Peanut butter sandwiches are better without jelly.
Don't get me wrong, if you have a good jam or preserves it's totally fine on a sandwich, and I wouldn't turn my nose up at it. However, peanut butter doesn't really need the help, and the extra sweetness from jelly is totally unnecessary. Toasted bread and peanut butter is all you need for a quality simple sandwich.
98 replies
Too dry without jelly/jam
With a glass of milk, it's great.
https://youtu.be/OLSsswr6z9Y
Lots of butter helps to lube it up.
That episode baffles and infuriates me. Does the Federation really not have a law against genocide?!
Upvoted for strong disagreement. If I had to drop an ingredient it would be the peanut butter (leaving out the bread would be too messy)
I strongly disagree. You can't drop the peanut butter.
But I also agree that you can't drop the jam.
There are better ways to enjoy plain peanut butter than in bread. Like straight out the jar.
I'd say toast with jelly is definitely a breakfast staple, though.
But also I think hot toast with peanut butter on its own works very well.
The main issue with peanut butter is the stickiness, and the smacky mouth you get, but if it's the right temperature it will be more runny and soak into the toast.
Peanut butter and honey ftw
That was the only way my kids would have them.
I was raised on PB&H.
It was cheaper getting the comby stuff right from the apiarist, so while it fit our budget back then it was a little comby. And the bread was homemade, as dad would make like 72 loaves in the kitchen and barter most of them away (1983 financial crunch).
Yep. Homemade bread, organic honey, kraft PB. Smooth, ya bloody heathens.
Add sliced bananas for some extra crunch (and sweetness)
Rueben that for an elvis special.
Sambal is superior with everything
Adding Jelly to a Peanutbutter Sandwich makes it a PB&J. If someone asked me if I wanted a Peanutbutter Sandwich and I said yes, and then they instead brought me a PB&J, I'd be annoyed.
I acknowledge this probably could have been worded better, but I'm gonna take bong rips rather than fix it 😤
I agree, but I'd add butter.
This is because I got used to butter on all of my sandwiches, because my mom made them that way. The reasoning was the butter prevented the other wet stuff from soaking through the bread, and that works.
Butter on sandwiches isn't something I grew up with, but I can appreciate the logic behind its use. I've tried it a few times and am generally neutral on it. It is in essence—on a sandwich infrastructure level—mayonnaise with a different flavor profile.
I'd expect peanut butter to be a better moisture barrier than either butter or mayo however.
When I grew up, bread with butter already passed as a simple sandwich. Pbj is disgusting to me, while bread, butter and jam (or honey) is good as an open faced sandwich.
The flavor of butter can be the star of a sandwich, a baguette jambon beurre in france is fantastic.
Finding the PB+J flavor combo startling, if not downright offputting is pretty common outside the U.S. it seems. Like many things food-related, preferences are strongly cultural.
PB+J is one of the few savory/sweet combinations in widespread use in American cooking (although I suppose it pops up fairly often in various breakfast combos). Others exist, but this is by far the most common. I myself don't generally like that combination outside of PB&J, and I almost certainly enjoy it mostly because I grew up with it.
I'd agree that people always put too much jelly, I like a thin layer of jam/jelly opposed to globs of it, but peanut butter sandwich by itself is just too dry & chewy.
Better unpopular opinion: US-style peanut butter is disgusting. It is sweetened and has an off-putting structure. European style peanut butter is way better.
More popular opinion: the best topping for peanut butter is sambal, which is an Indonesian style chilli paste
You understand we have real PB in the states, too, right? The fact that you chose to buy crap in the states does not reflect poorly on us. The PB I buy is not sweetened.
That would be like me going to Vietnam, trying pho with tripe, and concluding that all pho in Vietnam has tripe.
You have even more real PB in the states because it's protected and must contain at least 90% peanuts, this is not the case in the EU.
Came here to say I put a ton of cayenne pepper on mine. Guess I'll try sambal and Tabasco too
Peanut butter is horrifyingly dry on its own.
I like pickles more then jelly
Umm… I am unsure how to proceed. Out of pure curiosity, I want to try a peanut butter and pickle sandwich. However, the portion of my mind that is closed does not want to try that.
What do I do?
It's actually really, really good. I tried it recently. It's very reminiscent of Thai dishes to me that use peanuts, weirdly enough.
I put peanut butter on both sides and pickles in the middle. Works best with spicy pickles, IMO.
It's a tasty sweet and savory sandwich.
Try it. I love it but its not for everyone.
I swear if you trolling me it’s a good one.
I’ll try it tomorrow. Toasted or not?
Me? untoasted. I'm not trolling both me and my partner love it.
But have you ever made a peanut butter and jelly burrito? Just roll it up and sear the burrito on both sides. Makes the peanut butter and jelly nice and warm too.
I’ll give both a shot this weekend and report back!
I prefer it with cucumber myself. Ads a nice fresh crispness to it.
Pickles are good too. I haven't done it with cucumbers in a long time I might make that tomorrow
Well, definitely fits the community!
I will say that I disagree, though I do find joy in just a plain peanutbutter sandwich at times.
But, to me, peanutbutter is a foundation to build with, not the main goal. When teamed up with the right ingredients, it provides synergy. It's got sweet, salty, a little umami, and that unique peanut taste. So it mixes well with so much.
The key to jelly is making sure that it still manages to have a tartness and the experience is more fulfilling. I find that actually jellies aren't as good as preserves or jams, as jelly tends to be way more sugar based and has little or no "body" from the original fruit.
But one of my favorite PB based sandwiches is apples. Slice them up thin, a scant layer of pb on each slice of bread, with the slices stacked in between. A decently tart apple is sublime. Add a slice of cheddar and you get a deeper complexity.
Peanut butter + Honey + Banana slices
Your welcome, just keep a drink close by.
I have been doing peanut butter, banana and a sprinkle of granola on top for crunch. So good on homemade sourdough. I will have to try with honey!
Good post. This IS an unpopular opinion. I really want to downvote you because I disagree, but I want to upvote you because you clearly understood the assignment.
Depends where you're from though, peanut butter & jelly/jam isn't really a thing here.
Interesting, it's a classic where I grew up (Minnesota, USA). Where are you that it's not a thing?
I'm from the Netherlands.
Jelly is for children.
Use jam instead. Organic (no HFCS) strawberry is my go-to.
Or preserves. I prefer strawberry with peanutbutter myself, but if I'm just spreading preserves or jam on a pastry, I like peach.
I like peanut butter with a bit of agave. Something I think might differ between you and the people objecting to this is the type of peanut butter used. "Natural" peanut butter where you have to mix the peanut butter is better for plain sandwiches because the oil makes it less gunky imo.
Sooooo, you want to eat just a peanut butter sandwich. Since there's no jam.
Or rhythm!
Now that's my jam
My unpopular opinion is that peanut butter does not belong on a sandwich. Don't get me wrong, I love peanut butter, on its own or as part of a snack or dessert, but spreading it between two slices of bread? It doesn't matter what else you put on it, it's way too sticky and messy for me to enjoy it.
Try holding the sandwich from the outside rather than jamming your hand in the middle like a popsicle. I find that really reduced the stickiness and messiness for me.
I meant more on the inside of my mouth than in my hand or on my fingers. (Who holds a sandwich from the center, by the way?)
You are absolutely correct if that is what you prefer.
You are incorrect for me however, as I generally prefer mine with a little raspberry jam to shake up the flavor profile. Plain is good too however.
Can't say I've ever gotten worked up over someone's food preference.
Thin layer of jam, 4cm thick layer of peanut butter.
I like to put a sliced banana. Offsets the dryness of plain peanut butter, and adds a bit of sweetness.
I don't think I've purchased jelly in like decades, but I eat a lot of peanut butter. Sometimes with bananas.
As far as blank blank& blank sandwiches go, my favorite is cream cheese and Nutella.
When I ate peanut butter, I would agree with you. I always preferred just some crunchy peanut butter and a lotta water. Helped keep me hydrated.
Replacing the jam with Vegemite is the only correct option.
I would not go that far but certainly I would take just peanut butter over just jelly. As far as not needing help sure but it can still get better. In comes. The banana!
Let me introduce you guys to the most glorious topping for peanut butter bread:
FUCKING CUCUMBER
It ads freshness, moisture, texture, crunch and the flavor actually combines well. First time I heard it I thought it was crazy but just try it once and you're sold.
You're just pushing a gateway drug to peanut butter and pickle sandwiches
All addiction starts somewhere.
I always hated PB&J. Both were fine on bread (though toasted was preferable with the jam), but I hated them mixed. I think I tried it twice ever in my life. It's weird since I love all kinds of sweet + salty combos; I think it's a texture issue.
I like peanut butter in savory stuff much more than in sweet. So I would agree. I don't buy the kind with sugar in it. But I would never make a peanut butter sandwich either, unless the only food in the house was somehow peanut butter and bread.
Someone posted here that they liked a peanut butter and onion sandwich, I'd try that.
Welp yeah, if you add jelly to it then the sandwich wouldn't be a peanut butter, but a PB+J sandwich
I......I have to upvote this. Not because I agree, but because I don't agree. This opinion is completely unpopular with me. Therefore you get an upvote for being objectively wrong.
most people aren't american, luckily
I tried peanut butter and jam because I always heard it being talked about in American movies (am European). It was a waste of both imo. Peanut butter and chocolate sprinkles is the way to go if you must add something to peanut butter. Jam is best on its own.
>:(
I was with you up to the toasted part.
Well, yeah of course, because adding jelly would make it a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Even better without the peanut butter
No, a peanut butter sandwich with no peanut butter would be objectively terrible.
Proof by counterexample: I like it better
bread can be really good, and if you get good bread it'll taste delicious on its own too. though I do of course use toppings.
Yes, toasted bread so that the PB gets slightly melted when spread!
Are you talking about just-peanuts peanut butter, or the sugary Kraft style peanut butter?
Just peanuts, I find the sugary peanut butter to be kinda inedible.
I personally enjoy a thicc layer of pb on untoasted bread when I eat instant ramen. Otherwise, as others have said, it’s a bit dry. I think the soup helps.
When there’s a pre-made PBJ spread available, I carefully scoop out the jelly to avoid getting peanut butter as mush as possible.
Thick peanut butter with equally thick cheese whiz is my favorite.
.........Elvis? Is that you?
No sir I'm just some random ol' hound dog, thankyew, thankyewverymuch.
Distinct lack of banana
And cheddar cheese and strawberry jam sandwich is better than just the cheese sandwich by itself. I learned this years too late.
I actually agree with you, but people used to call me nuts (heh)
No way! Toasted bread a sweet spread over the peanut butter and a glass of milk! It doesn’t get any better!
I sprinkle some salt on my pb, though I do also like something sweet with it if it's gonna be a sandwich
A thin layer of butter to separate the bread and peanut butter is the secret creamy ingredient to reduce the sticky, globby mouthfeel of peanut butter and reduce the need for drink nearby.
My personal favorite ingredient is banana.
According to everyone here, the sandwich you're supposed to make is:
Peanut butter, butter, honey, banana, pickles (cucumbers if you're impatient), cayenne pepper, and lastly, if you're a Vincent, jam or preserves.
Toasting optional
Jelly sandwiches are way better without this horrible sticky peanut butter.
Wow, a rare, actually unpopular opinion.
You should try peanut butter and honey.
I’ve actually never had a PB&J. The combo always sounded gross to me.
I use honey on mine, jelly feels weird now.
Peanut "butter" is like almond "milk" but when I have a peanut butter sandwich I always pump up the jam.