a sandwich faster than a watery tomato that makes the bread fall apart as soon as you take the first bite. To avoid this all-too-common downfall of a BLT, remove the moisture from your tomatoes before assembling your sandwich. "I like to slice my tomatoes for each sandwich individually, and lay the slices on a bit of paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Wet ingredients are the enemy of a crispy sandwich," said Cynthia Christensen.

Depending on the tomato variety you use, you can also scoop out the tomato seeds to remove moisture — this is especially useful for romas, beefsteaks, or other seedy styles. Or, if you want to do double duty, you can infuse your tomatoes with flavor and remove moisture at the same time. "Sometimes I sear my tomatoes in my cast-iron griddle for just a few seconds, to get some smoke flavored char on them," Cynthia Christensen added.

"Bread choice is a controversial topic," Cynthia Christensen said. While some people prefer the sweet, fluffy bite of a brioche bun or the savory, olive-oil-infused flavor of a focaccia, she likes to keep things more traditional.

"I prefer thickly-sliced white bread or soft wheat," she explained. "I do not like hard, crusty breads, like sourdough or baguettes or anything that might rip up the roof of your mouth when you're trying to take a bite or battle with the sandwich ingredients. It's a sandwich, not a tug-of-war."

If you're looking for an unexpected flavor, consider opting for rye (light, dark, or marbled will all work). Challah is another soft, slightly sweet option that may be more unexpected but is still a delicious vehicle for your BLT ingredients. If rolls are more your style, you can't go wrong with a soft potato roll – or, for a more brunch-inspired BLT, add your ingredients to an English muffin and top with a fried egg. But whatever bread you prefer, it can truly make or break the final result.

Though BLT sandwich assembly may seem like common sense, it's important to stack your ingredients in the correct order to maximize ease of eating. "I know it's called a bacon, lettuce, and tomato [sandwich] but placing them in that order is madness," explained Cynthia Christensen. "If you put the lettuce and tomatoes on top of the bacon, where most people do, they slip around in the mayonnaise. Slippage in a BLT is the worst!"

"My preferred architecture is lightly toasted white bread, mayonnaise, a ruffled bed of lettuce, tomatoes nestled in the folds of greenery, topped with a couple of layers of thin and crisp bacon, and finally the last slice of bread with mayonnaise. Trust me on this," she added. You can also consider creating a more mirrored-style layered sandwich, with layers of bacon on the top and the bottom, with the lettuce, and tomato on the interior. But whatever you do, don't forget to add mayo to both the top and bottom slices of bread – doing so helps insulate the bread and create a barrier between it and the filling.

While the basics of a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich always remain the same, there are other add-ons you can incorporate to take your BLT to the next level. "I do like adding slices of ripe avocado to amp up the creaminess, especially if your bacon is extra salty," Cynthia Christensen recommends.

For added kick, you can also add spicy peppers to your sandwich, like pickled jalapeños or pickled cherry peppers. Red onion can also add a kick of a different kind. For a more classic, deli-inspired topping, you can also opt for your favorite pickles. The vinegar in all of these topping choices helps cut the saltiness of the bacon and add extra balance to your sandwich.

For something a bit sweeter, add fig jam or bacon jam — either in addition to regular bacon or instead of — for an unexpected twist on a classic. Really, the BLT add-ons are nearly endless; the only limit is your creativity.

While classic mayonnaise is always welcome, you can change up the sauce to give a BLT an entirely new flavor. "If using mayo, make a homemade mayonnaise with a really flavorful oil like a high quality olive oil or avocado oil," said Jessica Formicola. "[You can also] swap mayo for an aioli, like one with bright lemon or fresh herbs or spice it up with a chipotle aioli."

If you want something a bit more classic, herbs like tarragon, parsley, dill, or basil made delicious additions. Roasted garlic aioli is also a welcome addition to a BLT for added depth of flavor. For something more unexpected with a little bit of a kick, wasabi is also the perfect supplement. No matter how you choose to put your own spin on the sauce, it's always a good idea to start with a simple homemade mayo recipe and iterate from there to ensure you have a solid base.

Nothing can ruin a mouth-watering meal as quickly as lack of seasoning — or, on the other end of the spectrum, adding too much of a good thing. Especially when making a meal with as many components as a BLT, it is an easy trap to fall into if you aren't sampling all of your elements individually before assembly. "Season and taste everything. Don't wait until the end to taste and adjust your seasoning," recommends Cynthia Christensen.

Jessica Formicola agrees: "Remember that good meals start with higher quality ingredients and restaurants do not skimp on the salt!" Take a bite of each element of your sandwich as you finish your work through your prep, from the crisp bacon to the salted tomatoes to the freshly washed lettuce. Understanding the flavor profile of each ingredient individually will help you get the salt, acid, and spice levels (if you're using something with some heat) just right. It will also help you make sure the texture of the sandwich is balanced and doesn't skew too soft or too crunchy.

"We really do eat with our eyes first," said Cynthia Christensen. "Even when I'm not taking photographs of my food and putting it on social media, I [still] plate my food beautifully. I like to look down and have it look so delicious that I can't wait to take a bite. It really does make it taste better."

To make your plating look like it came from the pros, there are a few simple presentation tips you can follow. One of the most important decisions is choosing the perfect plate itself. Whether you opt for a handmade, stoneware feel or like something a little bit more modern, select something a bit more elevated to make your meal feel instantly elegant. You can also add garnishes, like sauces, or herbs to layer color and depth onto the plate. Unexpected additions like edible flowers will also help set the plate apart and make any meal feel extra special.

While the BLT sandwich will be the star of the show, serving a sandwich on its own doesn't make for a complete meal. Certain sides, like potato chips or french fries, are expected (and delicious) ways to round out your plate — but you can also get a bit more creative with your accompaniments.

"My dad would make a BLT with a fried green tomato on it, but I found that the topping slid off of the tomato while taking a bite, giving you that awkward moment where things start to slide and your bite goes awry," explained Cynthia Christensen. "I like serving a BLT with a side of fried green tomatoes as a nod to my dad."

Jessica Formicola has another approach, "I like a simple vinegar coleslaw or one made with Greek yogurt instead of more mayo. A fresh fruit salad or pickles are also good ideas. Something light, refreshing and colorful." Other popular BLT sides include baked beans, potato salad, corn, or tomato soup.