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Peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese, butter and radishes — there are many two-ingredient sandwiches that are classics for good reason. Sigourney Weaver’s favorite isn’t one of these, but the combination should be just as iconic. The actress loves a tomato and cheddar sammy on toasted white bread. She first ate this simple meal when she was very hungry after a long day of screen testing for the movie “Alien,” which made it all the more satisfying. “It was the most delicious food I’ve ever had in my life,” Weaver told Stephen Colbert on a segment of “The Late Show.”
How come this simple pairing was so revolutionary for Weaver? Why, MSG, of course! Free glutamates are a type of amino acid that occur naturally in a ton of delicious savory foods like soy sauce, seaweed, green tea, anchovies, corn, and many more; including cheddar cheese and tomatoes.
Think about a ripe, juicy tomato — it’s the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and acidic. Now imagine a slice of quality sharp cheddar cheese — tangy, complex, and nutty with those intriguing flavor crystals throughout. Is your mouth watering yet? That’s your palate anticipating that craveable MSG taste. Combining these two ingredients together essentially makes an umami sandwich. White bread is mild enough to let those flavors shine, but toasting the slices first allows them to stand up to both the tomato juices and firm cheddar.
Dress up Sigourney Weaver’s tomato and cheddar sandwich
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What makes Sigourney Weaver’s favorite sandwich so good is its simplicity, so resist the urge to load it up too much. However, some thoughtful additions can take this meal from good to great. Before adding veggies to your sandwich, don’t forget to season them; the cheddar brings some salt to the party, but it’s not quite enough to make those tomatoes pop like they could. Slice them into thick rounds and sprinkle them with flaky salt and a few cranks of freshly ground black pepper. You can also opt for a couple shakes of seasoned salt or a sprinkle of MSG if you want a little more oomph.
For the cheese, choose whichever cheddar you prefer, though a sharper variety will help to balance the sweetness of the tomatoes. You can also use a flavored cheddar as long as it doesn’t have overpowering ingredients, such as truffles or hot peppers. Cheeses with something like chives or caramelized onions are good options, as are lightly smoked cheddars or Parmesan and cheddar blends.
As for condiments, you can’t go wrong with a smear of mayo on both sides of the sandwich; it adds creaminess, helps keep the whole thing together, and unifies all the flavors. Of the best store-bought mayonnaise brands, Kewpie is definitely one of the top choices. Unlike most mayonnaise, it actually has MSG added, so it’s uniquely well-suited to bring out the savory notes of the cheese and tomatoes.
Dining and Cooking